Friday, December 31, 2010

So long, farewell

I would go on, but I don't know how to spell that German word for goodbye! lol Okay, I googled it and found it.

Auf Wiedersehen, goodbye!

When I woke up this morning, I realized my pajama pants were on backwards. Hmmmm, do you think that is a sign that I should see that 2010 is behind me? Bwahahahahaha! I do crack myself up. I hope you are laughing as well. I really am looking forward to a GREAT 2011!

Here are my last cards of the year.

One of my resolutions is to actually send out more of my creations in 2011. I have entirely too many here in my stamp room.


This card uses three stamps from Rubbernecker.

Another of my resolutions is to bloom with happiness - to be content with what life sends my way and bloom in whatever that is. You see, I have a natural tendency towards pessimism. It is a battle for me to look at the bright side, but I think I am making progress and getting better at it. To conquer it, I'd better live a very long time!

I stamped the pansy image onto the white cs and then colored with copic markers before cutting into the out of the box shape for Roxie's sketch challenge this week. I used AtYou pens for a little glimmer on the sentiment and added some highlights to the image with them as well. The flourished bg was created by stamping onto the linen textured paper using Garden Green ink. I kept it fairly simple by embellishing with just three rhinestones.



The image from Mark's Finest Papers was inked with versamark, then Night of Navy before stamping and embossing with clear ep. I then colored it with Copic markers and mounted it on the navy cs. The card front is embossed with Birds and Swirls. The other panel is a dp by Webster's Pages. Such pretty papers. I used silver eyelets in the corners of the card front panel and added a bit of trim as an accent.

I am so grateful to be on the design teams for Mark's Finest Papers and Rubbernecker. Thank you Faith and Dave for all you have done for me this past year. I look forward to a wonderful new year with both companies!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope that 2011 is a great one for all of us! Happy New Year!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Look what I got today!


This was delivered to my door today. Woooo hooooo! I can't wait to put it to work!

Now, here is the real question - how many machines does one girl need? I think I may need to whittle down my collection.

I have:

One Cuttlebug
Two Wizards
One Big Shot
and now
a Grand Calibur!

Enough!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Rubbernecker Sale!

Rubbernecker Year End Inventory Sale!

I just got this update about the Rubbernecker sale! Woooo hooooo! Get on over there and order! Good stuff!

Stamp Sale Extended

We still have too many stamps pressed, packaged and ready to go and if we don't sell them we will have to pay tax on them. So we decided we would much rather lower the prices and offer the saving to you rather than pay the tax. We hope you will take advantage of the deepest discounts on stamps we have ever offered at Rubbernecker. This discount applies to most of the stamps in the Rubbernecker and Stamp Oasis lines.

RUBBERNECKER

Our offer of an additional free stamp for every $25 in stamps purchased still applies.

Our normal pricing is usually the best on the web.

That makes this offer an exceptional deal on great quality designs.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Making Tamales

A few years ago my daughter and I made some veggie tamales. OH YUM! We like them better than the meat ones. It is becoming a tradition to make them around Christmas. We didn't get to make them last year, as she was getting ready to get married January 2. This year, we scheduled it in. Look how much fun we are having!

We wanted an audience this year, so we invited my darling niece Lori to join us so she could see how to do it. Not that we are experts at all, but we have done it a couple of times. lol She brought her darling little girls with her. They were super good and watched some wonderful TV shows while we worked.

Here is the ever so cute Lolo. She got the hang of it right off.
This is the yummy filling - lots of granulated garlic, diced yellow squash, diced zuchinni, onion, and freshly roasted green chiles. Mmmmm, the house smelled so good. We also put LOTS of that garlic in the masa.
Schmear a little of the masa on a soaked corn husk and add the filling and a bit o' cheese.
Now wrap it (kind of like a burrito) . We tied one end to make these adorable little packets.
Now you steam them. We used a pressure cooker and steamed them for 40 minutes. Let them cool. We ate some, and will freeze some for later.

Thanks for joining us Lolo, and for taking these marvelous photos. Let's do it again next year!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Ooooo, that's pretty!

That was what I said when I first stamped the image using Memento Rich Cocoa ink onto Vanilla cardstock. I then colored the image using Copic Markers and Smooch on the ribbon. I cut/embossed the image with a Spellbinders oval die and using a damp sponge and the Rich Cocoa ink, sponged the edges. I then went around the edge with a Gold Krylon pen for just a tiny bit of an edge.
The sentiment is stamped with versamark and I embossed it in gold then cut it out with scissors and matted it with the red cardstock. The card front is embossed with the Holly Ribbons Cuttlebug folder. The gold organdy ribbon is a double bow, one of which was heated for texture.

I hope you like it! Have a great week!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Stylish Blog Award!


I got this award - from Vicky Gould. Vicky is a very talented stamper and has become a good friend over the many years of sharing stamping challenges on SCS. I just got an actual Christmas card in the mail from her. What a sweetheart.

I am supposed to tell 8 things about myself:
1. I am a wife, mother of 3 and grandmother of 7. Ooooo, I love those people!
2. I live in Phoenix and love the winters here - not the summers so much, but it was 80 here today! That's my kind of winter.
3. I love living near my family!
4. I am shortish! 5"3".
5. I love to watch old movies. Christmas movies I MUST watch are: The Bishop's Wife, Miracle on 34th Street, The Shop Around the Corner and It's a Wonderful Life.
6. Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, Doris Day,and Loretta Young are some of my favorite actors.
7. I have two living brothers and a wonderful sister.
8. I think I am funny! I crack myself up - often with my own stupidity! lol

And now I am suppose to pass this along to eight others.

I will be nominating the following:

Kelly G
Amber H
Jill
Kelly
Charlotte
Holly
Liz
Cindy

Friday, December 10, 2010

MFP Blog Hop Day Four! Take a Peek!

Welcome to the MFP December Blog Hop! We have 4 New Stamp Sets Released: Hearts, Hearts, Hearts, Nature's Postage Due; Hello Sunshine and Take a Peek. For your convenience, all 4 stamp sets are available for purchase TODAY!

For your chance to win BLOG CANDY, (a set that will be released NEXT month), visit and comment on each of the following design team members' blogs TODAY. On Saturday, (December 11, 2010), a winner will be chosen from those participants who visited all the blogs listed for today. (There will be four different winners, one winner for each day of the blog hop. You DO NOT have to comment every day. However, the more days you comment, the more chances you have to win!) If you miss a day, you can go back and comment on each day's blogs, as the winners will be chosen Saturday morning.

I just fell in love with this little face. Isn't he adorable?


I inked the image with black Memento ink and stamped onto white cs then clear embossed. I used copic markers to add some subtle shading to the image, but keeping it pretty clean. A little yellow added to the center of the flowers was all that was needed. I then used that same yellow copic marker to color the background around the image and then cut/embossed with the spellbinders Lacey circle die. The black polka dot paper behind the main image is cut/embossed with the Spellbinders beaded circle and added to the dp card front. The corners were punched with a Martha Stewart punch and mounted onto black. The sentiment is stamped with black ink onto the yellow cardstock and punched out and added to the black which was punched with the ticket corner punch. A little knot of the yellow gingham ribbon from Mark's Finest Papers and - ta dah!

Emily
Karen-That's me!
Patty
Roxie
Vicki
Liz
Claudine
Dawn
Joanne
Nicole
Marilynn
Peggysue
Susan
Connie
Emily N.
Mark’s Finest Papers

Hey, thanks for hopping around the blogs and checking out all the wonderful creations. Now, hop on over to the MFP site and order yours quickly. They go so fast!!!!!! Don't miss out!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

MFP Blog Hop Day Three! Hello Sunshine!

Welcome to the MFP December Blog Hop - day three!

We have 4 New Stamp Sets Released this month: Hearts, Hearts, Hearts, Nature's Postage Due, and today's featured set is Hello Sunshine. Tomorrow will be Take a Peek. For your convenience, all 4 stamp sets are available for purchase TODAY!

For your chance to win BLOG CANDY, (a set that will be released NEXT month), visit and comment on each of the following design team members' blogs TODAY. On Saturday, (December 11, 2010), a winner will be chosen from those participants who visited all the blogs listed for today. (There will be four different winners, one winner for each day of the blog hop. You DO NOT have to comment every day. However, the more days you comment, the more chances you have to win!) If you miss a day, you can go back and comment on each day's blogs, as the winners will be chosen Saturday morning.

Now is your chance to visit all the designer's blogs to see what they have done with this great new set.
Nancyruth
Lois
Vicky
Dawn L.
Anne
Emily
Karen-That's me!
Patty
Roxie
Vicki
Liz
Claudine
Dawn
Joanne
Nicole
Marilynn
Geri
Lynn
Mark’s Finest Papers
For the image on this card, I inked the stamp with versamark ink and then with yellow ink, stamped onto white cardstock and clear embossed. The outside of the sun was cut out and the edges distressed a little, then I used the yellow marker on the edges to add a bit more dimension.
I inked the stamp again with versamark ink and then colored with markers before stamping the image and clear embossing once again. I then colored this image with copic markers and then punched out and mounted onto the yellow sun shape. This is popped up on the corner of the designer paper. The card front is core'dinations which was embossed using a cuttlebug swirls folder and then sanded to really make the embossing pop. The sentiment was stamped and punched out with the word window punch and attached to the front of the card.
Now don't you wish you were on this beautiful beach right now? What sereneity.

Thanks for stopping by. Come back tomorrow for day four!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

MFP Blog Hop Day Two! Nature's Postage Due!


Welcome to the MFP December Blog Hop! We have 4 New Stamp Sets Released: Hearts, Hearts, Hearts, which was showcased yesterday, Nature's Postage Due, showcased today, Hello Sunshine and Take a Peek. For your convenience, all 4 stamp sets are available for purchase TODAY!

For your chance to win BLOG CANDY, (a set that will be released NEXT month), visit and comment on each of the following design team members' blogs TODAY. On Saturday, (December 11, 2010), a winner will be chosen from those participants who visited all the blogs listed for today. (There will be four different winners, one winner for each day of the blog hop. You DO NOT have to comment every day. However, the more days you comment, the more chances you have to win!) If you miss a day, you can go back and comment on each day's blogs, as the winners will be chosen Saturday morning.

Nancyruth
Lois
Vicky
Dawn L.
Anne
Peggysue
Susan
Connie
Claudine
Dawn
Joanne T
Nicole
Marilynn
Geri
Lynn-
Emily N.
Be sure to hop to the MFP blog to see my card using this stamp set! It is being featured there today.
Mark’s Finest Papers

And…LOOK for a NEW LINK LIST TOMORROW!!!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

MFP Blog Hop Day ONE! Hearts Hearts Hearts

We have 4 New Stamp Sets: Hearts, Hearts, Hearts, Nature's Postage Due; Hello Sunshine and Take a Peek. For your convenience, all 4 stamp sets are available for purchase TODAY!

For your chance to win BLOG CANDY, (a set that will be released NEXT month), visit and comment on each of the following design team members' blogs TODAY. On Saturday, (December 11, 2010), a winner will be chosen from those participants who visited all the blogs listed for today. (There will be four different winners, one winner for each day of the blog hop. You DO NOT have to comment every day. However, the more days you comment, the more chances you have to win!) If you miss a day, you can go back and comment on each day's blogs, as the winners will be chosen Saturday morning.
Nancyruth
Lois
Vicky
Dawn L.
Anne
Peggysue
Susan
Connie
Emily
Karen-That's me!
Patty
Roxie
Vicki
Liz
Geri –
Lynn-
Emily N.
Mark’s Finest Papers

And…LOOK for a NEW LINK LIST TOMORROW!!!


I stamped the beautiful floral heart using versamark ink on white cardstock and embossed with white ep. This was cut/embossed using Spellbinders Labels Ten. I colored in the image with copic markers and airbrushed the edges leaving the die in place to leave the white edge. I then used my marker to carefully edge the panel. This is popped up onto a piece of designer paper (unknown). The back pink panel was randomly stamped with three of the other stamps from the set using a deeper red ink. The corners were punched with the Martha Stewart Swirling Lace punch. The card is Rose Red cardstock. I added a bow of organdy ribbon (also avialable from MFP) which was heated with my heat gun to give it more texture, and a glitter brad added to the center.

Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Sneak Peek!

There are new stamps on the horizon and this is showing some of them from the set called Hello Sunshine. I think these are so versatile. This sentiment could be used for an invitation or a thank you for a wonderful evening with friends. I chose the thanks, as you will see on the inside. Mark's Finest Papers new release blog hop begins next Tuesday, Dec. 7! Mark your calendar.

The main image is stamped with versamark and night of navy ink on white cs and clear embossed. That is matted with yellow cs before being mounted onto the gingham square. The sentiment is stamped the same way and then cut/embossed with Spellbinders ovals. I added some AtYou Spica Lemon dots around the white oval. I wanted a fun ribbon to go with this, but didn't have anything appropriate in my stash, so I created some "ribbon" loops by cutting a very narrow strip of the paper and creating my loops before adhering them to the back of the oval and popping it up. The yellow paper is embossed with the cuttlebug folder.

I am also showing you a paper saving tip which I like to use.



I matted the blue gingham paper with night of navy cs, but before mounting it, I stamped another stamp several times on the center of that square using versamark ink and clear embossing. Then I punched the star from that embossed piece to use on the inside.


The inside of the card is embellished with more of the embossed yellow paper and that embossed star I cut from the navy mat.