How to earn a desk.

Now, this is a teacher!

Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a social studies school teacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock , did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, with permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she took all of the desks out of the classroom. The kids came into first period, they walked in, there were no desks. They obviously looked around and said, "Ms. Cothren, where's our desk?" And she said, "You can't have a desk until you tell me how you earn them." They thought, "Well, maybe it's our grades." "No," she said.
"Maybe it's our behavior." And she told them, "No, it's not even your behavior." And so they came and went in the first period, still no desks in the classroom. Second period, same thing. Third period, the same. By early afternoon television news crews had gathered in Ms. Cothren's class to find out about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of the classroom. The last period of the day, Martha Cothren gathered her class. They were at this time sitting on the floor around the sides of the room. And she says, "Throughout the day no one has really understood how you earn the desks That sit in this classroom ordinarily." She said, "Now I'm going to tell you." Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it, and As she did 27 U.S. veterans, wearing their uniforms, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. And they placed those school desks in rows, and then they stood along the wall. And by the time they had finished placing those desks, those kids for the first time I think perhaps in their lives understood how they earned those desks. Martha said, "You don't have to earn those desks. These guys did it for you. They put them out there for you, but it's up to you to sit here
responsibly to learn, to be good students and good citizens, because they paid a price for you to have that desk, and don't ever forget it."

I want you to know that I did go to Snopes and make sure this is true before I posted and, indeed, Mrs. Cothren taught her kids this amazing lesson. Now, it is up to you to teach it to your children!

I know! I know!

I know...you were all waiting for me to post some pictures yesterday weren't you? Well, honestly, I didn't get the cards done until much later in the day than I thought I would soooo I just decided to wait until this morning. But, since you had to wait so long, you get to see both cards I made yesterday. I made two baby cards, one boy card for my neighbor and one girl card for my friend's daughter who just gave birth to a baby girl this last week. they both have the same layout just, obviously, different color and choice of image.

I just realized (because an e-mail prompted me) that I need to get to work on my one of the Bella swaps that I am a part of. It is a really large swap (17) and I rarely do more than 5 soooo it will take me awhile to get them all done. Guess I'll be working on those this week! I'm still trying to figure out which Bella to use. I got some great images of the stamping Bella's this last week that might be cute but I'm not sure if I have enough. I wish my order with my new Bella's were going to be here on time but, alas, they will not. What do you guys think? I'm wondering if I should use something that it seems not many other people have or if I should use something that everyone can copy should they want to?

Have you noticed that I'm getting closer to 15,000 hits? Well, when we get there...it is blog candy time so keep a lookin'!

Here is how I made the cards:

Materials for boy card will be listed first then the girl card.

Stamps: Bundle of Joy and Congratulations from Lockhart Stamp Co.
Ink: Stazon Black, Brocade Blue, Bashful Blue, Real Red, Night of Navy, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Rose Red, More Mustard, and So Saffron.
Card Stock: Whisper White, Night of Navy, Pool Party Designer Paper, Rose Red, Regal Rose, Petals and Paisleys DP.
Accessories: Stickles, Dimensionals, Gel Pen, Ribbon from Basic Grey, Sweet Shop Ribbon, Round Tab Punch, Cuttlebug, Baby Embossing Folder for Cuttlebug, and Aquapainter.

Real Quick

Just a real quick note to let you know I'll be posting some artwork later today (when it is finished)! In the meantime...check out the new, very cool guestbook I have at the bottom of the blog. I had to put it on the bottom because it was the only way to let you guys see the entire thing! Now, go...sign the guestbook!

RAK's Yay!

Another fun mail day for me yesterday! I just love going to the mailbox and finding stuff other than bills and advertisements. Wanna see?

The first one is a thank you for introducing my fellow stamper, Janel, to the Cuttlebug. She used her Cuttlebug for the very cute frogs. What work to color the diamonds in alternating colors! I also LOVE the colors and the stitched grosgrain is fantastic! Thank you Janel!

The other card is from a fellow blogger, Ally. She won the Happy Harmony set when I did the photo wallet contest. Her blog, Allybstampin is one that I like to check each day. I just love Bella's and she sent such a cute one. I don't know if you can tell from the picture or not but she put a pink jewel in her hair. How stinkin' cute is that? Her coloring and shadowing is also great. Did you see that she used her gel pen to highlight each one of the diamonds on the base of the card? Cute, cute, cute!

I also got some stamped images in the mail the other day. A couple of Bella's and some cute Hopper something or another. I can't remember the name but they are cute so I'm sure to use them soon so you can see!

I hope you have a great Saturday!

Preview

Ever wish you could get a little sneak peek at what is coming out in the new SU! catalog? Well, be excited because today...I can help you with that! How about a sneak peek at the new '08 In Colors? Wait 'til you see these yummy colors! Like it says on the little notice that monitors can make the colors slightly different so keep that in mind. Yes, I did find this on SCS and decided to share it with my favorite blog readers...you!! I am, of course, totally in love with Purely Pomegranate! Go figure, huh? And, having TWO new blues...yay! Alright, I guess I like them all! Also, they are coming out with a new color into our Neutral's line...Basic Gray. What a great shade of gray that is, huh?

Now, what am I going to do with my '07 In Colors? Well, I'm going to stock up on the paper colors I like and use them! For me stock up means probably 2 packs of each color that I like.

Want another fun sneak peek? How about some accessories? There will be some square and round rhinestones brads in colors called Fire and Ice. How cool is that? Again, this picture won't do them justice, I'm sure but it sure is fun to get a sneak peek!

I hope you enjoyed our peek into the '07-'08 SU! catalog! Before long I'll be able to post the retiring stamp set list so that you all can order those sets that you really want!

Have a fantastic Friday!

Finally!

After getting MANY things done yesterday, I finally some stamping done! Only one card but it is definitely cute enough to show you. Remember I told you I got my Paper Pretties box yesterday? Well, this is the card that comes as the sample. So, so, cute! Introducing Jammiebella! Isn't she absolutely adorable? I just LOVE the fold down for the tag/saying. The flower on her top has stickles and her slippers has Liquid Applique. I didn't heat the Liquid Applique so they aren't puffy but they are raised up and so cute! See...you know you want to join Paper Pretties don't you! Just be sure to tell Christie I sent you!

Today I'm off to Yakima for Bible Study and a little shopping. Kyler has NO jeans without holes. I wasn't going to buy any new jeans as I'm sure shorts weather will be here soon (maybe!) but he wear jeans to church too but they can't have holes in them so...I must buy at least one more pair.

Jon will be off to another golf match today. They play in Yakima today, too. The course is called Apple Tree and I guess when you are finished with your 18 holes you end in the stem. Pretty ingenious. Next week he will be going to Suncadia to golf on Tuesday. It is a big deal because Suncadia is in Roslyn/CleElum and is a resort area with an exceptional golf course. If you are curious about Suncadia click HERE. He needed to be in the top 5 of JV golfers in order to go to Suncadia so, as you can imagine, he is thrilled!

I'm going to start putting the ingredients for the cards that I make down at the bottom of the post. I think that will make it more fluent for you to read everything. So here goes!

How I made this card:

Stamps: Jammiebella and sentiment by Stamping Bella
Card stock: Ultra White, Paper Salon - Bloom (Petite White Floral), Paper Salon - Enamored (Swiss Dot), and Bazzill Mocha Divine Card stock.
Ink: Stazon Black, Cool Caribbean, Close to Cocoa, Blush Blossom, and Pretty in Pink
Accessories: Liquid Applique, Stickles, Aqua Painter,Turquoise Mini Brads, Brown Eyelets, Brown Mini Brads, Brown Grosgrain, and Pop Up Dots.

One of those days.

Ever have one of those days here you think you are on a roll with a card and then something happens to totally throw you off? Well, that was me yesterday! I was working on Todd's graduation card when I completely ripped a side of the ribbon/saying piece off. So...I just stopped stamping at that point I was so frustrated. I guess I need to try a different way to do it!

Wanna hear something exciting? I got my April Paper Pretties Box yesterday! It was just about killing me to be waiting so long. I wish the mail between Canada and the US could go just a little faster! Wanna see though? It features Jammiebella. See the cute bra lookin' thing? It has some fun prima flowers in it. I also got some brads, hold down thingies (technical term, huh?), eyelets, glue dots, ribbons, and some great paper! Can't wait to get stamping today!

Since I didn't stamp today that is all I have to share with you. I hope you join in my excitement for my Paper Pretties box as that means you'll have some new artwork to see very soon!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Blogger RAK

It was a fun day at the mailbox yesterday...I got a RAK from a fellow Blogger, Nicole Cooke! Her blog, The Stampin' Librarian, is one that I subscribe to so that I don't miss anything that she places on her blog! Looks like she used two SAB sets, Big Blossom and So Very to make this card. I love how she kissed the stamp with paisley. And, who doesn't like classic Red, Black, and White? I never use my clear buttons so I love her fun way of placing it in the middle of the flower! Thanks so much Nicole!

Nothing new from me today. I was kind of feeling yucky yesterday so I laid down for a nap when I should have been stamping. Today I'm starting out with a headache, which I think is weather related so I'll try taking something for it and, hopefully, get some additional stamping done!

I hope you all have Terrific Tuesday!

My Favorite Bella Card So Far

Can you stand another Bella card? This is the favorite that I've made so far. I'm actually considering sending it to a magazine for publication although I don't really know how so I'll have to research it a little. I think it must be the combination of colors and accessories that make me love it....I'm just not sure. Let me know what you think! Wow...what a poor picture. I hope I figure out this new camera's flash quickly! Here is how this one was made. Stamps: Cosmobella and Girlfriends from Rubber Stampede. Card Stock: Whisper White, Regal Rose, Tempting Turquoise, and Tutti Frutti from Basic Grey. Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Regal Rose, Close to Cocoa, Blush Blossom, Pretty in Pink, Rose Red. Accessories: Brads, Dimensionals, Stickles, and Crystal Effects.

Today is a busy Monday as usual. I'll be at work this morning, exercise prior to picking up Kyler this afternoon, and a committee meeting tonight for church. Believe it or not that doesn't leave me with much time to do stuff today. Although I do love being busy so I'm okay with it! Oh, and Jon is going to a golf match in Leavenworth today! He is so excited! Be thinking thoughts of good skill for him!

The kiddos are going to be up shortly so I must finish this up. I hope you all have a wonderful Monday!

Happy Day!

Good Sunday Morning everyone! It is awful cloudy out there today and it rained some yesterday but my flowers sure did love it. Speaking of flowers I made this card a couple of days ago and just love the bright springy colors. I think it would be so cute as a birthday or anniversary card. The three stamps on this card are from Cornish Heritage Farms and are the Stamp of the Month Trio. The layout is pretty much from the sample that came with it but I changed it a little to make it a Lorie card. I really like the scalloped edge of the Elegant Eggplant and how Summer Sun and Elegant Eggplant go so well together. I just need to figure out how to make it so one side isn't a sharp edge like this one on the left. Stamps: Cornish Heritage Farms SOTM trio for April. Card Stock: Summer Sun, Whisper White, and Elegant Eggplant. Ink: Summer Sun, Always Artichoke, and Elegant Eggplant. Accessories: Organdy Ribbon, Heat Gun, and Corner Rounder (for scalloped edge).

Living in a college town sure has some of its benefits. The college is putting on a performance of Pecos Bill this weekend and the review in the paper said that it is kid friendly so on a whim we decided to take Kyler to it...you know...give him some culture. HA! Anyway, it was so fun! It was a four actor play and the sound effects were done right on stage. In total it was about 55 minutes long or so. The fun part was that we got to go behind the scenes and see how they did it and meet the cast. Kyler was so cute! After meeting Pecos Bill he said..."I got to meet Pecos Bill...that is soooo cool!" He also enjoyed the cookie and punch he got! Gotta love kids don't ya?!

I have the pleasure of teaching Children's Church today so I need to go review that. I hope you all have a fantastic day!

Birthday Girl

I went to Michael's on Thursday and got some, what I think is really cute, birthday paper. The best part? It was only a quarter! I had a plan for it before I even went through the checkout! Although she isn't exactly what I wanted I think this Giftabella w/Hat is cute! I used some of the fun brads I told you about yesterday on this card and the charm is a present with a tag that says 'for you'. The present and her hat has Stickles on it to give it that sparkle that every girl loves.

I have come to realize that I hoard my cards. For some reason I make them and just can't let them go. I have got to get some cards out for RAK purposes. Let them go, Lorie, let them go! :0)

I hope you all have a fantastic Saturday!

Here comes the brides(maid)

Happy Friday everyone! The sun is already shining here, I received a SU! order yesterday, and Todd comes home today. What could be better? In my order that I got I received some colored buttons. Both Fresh Favorites I and II. If you guys don't have those...get them. They are in the hot colors that everyone is using now like Tempting Turqouise, Certainly Celery, So Saffron, and more! Check HERE to see them in the online catalog.

Today I'm going to share Daintybella with you. I just can't seem to get enough of her. I and easy, huh? For the organdy ribbon I used my heat gun a little bit to make the ribbon the exact way I wanted it. LOVE how that works! Here is the recipe. Stamps: love my Paper Pretties Box so much! Everything you need to make a great card is right inside. I made a donut sentiment window for this card. That is such a fun and easy technique. Just use your Large Oval Punch to punch a hole through your base card and then use it again to punch from your colored card stock. That piece gets layered on the bottom, inside piece of your base (the parakeet here). Then use the small Oval Punch and punch out of whatever color you'd actually like to use for your sentiment. I then used dimensionals to pop up the sentiment on the bottom oval. Neato! Here is how I made her. Stamps: Daintybella and sentiment. Card Stock: Bazzill Parakeet, Tricycle Crate Paper, Girly Girl (I think) Crate Paper, Whisper White, Barely Banana, and Basic Black. Ink: Stazon Black, Regal Rose, Barely Banana, Close to Cocoa, Blush Blossom, and Pretty in Pink. Accessories: White Organdy, Dimensionals, and Heat Gun.

Oh, and also, I've been tagged! What that means is that I'm supposed to give you links to 5 other blogs that I visit. Well, I visit quite a few blogs throughout the day so just 5 is difficult. So, what I'm going to suggest is that you check out the blogs I have listed on the left side on my blog...I love them all!

I hope you all have a Fantastic Friday!

The last of the charts and cucakes!

Alright ladies. Today is the last of the charts. Today you'll get the Round Punch Tab charts. This punch is in SU!'s Spring Mini. I have never seen so many neato things with one punch that is for sure! I totally wish my mind worked is ways such as this! Enjoy those punches, ladies!

Today's artwork is something I made last night with stamps that I got from Ellen Hutson's store. Not only did I get some of the cutest stamps from her but I also got some fantastic card stock. It is called Arturo paper and I have never used something that takes watercolor so nice before! You really should check it out! I want more, more, more from Ellen's store! Part of the reason I picked up the stamps that I did is because I think they will look SO great just as colored images...no additional froo froo needed. (Is froo a word?) Here is what I used...Stamps: Three Cupcakes stamp by Lockhart Stamp Co (out of Redmond, WA!) and Warmest Regards (Level 1 SU! hostess set). Card Stock: Arturo Soft White. Ink: Stazon Black, Rose Red, Regal Rose, Barely Banana, Close to Cocoa, and Cameo Coral. Accessories: Stickles and Aquapainter. What an easy schmesy card to make! It is so nice when you have quality products to work with such as SU!, stuff from Ellen's store, Bella's, Creative Express, okay...you get the idea, right? :0)

So I'm off to Bible study in Yakima today and hopefully a yummy meal at Red Robin (I have to talk Angela into that!).

Have a great Thursday everyone!

More Charts!

This morning I'll share the circle charts that I found. I do want to make sure that you guys understand that I didn't make these charts just found them and thought you might find them useful. I totally wish I was imaginative enough to come up with charts like this! That snowman would be perfect in the winter, huh? And how about that cute pig and sheep? I believe tomorrow will be the last day for the punch charts. I'll be sharing the Round Tab Punch ideas. In the meantime...have fun with this one!

I made three different cards yesterday. Two had the same layout. I'm trying to decide which to show you today...Daintybella, Cornish Heritage Farms or Stampin' Up!. Hmmm...I actually think I'll show you the SU! card today. I haven't shown you one in awhile. Here is the thing though...it isn't all SU! Take a look and see. This layout is from a sketch challenge issued on one of the Yahoo groups I belong to. Here is how it was made. Stamps: Doodle That, I love you by Gina K. Card Stock: Real Red, Whisper White, Night of Navy, Pumpkin Pie, and a patterned part of the Fancy Floral Chick I showed you yesterday. Ink: Real Red, Night of Navy, and Pumpkin Pie. Accessories: Red Grosgrain and Dimensionals. Easy but cute!

I've got more plans for stamping today so I'll see you tomorrow!

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!

National Day of Mourning

In case you haven't heard President Bush has declared today a National Day of Mourning. I am so sad for the families and friends of those who where killed at Virginia Tech yesterday. Having a son who is on a college campus everyday this hits especially close to home. I would ask that you would take some time today to pray for the families of not only the students killed and injured but also for the family of the gunman. The hell they must be going through right now must be unmeasurable.

I have heard from a couple of people that they like the punch charts that I have posted so I'll post a couple more now and then a card further down the post. Today lets see what neat things we can make with Oval Punches. I LOVE the Oval Punches but don't use them nearly enough! I really like the sunflower and the spooky eyes. Of course, the butterfly is adorable as well!

Alright, last night I had a good time stamping with a new stamp that I got from Cornish Heritage Farms. It is great because they have free shipping with $35 order! They have a cute line of stamps called SonLight Impressions and that is what this stamp is from. It is very simply called Love and Best Wishes. Card Stock: Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Rose Red, Watercolor Paper, and a plain part of designer paper from Fancy Floral Chick. Ink: Stazon Black. Accessories: Watercolor Crayons, Aqua Painter, Vanilla Organdy, Rose Grosgrain, Linen Thread, and a envelope charm.

Did you see the new clock on the left hand side? I saw it on another blog and thought it was so cute. Now you'll know exactly when to get back to stampin'!

Have a great day everyone!

Wow! 10 Entries!

Good morning all! I received 10 wonderful entries for the Photo Wallet Card Contest. That is just fantastic...thank you all for participating. I have to say that I really loved each and every entry which is why I knew I couldn't be the one choosing as I'd never be able too! After much deliberation and switching back and forth from picture to picture the family choose the photo wallet card made by Ally Blakenship! Congratulations! They couldn't really tell me why they liked it best, just that they did. So...here it is! Ally, I'll need your mailing address so that I can get Happy Harmony out to you. Everyone else...thank you so much for being willing to share your wonderful stamping talent with me! Please drop me an e-mail if you would be willing to let me feature your wallet card at a different time on my blog. I hope that even if you didn't make one for the contest that you will, indeed, try it at home as I do believe they are going to be great Mother's Day gifts!

I hope that you all have a fantastic stamping day!

A Punchy Day

I have noticed a lot of people sharing some great punch charts going around the net and I thought you guys might like to see them...if you haven't already. There are about 7 or so charts going around and today I'll share two of them. One is the Word Window Punch and the other is the Wrought Iron Punch. I love the Word Window Punch and the Wrought Iron Punch is something I have but very rarely ever use. Hopefully this will encourage me to use it more and hopefully both of these will encourage YOU to use your punches more! I'll post a couple of more tomorrow! :0)

So, today at noon is the deadline for e-mailing in your Photo Wallet for my contest. If you aren't sure what I'm talking about see HERE.

I hope you have a Super Sunday! Check back tomorrow for the winner!

Saturday Morning

Hey, guys...how are you all this Saturday morning? Wow did I sleep in today. Todd closed the door when he got up and that makes it soooo quiet. I've been working on some stuff for my Grandpa because my dad called last night and told me that he had a stroke on Thursday. If you guys would please pray for his complete recovery I'd appreciate it. He is my last surviving grandparent and I'm very close to him, so I'm very sad.

I didn't get a chance to stamp anything yesterday...I was so busy and then completely tired last night. I do want to show you what I got from Creative Express though. You can see the embossing folder. I also got some 2x2 die cuts...a police car (go figure!) and a flower w/leaves. The wooden box contains some tissue Prima's. They are soooo cute and the box will be great to store other stuff some day when the Prima's are gone.

I did get my new camera but I didn't use it for this picture 'cuz I'm not totally sure how to put the picture on the computer from the camera yet. I don't have a CF reader yet so...I have to wait for now. LOVE the camera though.

We are headed to Yakima today for some shopping and yummy lunch at Red Robin. I hope that you are all having fun making your Wallet Cards for the contest. Remember you have until tomorrow at noon to e-mail me pictures of your card for a chance to win the SU! set Happy Harmony.

Have a great Saturday!

It's finally Friday!

It has been one of those weeks where it took FOREVER to get to Friday! I'm so glad it is here! My new digital camera will arrive today and, of course, Todd comes home...woohoo!

Today...you get to see Teddybella. I happen to think she is just a cutie patootie and cannot wait to send it off to it's intended receiver...I know she will love it! In real life it is such a ahhhh kind of card. Okay, here is what I used to make it. Stamps: Teddybella (thanks Jenn!) and Fancy Flexible Phrases. Card stock: Certainly Celery, Barely Banana, Crate Paper in Tricycle, Regal Rose, and Whisper White. Ink: Stazon Black, Barely Banana, Regal Rose, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, and Blush Blossom. Accessories: Velvet Ribbon, Green Safety Pin, Cuttlebug with Baby embossing folder, Dimensionals and anything Certainly Celery has Stickles on it.

Oh, and I got an order from Creative Express. I got some very cute Prima Flower and another embossing folder. This new one is called YOU and is so cute. I'll have to try it with another Bella! It was a fun day because I also went to Craft Warehouse and got one piece of 12X12 (don't you admire my restraint?) from Fancy Floral Chic Papers called Hearthrob. Love it and can't wait to cut into it!

Okay, I think I've babbled enough this morning! If you haven't already please check out my stamping contest HERE.

I hope you all have a great Friday!

So ya liked it, huh?

Thank you, ladies for your response to the wallet card. It sure is cute and easy to make! Since I don't have everyone's e-mail addresses at this point that asked for directions I'm going to post the measurements here for everyone. So, here you go...

Outside Card Stock: 4" X 11", scoring at 1 3/4", 2", 5", and 8"
3 Inside Panels: 7 1/2" X 2 3/4" scoring in half at 3 3/4"
Journaling Blocks: 3 1/2" X 2 1/2"
Belly Band: 8" X 1"

Now, how about a little stamping contest? How about you make a wallet card of your own, e-mail me a picture of it closed and opened. You can use SU! or non-SU!. Whatever makes you happy to stamp! I will have my family pick which one they like best and you'll receive the stamp set Happy Harmony. Sound fair? Okay, you have the weekend to make your wallet card. Please e-mail me by Sunday at noon. I cannot accept entries later than noon as my husband leaves on Sunday to go back to school. I will post Monday morning who they choose. One entry per person please. Also, please comment to this post that you'll be joining so that I have some clue as to how many photos to be looking for. Now...GO...create!!!

I must show you one more thing. I know that yesterday I told you that I was working on a Teddybella card and I did get that one done and I will show it to you. BUT, I also got my Cosmobella done last night that I've been dying to do! I've been waiting for some Cosmobella's to come via SCS's Wish RAK's and I received them the other day so of course I had to make something last night with it! So, without further ado...here she is...Cosmobella, Lorie style! Card Stock is all SU! in the colors of Whisper White, Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise, and Basic Black. Inks are the same plus Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, and Pretty in Pink. Accessories: Fabulous Ribbon from Michaels, Cuttlebug with D'vine Swirls Embossing Folder, Dimensionals, Swirly Clip, Swarovsky Crystal, and Stickles. Stamps: Cosmobella and Cheers! stamp from Michael's. Don't ya just love her! Again, do you see me smiling? Oh, and what about that fantastic watermark for my Bella cards?! I LOVE it!!!!

Okay, so, I'm going to try and figure out how to make this post a sticky until the end of the weekend so that you all can refer back here for the Wallet Card contest. If I can't figure it out please don't forget!

Have a wonderful Thursday!

A Fun Night!

What a fun night we had last night at stamp club! My girls always make me laugh! For the last swap of the year I wanted to do something that they would really like so I made them a Photo Wallet. I got the directions for how to do this from one of the Yahoo groups that I belong to. They are so easy and compact...I love them! The inside holds 9 photos and 3 journaling sections. What a great gift this would be for Mother's Day...doncha think?

This one is made with the set Office Accouterments from the spring mini. Love that big 'ole flower, don't you? Card stock used is: Marigold Morning, Tempting Turquoise, Rose Red, Old Olive, and Whisper White. Ink: Marigold Morning and Rose Red. Accessories: Brads, the new Spiral Punch for the spring mini, Stamp a ma jig, and Sticky Strip. Just so you know the approx size of this cutie is...3X4. You only have to use 8 1/2" X 11" paper for this wallet. Others I've seen and made use 12" X 12" paper.

I have started a fun Bella called Teddybella. She has a cute preggo tummy and bags from a shopping trip that include a teddy bear. I'm using my Cuttlebug with it, too. Oh! And guess what? They have a new fellabella. Right now it is a couple all dressed up and sooooo cute! I'm thinking that very soon there will be more fellabella's to love!

Well, I hope you have a Wonderful Wednesday!

April Specials and a Lion

I have been remiss in sharing with you the April Specials from Stampin' Up! I love the customer special this month because who doesn't like new word stamps. In the month of April you will receive 20% off the following stamp sets...

Stamp Set Sale Price

Warm Words $15.96
Tiny Talk $13.56
In My Thoughts $23.16
All Year Cheer II $23.96
Short Order Alphabet $31.16
Everyday Flexible Phrases $31.96

Also, right now, when you sign up as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, you'll receive two free hostess sets from our upcoming Fall-Winter Collection 2007 before anyone else! These sets are exclusive and won't be available to hostesses until July.

The sets you'll receive are:

• In the Spotlight (level 2 hostess set)
• All about Occasions Bundle (level 3 hostess set) This includes a stamp set and 2 jumbo wheels!

Let me know if you'd like any information about the above specials.

Today I will be making my swap card for stamp club. I have a really neat plan for the girls so hopefully it will work out and I will have the time to make what I want. Nothing like waiting 'til the last minute, huh?

I do have one card to show you real quickly as kiddos are awakening at my house. This is a card made with the Birthday Cuttlebug background and with the lion from Wild About You. The layout is the same as the Crab & Co. card I did for Kyler's birthday last week. I popped the lion's mane and head up with dimensionals. I love the saying on the front because it has a matching stamp for the inside that says...you live in a zoo, you know the rest! Funny, huh?

Alright, go...enjoy your terrific Tuesday!

Ahhh...to be 9 again!

Well, today is Kyler's birthday and I'll be going to get him up shortly so he can go to his birthday breakfast with Grandma Nancy and Papa Al. He is so stinkin' excited! One of our traditions is that the kids get balloons tied on their chairs for their birthday so I'll get those today, too. That is Kyler at Thanksgiving...he's always the first to want to eat and eat a lot he does! And, NO, that is not wine for the kids it is sparkling cider! HAPPY 9th BIRTHDAY KYLER!!!

I'm also very excited because Todd let me order a new camera this weekend. The FinePix that I have I've disliked basically since I got it when Todd was deployed. I ordered a Canon Digital Rebel XTi. It is a D-SLR camera which just means it can do lots of stuff. While I'm a pretty good picture taker but I do want to make sure that I get the most out of the camera so I will probably try and find a photography class or magazine to try and learn a little more about photography. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know!

Stamp club is tomorrow night and I have just a few more things to wrap up. It is our last one for this stamping year. *sniff sniff* As much as I find it stressful I will miss seeing everyone each month. Hopefully we'll have a group for next year too!

I hope you all have a wonderful Monday!

Easter Blessings

Celebrating with you and your family the joy of our Christs resurrection! Have a very Blessed Easter!

Shhhh...I'm having coffee today!

I guess that shhhh...and an exclamation don't go together do they? Anyway, due to my ulcer I'm not supposed to drink coffee, cola, or alcohol so that it has time to heal. Well, today I decided I wanted some coffee so I am having one cup of coffee this morning. Hopefully I won't pay for it later! But, if I do...it is my own fault.

What a great transition into the card I want to show you today. It is a bella card and the bella is called Javabella. These girls are so cute and are representative of my friend Kathy and I when we used to go get coffee on Fridays. I absolutely love the way the Rose Red pops the image off the card. An easy card but still cute! Supplies are....Stamps: Javabella. Card Stock: Chocolate Chip, Au Chocolat DP (spring mini), Rose Red, and Very Vanilla. Ink: Stazon Black. Accessories: Grosgrain Ribbon and Markers.

And I must share with you what Todd brought home for me last night. He has been buying me the Journey collection jewelery for the last year or so. I have a pendant, earrings, bracelet, and now a ring. I love them all but this ring is so fun and just the perfect size for everyday! Isn't it cute? I love, love, love it! No, you cannot have my husband...he is mine!

Alright...you have a fantastic Saturday! :0)

I Interrupt Your Regular Programing

For This Important Message....

Remember I told you that I had something exciting to tell you guys but had to wait until it was announced on the website? Well, it was just announced so...guess what?!?!!!!

I have been picked to be a guest designer for Paper Pretties!!!! What does this mean? It means that I will be getting my May box early so that I can design cards for Christie (the owner of Paper Pretties) to place on the website for examples. HOW STINKIN' COOL IS THAT?!?!

Now, when you go to Paper Pretties and decide to join them please mention that I sent you!

Now, back to your regularly scheduled programing. Check out the post below!!!

Yay! It's Friday!

A little quiz for y'all...and the first person that answers right gets 5 Cuttlebugged backgrounds from me (my choice of background and card stock). Why is Friday my favorite day of the week? Easy schmesy if you've been reading my blog for any amount of time.

***Wow! Cheryl is on the ball today and she answered my question correctly and first! Friday is my favorite day of the week 'cuz this is the day Todd come home for the weekend! By Friday I miss him so much. Sometimes I wonder how I made it through his deployment and being seperated for 18 months!!! Big baby that I am! Anyway, I'll get you your backgrounds on Tuesday (please just remind me!).***

Have I ever told you how difficult I find it making cards for men? With Father's Day in June and my last stamp club this coming Tuesday I decided we needed to be making at least one Father's Day card. I want to show you what I came up with so you can let me know what you think. Stamp clubbers...don't look if you don't want to see what you might make on Tuesday! Stamps: Classic Trucks, Weathered BG, and the HFD saying is a retired stamp...shame on me but I LOVE that stamp! Card Stock: More Mustard, Night Quite Navy, So Saffron, and Very Vanilla. Ink: More Mustard, Stazon Timber Brown, Not Quite Navy, So Saffron, and Going Grey. Accessories: Hemp Twine, Sponges, Dimensionals, Markers, Cutter Kit, and Color Spritzer. So, whatcha think?

Either today or tomorrow I'm going to try the faux denim technique that Tina found for me on SCS. It looks like fun AND great for another Father's Day card sooooo...I'll try it. I'll let you know how that comes out in the next couple of days.

I forgot to tell you guys about Kyler's field trip on Wednesday. It was actually a lot of fun. I love it when stuff like this is well thought out and planned. It was clear this wasn't the first time they'd done it. Anyway, we went to a small part of a river (I'd call it a stream but they said it was part of the Yakima River) and each child got to take one or two of the baby salmon and pour them into the water. After that there were 5 different stations that we rotated to. 1. was a game for the kids to understand the dangers that salmon go through to swim to Alaska. 2. They got to see and hold some bugs that salmon eat in the river. 3. The leader of this station showed us some bigger fish and also where the salmon's Redd would be in the river. 4. We then saw about other wildlife that would be in this area. There is a big beaver dam in the river, too...neato! 5. We got to plant a tree to help the habitat grow. In all there were about 75 children from Kyler's school there. The neat part was when we broke up into groups the groups contained kids from all the classrooms so I got to meet some kids I didn't know. Yesterday when I took the dog for a walk past the school we stopped to talk with Kyler for a minute and some of the kids that were in my group saw me and said hi! How cool is that? Kids are so much fun, aren't they? Especially when sleeping! JUST KIDDING! I love my kids, my job, and being at the school to help! :0)

Wow! This is really long! Now, go...comment...why is Friday my favorite day of the week?

Happy Snappy Birthday!

I told you all on Monday that it is Kyler's birthday on the 9th (he shares it with Big D from SCS and Beate!) and that I needed to get his card done this week. And, it is so close to Easter this year...he is sooooo excited! Well, I did it first thing on Monday 'cuz I didn't want to feel rushed. Wanna see? Promise not to tell him? Okay...here you go! I got the idea for a blue colored crab from my blogging friend Dawn...she is always doing fun stuff with this set. I used my Cuttlebug with the Happy Birthday embossing folder for the Green Galore background. When I placed the 'snappy birthday' saying I put it directly under a 'happy' so that it says 'happy snappy birthday'. I'm not sure he'll catch it but I think it is cute! So, here is what I used: Stamps: Crab & Co. from Spring Mini. Card Stock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Green Galore, and Tempting Turquoise. Ink: Stazon Black, Bashful Blue, Sahara Sand. Accessories: Markers, Aqua Painter, Gel Pen, Paper Snips, Cuttlebug with Happy Birthday embossing folder, and a dimensional. I think the doodling on the crab layers really makes this card. To me...it just makes it more festive!

Alright, I want to mention again the wonderful stamp set that Gina is selling to benefit Autism. It is called "Love You To Pieces" and can be seen if you click HERE. Gina is trying to make it to $2,000 raised by tomorrow so if you are interested in this set...go get 'er now! You'll just LOVE the samples on her site! The link to her Stamps For A Cause blog is in my 'My Favorite Websites' section to the left if you are looking for it in the future.

Well, I hope you all have a thoroughly wonderful Thursday! See you tomorrow!

Talk about frustrating!

Sorry about not posting yesterday everyone. It seems that the satellite that controls the internet for Washington, Oregon, and part of California for Charter went down. I was twitching all day! No internet....ahhhhh!!!! Every time I thought of something I wanted to do I realized it required the internet. I did get two cards ready for stamp club though...yay!

Guess what I got in the mail on Monday? A blogger RAK! Yay! This fantastic card was sent to me by Kristine Breach. Her blog is called Ink Something and is so fun to check each day! I love the bunny Easter cards she's been doing. Thank you so much Kristine!

I'm off on another field trip with Kyler today. We are going to release the salmon they have been taking care of in their class. It is supposed to be a pretty nice day today although it does look cloudy...hopefully we won't get rained on!

I got my reading list for the classes I'm taking this summer and it looks pretty manageable...whew! I just have to verify the classes I signed up for (did take a copy of the registration form...duh!) and start searching for them on the net. Wish me skill...we don't say luck 'cuz luck has nothin' to do with anything...it is all based on skill! :0)

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

It is a treat day!

Today is a fun day on my blog! I get to tell y'all who won the bella cards AND I get to show you some goodie bags I made yesterday. FUN! So...which would you like first? Treat bags or bella card winner? I know, I know...pony up the name of the winner! I put the number range in the the random sequence program and the first number it spit at me was 15. The 15th comment was...

doverdi said...

Love your bella cards, they are adorable. Thanks for sharing.

So, doverdi...if you e-mail me with your snail mail address I'll get your cards out to you by the end of the week! :0)

Now, for the treat bags. I made 22 of these. About 1/2 are for the volunteers in the ministry at my church that I lead, Christian Education. The other half I can't tell you who they are for just in case she reads the blog. Don't want her to know! I started out using the bunny from the hostess set Tags So Much but realized I was giving them at church and really, I wanted to convey the message of the Resurrection more than the Easter bunny. So, out came Glorious Gifts (from the spring mini). All I did was punch out some small tags from Whisper White and stamped the flowers with stem and leaf on it. Then I used Almost Amethyst for the large tag and layered them, added the sentiment and stapled it all to the cello bag with candy in it. Very easy and I think they look really nice! The main card stock color is Lovely Lilac and the sentiment is stamped with stazon black.

So, did you guys like the treats today? As soon as I know the winner has received her cards I will post them here for you guys to see. As for me and my stamping...this week I'll be working on Stamp Club 'stuff'. We'll be doing Mother's Day and Father's Day cards and something else fun. Oh! And I must make Kyler's birthday card. He'll be 9 a week from today! My how time flies, huh?

Have a great day everyone!

Can you stand another?

Another Bella that is? This is another Bella card that I made with my Paper Pretties Kit (link is to the left). This is a different sheet of designer paper that came with it (I know...duh, Lorie). I love the big flowers and the Bazzill Cardstock. Stamps: Dainty Bella and saying. Ink: Stazon Black. Cardstock: Bazzill, Chatterbox Rosey Beach House Flower DP, Old Olive, Basic Black, and Whisper White. Accessories: Markers, Stickles, Organdy Ribbon, Heat Tool, and Crystals. I used my heat tool to crimp the ribbon a little 'cuz it wasn't sitting the way I wanted it to.

I have to tell you guys about a new stamp set that Gina K just announced to her line today. It is called Love You To Pieces and it $8 of the purchase price goes to "Autism Speaks," an organization whose mission is to provide help, raise awareness and raise money for research to help those with Autism. The set is so cute and it is such a worthy cause. Go check it out today!

Make sure you look at the post below this one for a chance to win some Bella Cards!

Have a fantastic Sunday!