Gina's Stamping Creations

Limited time offer - FREE My Digital Studio

2012-01-31T07:55:00.004-05:00

GREAT NEWS!!! If you don't already own Stampin' Up's My Digital Studio (MDS) you can now get a "FREE" 30-day trial starting February 1st. How great is that??? Contact me today if you would like to take advantage of this great offer.

Not sure what you can do with My Digital Studio? There is a whole site dedicated to My Digital Studio found here: http://mydigitalstudio.net/. You can look for ideas, become inspired, ask questions, and chat with other MDS users!

Visitation BVM Craft Fair - Nov 18 & 19, 2011

2011-12-18T11:55:00.008-05:00

This was my first year at Visitation BVM's sale, and I have to admit I was a little overwhelmed! I went there Thursday night, expecting an 8 foot space, and it was closer to 10 or 12 foot! I had never had a space this large, and I didn't know where to start. I had a black cloth, which was great for an 8 foot table, but too small for the space I had, but my friend Judy came to the rescue and had a sheet for me to use, so that was perfect! Then I had the dilemma of how to set up the displays I use. Then I was afraid that I wasn't going to have enough to fill the space. But in the end I did fine. And then on Friday, they opened the doors....Oh my gosh, it was a so busy!!!! This is about an hour and a half in and the "slow time" of the night: Here's the left side of the table :

And the right side (this was later in the sale, because I didn't have room for the card boxes in the beginning!):

Looking down the aisle (with my beautiful assistant):

I had to take pictures from above because it got busy again. Post it note holders, and tablet holders, gift card holders, ribbon weave pins (or maybe these are the magnets), and a few post it note frames:

Post it note frames, snowman soup, ornament money holders:

Post it note frames ( I had to stay up half the night Friday night to make more of these, since most sold out the first night):

A few of the remaining mini snowman holders:

And some lip balm holders and Hand sanitizer holders, and altered Starbucks jars:

I had a fabulous, profitable time at Visitation's sale! I can't wait until next year!!!!! I have so many new ideas!!! Also at this sale, I was invited to be a vendor at St Sophia's sale NEXT November so I am super excited!!!

I started creating things for the two sales I had this year in JUNE. I was still creating right up until the night before. Since I have more sales next year, I think I will be starting in January!!!

Items for a Craft Fair - Coaster Calendars

2011-12-18T11:45:00.000-05:00

I made these very handy calendar coasters for the craft fair I had in November at Visitation BVM in Trooper PA. I didn't take a picture of all of the items as I made them, and only had time to take a few pictures the day of the sale. I had a bunch more of the calendars, and these are the last 4 I had left. The blue masculine one has since been purchased. The last 3 will be added to the teacher's gifts since Cheyenne has so many teachers this year!

Oak's Fire Hall

2011-12-18T11:34:00.000-05:00

I did find a close up picture of more of the items I had at Oaks. Spiral notebooks and mini composition books with matching pens, snowman soup, large candy bar holders, coaster calendar holders and altered Starbucks jars.

Oaks Fire House November 6, 2011

2011-12-18T11:32:00.001-05:00

I was a vendor at Oak's Fire Hall in Oak's PA for the second year this past November. This year we were in the "main" hall. Not only was it warmer (first year we were where the Fire Trucks are parked inside, and the doors were left open for the whole set up..we were FREEZING!), but I think we had more traffic where we were this year. I had a LOT more products this year, and have plans for many new ones next year! Here are some pictures.
Here is the Left hand side (with Cheyenne peeking out): And the Right side (with Cameron):

I am still trying to figure out displays. But here's what I did this time. Hanging we have purse post-it note holders, and Ornament gift card holders. In the front there are my Post-it note frames, folding planners, (and part of my Holiday planners notebooks there on the right)

These both sold out within the first 5 minutes of my show, so I was glad I took pictures before we opened! Popcorn holders and snowman candy bar holders (held hershey bars, kit kats and Nestle Crunch bars). Oh and a few more calendars there too.

Lip Balm holders, calendars, post it note purses and some more ornament money holders. Also some gift card holders:

More Christmas Planner notebooks: Corner bookmarks, candy boxes, decorated rulers, (the plastic canvas in the back ground aren't mine they were my neighbor's, who by the way was right across from us last year!)

I guess I didn't get any close up pictures of my non-Christmas altered notebooks. :( But I had some there!! Same as with my altered Starbucks bottles, but you can see them there in the big picture of the table. I had a great time at this fair, and can't wait to be back there next year!

Special order Planners

2011-12-18T11:24:00.001-05:00

So here are the finished planners that I made for the special order I had for Shirley. I met Shirley at Visitation's craft fair in mid-November. She had purchases some of these planners I made for Christmas, and called to ask if I could make some non-Christmas planners for her for gifts. We talked about colors, and then I found papers I thought she'd like, sent her pictures and we went from there. I love the way Colleen's and Kate's came out. That paper is just beautiful in real life! The leaves are actually embossed on the paper so it gives the planners interesting detail!

I'm going to add pictures of the planners below so that you can see the inside.

Would you like one of these for yourself?? I take special orders! Priced at $5 a piece (plus shipping). I have many many papers and colors to choose from! Send me a message if you are interested!

Special Order Planners - inside

2011-12-18T11:10:00.000-05:00

This is the inside of Kate's and Colleen's planners. I made the insert tablets on the computer since I couldn't find anything pre-made. There is an envelope inside that can hold receipts that matches the planners.

This is the inside of Tammy's planner:

And Noelle's planner:

Inside Candy's Planner:

You may not be able to see the green in the patterned paper (without the cirlces), but it matches everything perfectly!

And Finally Cathy's planner. She wanted pinks and browns. The brown patterned papers have glitter accents in it that isnt really visible in the pictures:

Special Order Photos

2011-12-09T17:51:00.011-05:00

Inside the Neutral Planner. Pictures just don't do it justice! The patterned pieces are embossed. Very pretty!

For Candy:

For Kate:

Just adding these photos here so I can show my customer paper choices. :)

Monogramed Tablet Holder Class Available Now!

2011-10-12T18:05:00.000-04:00

Would you like a great personalized gift for one of your loved ones?? Why not create a very neat tablet holder for them? Keep everything together in this neat little case complete with a matching pen, and tablet and a handy place to add in a book of stamps and envelopes! The little pocket is the perfect size for holding business cards!

You choose if you'd like to make a holder for everyday, or Christmas. The cost is $15 for one case, and $5 for each additional case. Please specify if you'd like everyday or Christmas when RSVPing.

Please see my website for more details:

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/gina_thornton/events?id=694923

Christmas Card Stamp Camp

2011-10-11T17:57:00.008-04:00

**Picture shown is from a previous card club, not one we will be creating.

Want to get a jump on your Christmas Card Making??? Join us on Saturday November 12th and create 16 Christmas cards! You will make 4 each of 4 different styles! Want more information, check my website for details:

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/gina_thornton/events?id=693698

New Class - Stamping on Candles!

2011-10-11T17:47:00.005-04:00

I am happy to announce that I will be offering more classes in addition to the regular monthly Card Club that I currently have! This is my first class:

Do you have an ordinary blah candle and want to make it a work of art? Why not attend this class and learn how to turn an ordinary white pillar candle into something similar to above? I will also have non-Christmas stamps available if you'd rather not make holiday candles. (The candles above are examples, the ones we create will be slightly larger) Check my website for more details:

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/gina_thornton/events?id=693696

PhillyInkers Fall Fest - Stamping on Candles

2011-10-05T19:21:00.001-04:00

This is the third project I created for the Fall Fest. It features the Pines and Pointsettias stamp set (Wood 123762 or clear-123764). I added the details to the candles with my embossing gun. Then I created the box to add the candles to. And lastly the finished project complete with Real Red satin ribbon and a tag from the "Tags til Christmas" (wood-120847 or clear -121169).

I am happy with how it turned out! Stay tuned for a class featuring this technique coming in the near future!

PhillyInkers Fall Fest - Spice Cake Tablet Holder

2011-10-02T23:11:00.001-04:00

This is actually the first item I came up with for a display for the Fall Fest. This is also a tablet holder made from a Clear Mount Stamp case. This one features the new Designer Series Paper (DSP) Spice Cake (124003) as well as Soft Suede, Very Vanilla and Pool Party Cardstock. The "g" is from the "Lovely Letters" alphabet
(115030) and is matted on circles punched from the circle punches as well as the scallop circle punch. Again inside I have the envelopes, this time Very Vanilla
(107300).

This is another option for the Clear Mount Case tablet holder class I will be offering int he future. Contact me for details.

PhillyInkers Fall Fest Christmas Tablet Holder

2011-10-01T21:45:00.001-04:00

I was honored when my Upline Claire Lawrence, and fellow PhillyInker Kristin Kortonick, asked me to be a demonstrator for our Philly Inker's Fall Fest on October 1st. But I have to say, I was also a bit nervous! I decided to take Christmas as my theme, and I wanted to show different Teachers/Co-Workers gifts. This was the second item I came up with. It is a tablet holder made out of one of Stampin' Up's Clear Mount stamp case!! This one features real red cardstock which was embossed using the new embossing folder called "Snow Burst" (124096). I didn't have any of the new Christmas Designer Series papers, so instead I went with this piece from the new hostess pack of DSP paper called "Cheerful Treat". (I love that this is in 12 x 12 as opposed to the old hostess packs which were 6x6.) I stamped the star image from the new "The Sounding Joy" stamp set (wood-121967, or clear 121979). I then stamped the "Joy" from the same set in Craft Real Red ink, and embossed using the Iridescent Ice embossing powder (101930). This was stamped on Whisper White and then matted on Real Red and Chocolate Chip Cardstocks. On the side I added some Whisper white ribbon and the new Mini Jingle Bells (124116). In the second picture you can see I added pockets on the left hand side using the Whisper White (107301) envelopes, which I sealed and cut down. I added tabs using the Round Tab punch. I added a tablet and a "golf" pencil to complete the set.

I will be offering a class to create one of these tablet holders in the near future! Contact me for details!

Christmas in July Card Club - Serene Snowflakes

2011-09-30T21:37:00.001-04:00

Here is the second card we made in July for Card Club. It features the "Serene Snowflakes" (115438) stamp set. We made a stencil with the Ornament punch (119847). The sentiment is from "Four The Holidays" (116921). It features Bashful Blue, Not Quite Navy and Basic Grey cardstock and Classic Ink. We also added some Dazzling Diamonds to this card (but not in picture) on the center of the large snowflake.

Join us for Card Club, held the third Friday of every month (except November 2011, when it is the second Friday). Ask me for details!

Christmas In July Card Club - Dasher

2011-09-28T18:23:00.000-04:00

Here is two versions of a card we made in July for Card Club. The top one is the original, the second one is the one I made when I demonstrated the card. It features the A la Carte Dasher stamp (116816). The circles are from the Circles #2 (114526) and the Scallop Circle #2 (113469) dies run through the BigShot. The Designer paper is from a retired pack called Holly Jolly (I LOVED this paper! Sad to see it go...). My original version featured brads, and when I demonstrated I showed it without brads so the ladies could choose which they liked. We added some Dazzling Diamonds (102023) to give it some sparkle!

August Card Club - Friends Never Fade

2011-09-22T19:13:00.000-04:00

Here is a card we made for Card Club in August. Which I TOTALLY CASED from my UpLine Claire Lawrence! I was stuck on a second design for that month, and I just happened to look over and see pieces from a card that she had shown us, but that I had never mounted, and so....Viola! I changed the colors of her card, I went with Rich Razzleberry and Melon Mambo (two of my favorites), I believe hers was Rich Razzleberry and More Mustard (but could be wrong there, as I only had pieces of her card here). We embossed the piece that was cut into a Top Note (113463)(after we stamped it) with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder (119976) (another of my favorites!!) both of which were run through my BigShot. The stamp set we used was "Friends never Fade" (Clear 120618 or wood 118750). We used blender pens (102845)with the stamp pads to color the center of the flower.

Masculine June Card Club Card

2011-09-20T20:58:00.003-04:00

Here is the other card we made for June;s Card Club. It features a now retired "Sail Away" stamp in Marina Mist and Real Red as well as Naturals white, and Crumb Cake. We embossed the real red with the Square Lattice embossing folder (119976) run through my BigShot. The piece of Marina Mist is cut using the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border (119275). The sentiment is from On Your Birthday (111664) stamped on the Word Window Punch (119857) then matted on the Modern Label Punch (9119849), and the little Real Red piece is punched out using the Small oval punch (120908). The backgroud is stamped with Crumb Cake using the Sanded background stamp (now retired).

Interested in learning how to create your own cards? Join us for Card Club, held every third Friday of the month (except for this November, it will be the second Friday.)

Brayered Cheep Talk

2011-09-20T20:37:00.006-04:00

Here's a card we made for, I believe it was, June's Card Club. It features the Cheep Talk stamp set (now retired) in Pear Pizzazz and Early Espresso. The cute little bird is stamped in Pacific Point. The background with the flowers is actually Pear Pizzazz Classic Ink brayered onto Whisper White cardstock! Then I used Early Espresso to stamp the flowers from Cheep Talk on top of that! I love how it looks! I used my Mat Stack to perfectly place the little holes in the corners. (SUPER easy to line them up!!) The branches were done by using my Stampin' Write markers and and then stamping onto the page. I finished it all off by adding a piece of Early Espresso 1/4" Grosgrain ribbon.
Want to know the trick to lining up the bird on the branch, and the sentiment underneath? No trick...the Stamp-a-ma-jig! If you don't have one of these....you NEED ONE!
This card was inspired by a card I saw on Stampin' Connection. A site exclusively for Stampin' Up Demonstrators!

Want to make cards like this one??? Join us the third Friday of every month (2nd Friday in November 2011) for Card Club! Ask me for details!!!

Brayered Masculine Card Fronts

2011-09-20T19:19:00.004-04:00

I created these card fronts after taking a brayer class with fellow PhillyInker Juliana Bibas. She taught us how to use the brayer to create great scenes with Classic Stampin' Up inks, our brayer and sponges!!
I made these for a recent Summer card front swap on my favorite MB. I LOVE how they turned out!!! If I remember correctly I used more mustard, pumpkin pie and Cajun craze to create the sky and sea and early espresso to create the mountains. I added some details in the pcean with my white Signo pen. Then finished the fronts off by adding them to Basic Black cardstock and added the little tabs which are made with my window label punch, and attached with brads. The sentiment is punched out also with the word window and matted onto the Modern Label punch. I stamped the "Sanded" background stamped onto the now retired Dusty Durango cardstock base.

LOVE it!!!!

Well Hello there!!!

2011-08-27T16:10:00.007-04:00

I have a butterfly bush right outside my window, by the computer. It has been there for quite some time. I planted it while David and I were still dating. Anyway, it is almost a butterfly tree! It reaches taller then our rancher house, and I love it! The way it is positioned it is like I am sitting inside it and looking out at it's branches. I find myself gazing out the window often to see who is visiting it. This summer we had the very first hummingbirds I have ever seen in real life! I went out and put up a humming bird feeder so I can watch the little guys. They actually went away for about a week and I was worried that they were gone. But here I am sitting here watching them again! Today it is raining and miserable out. Hurricane Irene is supposed to be visiting today/tomorrow. Anyway I thought I would share some pictures of some of the visitors I have had this summer.
The first picture is my view through the Butterfly bush, looking up towards the sky:

A bee on the end of the bloom:

A group of swallows (I believe) one was feeding the others:

A tiger swallow:

One of the few good pictures I was able to get of a humming bird:

Another Tiger swallow:

The hummingbirds are quick! I have lots of pictures with them sort of in the shot, but not really. They will flit to all of the blooms, then come to the feeder. A few times they have turned to the window as if to say "Did you get a picture?" Or "Ha ha you missed me again!" I love the little visitors! Sometimes you can hear the tap tap of their feet on the windowsill. I have found myself staring out the window for hours!

August Promotion - Buy 3 Get 1 Free

2011-08-09T16:48:00.002-04:00

From now until August 31st, Stampin Up is offering Buy 1 Get free on select packs of their Designer Paper. There is no limit on this special, the items just have to be listed on the flyer. Click HERE to see the list of items which are included!
Hurry, offer only good until August 31st!!!

Devastating Fire - Help needed for a fellow crafter's family

2011-08-08T09:51:00.006-04:00

As a member of the Card Fairy Army on my Favorite MB, I was made aware of a very devastating story. A fellow member on my favorite MB has posted the story on her blog. Two of her children and their families lost their home and their belongings in a tragic fire last week. In the home were also 2 grandchildren. Thankfully they all escaped the blaze unharmed. They escaped with each other and the clothes and shoes that they had on. The next day the one son-in-law went in and found the flag which draped his father's casket. If you'd like to read the whole story, it is found on Kymberlee's Blog. They are asking for help for these two families. No gift is too small. More details on that are also listed on Kymberlee's blog. Both of the men, both named Nick, proudly serve in the US Coast Guard.

Even encouraging words would be great. Why not send a handmade card if you are a crafter. The address is also on Kymberlee's blog.

Craft Room Clearance Sale

2011-07-28T15:44:00.009-04:00

Due to a lack of space, I have decided that it is time to part with some of my Stampin' Up sets.

Therefore, I decided to have a Craft Room Sale and clear out some of the many items I don't use. I will be holding a Craft Room Sale here at my home on Saturday July 30th, as well as one at a friend's house in Philadelphia on August 6th. I have MANY items up for sale, tools, ribbons, embellishments, stamps, etc. Along with these items I have the following stamp sets are up for sale. The prices listed do not including shipping. Here is a key for the letters I used. C=Clear, W=Wood, N.UM=New Unmounted NM=New but mounted, GR=Great stamp set is practically new, G=Set is in good condition, St=some staining. I will gladly take pictures of the sets and email them to you to show the condition.

Name wood/clear Condition Price
Patterned Pines w N.UM $7.00
Wandering Words w $7.00SOLD
Cold & Cuddly w most G but St $8.00
Big On Christmas w G $8.00
Give Thanks w G $9.00
Twick or Tweet w N.UM $8.00
Birthday Bliss w NM $9.00
July Fourth c N.UM $9.00
Good Egg w G $9.00
love You Much w GR but a little St $12.00
A Happy Heart w NM $15.00
~~The More The Merrier w N.UM $12.00~~SOLD
Sock Monkey w Wood Stains $12.00SOLD
Sock Monkey Access. w NM $9.00SOLD
Baby Steps w N. UM $6.00
So Cute w N. UM $7.00
~~Love Bug w NM $8.00~~ SOLD
Teddy & Train w NM $12.00
Picture This w NM $6.00
Animal Crackers w N.UM $15.00
Choo Choo w wood some St $9.00
Animal Stories w Great $9.00
~~Happy Everything w NM $12.00~~SOLD
Itty Bitty w GR $8.00
Hello Again w GR $6.00
~~So Greenw N.UM$9.00~~ SOLD
Wellness Wishes w N.UM $9.00
Priceless w Good little stains on wood $9.00
Enjoy Every Moment w "enjoy" stained, rest in G $12.00
Just Buzzing By w Good $12.00

Bugs and Kisses w Wood Stained $14.00
Picnic Parade c NM $7.00
Tree for All Seasns w Good $6.00
Garden Greetings w Good some St $12.00
Country Morning w Great $7.00
Country Morning w N. UM $9.00
Eastern Blooms w Great $10.00
Cheap Talk w Good but a little St $13.00
Fresh Cuts w Good $9.00
Lexicon of Leaves w Great $14.00
Petal Pizzazz w some stains $12.00
Always w NM $15.00
Wagon full of fun w N.UM $22.00
Asian Artistry w some stains $8.00
Silhouette Sentiments C NM $7.00
Apple Blossoms C Great $7.00
Punched Posies C N. UM $9.00
Watercolor Trio C N. UM $9.00
Fast & Fabulous C N. UM $9.00
Fast & Fabulous C Great $7.00
A little Bit of Magic C N.UM $7.00
It's the Thought C N.UM $6.00
Rough Type (Alphabet) C N.UM $8.00
Playful Pieces C N.UM $8.00
Birthday Bakery C N.UM $8.00
~~First Day C N.UM $9.00~~ SOLD

Well Scripted C Great $10.00
~~Blissful Bride C N.UM $9.00~~ SOLD
Sentimental Journey C N.UM $9.00
Sweet Scoops C Great $8.00
~~Vintage Labels C N.UM $6.00~~ SOLD

Bouquet Bunch C N.UM $7.00
~~Whismical Words C Great $7.00~~ SOLD
Good Neighbors C N.UM $6.00
Things I Love w Great $9.00
Sprinkles w N.UM $12.00
Very Thankful w N.UM $8.00
Branch Out w N.UM $12.00 SOLD
Happy Moments w N.UM $8.00
So Many Scallops w N.M $6.00
Totally tabs w Great $8.00SOLD
Eight Great Sayings w N.UM $16.00

Sizzix Decorative Strip - Join in the Cheer. NEW $14.00

Simply Sent - Lifelong Notes. Stamp set is mounted, but unused. $25.00 Originally sold for $42.95! Photo of what's inside, but not my actual kit, (I didn't open up my packages):

Kit contains everything you need to make 10 handmade cards, 5 of 2 styles. Includes assortment of cardstock, self adhesive die cuts, glue dots, dimensionals, 3 unopened coordinating Stampin' Spots classic inks, OnBoard chipboard pieces, and one mounted but unused 6 piece stamp set. Includes 12 small Open-ended Whisper White envelopes.

~~Simply Sent-Sending Happy Thoughts. w NM $30.00 Originally sold for $54.95~~SOLD

If you see anything that interests you, please feel free to email me at GRKIDDO at Verizon dot Net

Sunny Fun

2011-07-22T15:53:00.001-04:00

Ok I love this set! What could be cuter then some cute little flip flops? I got the idea for this card on Stampin' Connection, which is a site exclusively for Stampin' Up Demonstrators. This image is from the Sunny Fun set which is available from Stampin' Up only until August 31st! It features craft colored cardstock, white cardstock and some patterned papers I had on hand. Not to mention ribbons and buttons! I colored the images in with my Marvelous markers (aka Stampin' Write Markers) and then added in some white gel pen, then added some rhinestones to a pair of the flip flops. I made these for the summer theme for my Addicted to Cardmaking swap on my Favorite MB.

A Technique Page

2011-07-21T11:07:00.002-04:00

You are probably wondering what all of these little squares are for. Well once a month when our group of Stampin' Up Demonstrators, the PhillyInkers, get together we make a page for our Technique book. We take turns making up the squares for our technique page. In July I did one of the pages. My Technique was the Shaving Cream Technique. This is a lot of fun to do, although a little messy. But I love how different each page came out a little differently. When the squares were dry, I used Basic Black Craft ink to stamp on the flower image from Upsy Daisy.
At the meetings we adhere the squares down to Top Notes which are pre-cut. On the reverse side of this, are the directions of how to do the technique. Below is a finished example.

June's Card Club cards

2011-07-14T10:46:00.004-04:00

Each month I host a card club here in my home on the third Friday of each month. In June I wanted to showcase a now retired stamp set, "Pun Fun". I love this stamp set, and am sad to see it go, but it had to retire to make room for some new sets. :) I also wanted to incorporate some Designer Series Paper into some cards, and I came up with this idea. The Designer Paper (DSP) is from the 2010-2012 InColors Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack (117158), and I chose the Concord Crush paper. The cardstock is Pretty in Pink, as well as Whisper White. We then used the Stamp and Write (Marvelous Markers) markers to color in the images. Often times when I make the design for card club I feel like maybe something is missing, or maybe something should be changed. So this time when I demonstrated, I also made the cards without the designer paper, so that the ladies could see both versions, and they could choose which they liked better. I also chose a different image from the same "Pun Fun" set. The sentiments were included with the images, and we stamped them and punched them out with the word window punch, which we layered on a piece punched out with the Modern Label punch.

New Hostess benefits

2011-07-02T14:06:00.004-04:00

Stampin' Up has done it! They have made the hostess Benefits EVEN BETTER!!! Now rather then having only a couple of sets to choose from when you are a hostess, you can use your benefit dollars on anything in the catalog! There are still hostess only exclusive sets that you may choose from, but your hostess dollars can go to buy any of the sets in the hostess only selections! This is awesome!!!!

The new 2011 - 2012 Catalog, it's official!

2011-07-02T13:52:00.005-04:00

Have you seen the new Stampin' Up Catalog? You have to check it out! It is chock full of great stamps, Designer Paper, and tools! And just wait until you see the new hostess benefits!!! You are going to love them!!!!!
And now for a limited time only, you could join Stampin' Up for only $99!!! Ask me how!!!

June Card Club - Butterflies

2011-06-18T18:20:00.001-04:00

Here was the other card that we made for Friday night's card club. It features Daffodil Delight and Basic Gray Cardstock. The Beautiful Wings embosslit folder, "en Francois" background stamp and Basic Rhinestones. If you are new to visiting my blog you don't know that I LOVE this background stamp. LOVE love love it. I stamped it in versamark ink on the smaller Daffodil Delight piece and then layered it all. Then I built the butterflies and added rhinestones. A nice simple, fast card. Although the butterflies took a while to cut and also a while to adhere the rhinestones. But in the end, worth it!

Are you interested in joining us for Card Club?? Why not check my website to see when the next Card Club meets:
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/gina_thornton/Can't make it here? Have a card club with you and your friends, you provide the location.

Baby Shower

2011-06-14T17:07:00.000-04:00

My good friend from High School Rita is expecting her first baby very soon. I am so super excited for her, especially since we weren't real sure she would be able to have a baby. So she is very lucky! She is expecting a little boy they plan on naming Rickey, Richard after her hubby. I was so very happy that she invited me to her baby shower! I actually hadn't seen her since high school. You know how it is, life takes you in different directions. We have talked via letters and cards through the years, and reconnected on Facebook about a year ago. Anyway I made this card for Rita along with her shower gift (some super cute outfits with animal faces on the bum!) I used Crumb Cake (formerly Kraft) and Bashful Blue. Then I punched the star out using my soon to be retired Extra Large Star punch (retires June 30th, while supplies last). Then I punched out a piece of boy paper that I had and adhered it to the inside of the card. The sentiment is from the "Live Laugh Love" set which is also retiring June 30th. The ribbon is from last year, in Bashful blue (it's retired too).
I did get the idea from somewhere on the web, but not sure where at the moment.

Card Fronts - Wedding/Anniversary

2011-06-13T16:53:00.005-04:00

My Card Front swap on my favorite MB is having a theme of Wedding/Anniversary coming up soon. I have seen variations of this card many places and knew I had to give it a try! The hearts I cut first with my Movers and Shapers Punch Windows. Then I punched some hearts out with my Full Heart Punch in both black and white. The white ones I debossed with my Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder by SU. The white background is also embossed with the Backgrounds 1 Texturz plates (although it is hard to see in the picture). I made a template for the V in the tuxedo and then used my 1/16" punch to make "buttons", the bow tie was made with a small piece ofsatin ribbon. The buttons on the dress were done with SU's Basic Pearls. I finished it all off with a black mat and strip and a sheer white ribbon. The girl heart is also popped up with Dimensionals.

Country Morning

2011-06-13T16:41:00.002-04:00

I thought I would share the finished card that I made to show the simple knots below. This is for my card front swap on my Favorite MB, the theme is ribbons. I used a now retired Stampin' Up set called "Country Morning". I stamped the image on watercolor paper and used my Stampin' Up markers as well as Classic Ink pads and a blender pen to color the image. The cardstock, paper and ribbon are all stuff I had on hand.

Tying simple Knots a Photo Tutorial

2011-06-11T16:46:00.000-04:00

There was some discussion on tying bows and ribbons on my favorite MB. and I thought I'd make a photo tutorial of the way I tie my knots. I love doing them this way. No guess work! AND it uses less ribbon!!!

Step 1 cut a piece of ribbon long enough to fit your card with some to overlap:

Step 2. Adhere the overlap to the back of your card. I like to use masking tape, just to be sure it isn't going anywhere:

Step 3, slide a second piece of ribbon (still attached to the spool - or you can cut a second piece about as long as the first)under the ribbon:

Step 4 "fold" the top piece over the bottom of the "knot" part, a fellow crafter described this as what the Awareness Ribbons look like:

Step 5 tuck the tail of the top piece into the "hole":

Step 6 Pull ribbon tight. If you have a two sided ribbon, like I used, flip the top piece over so you can see the design before you pull it tight:

Here's what it will look like, You can make the tails of the knot longer or shorter according to your preference:

The part I love about this knot, is if the knot isn't where you want it, take a hold of one of the tails and slide it until the knot is where you would like it. If you want shorter tails, just trim them down. You can also pull the tails in a different direction if you'd like.

I hope this helps anyone who was having trouble!

Totally Frogs Blog Hop

2011-04-22T23:59:00.005-04:00

My apologies for this being late!

Hello and welcome to the Toadally Frogs Blog Hop hosted by the very talented KarelJ! We have some "TOADALLY" awesome crafters along the way! So sit back and hop along with us! Let's give that Bunny a run for his money!!! You should have hopped here from Krista's at scrapaleupagus.blogspot.com. If you haven't, why not hop all the way back to the beginning with Karel's blog.

Before I start I have to tell you that I love frogs. I had toads that we had caught on vacation when I was young, and we kept them in a small aquarium in our living room. I went and bought crickets for them to eat, and the whole nine yards! When we put in a pond in our backyard, we went and got tadpoles to add in, and we had at least one grow into a frog. He would sit on the lily pad to sun himself. He disappeared though, and I tell myself he hopped away to a better place. Or maybe met a Mrs Frog and are off having tadpoles some place. When my grandmother was alive, she collected frogs. Sadly she passed away when I was young, I was 9 I believe. I remember very little about my grandmother. I remember she liked butter on her sandwiches (which I still don't understand). When she was at our house she drank her coffee from a green mug. I remember her cough. That unmistakable smokers cough. And she collected frogs. She had a bluish-purple frog in her kitchen that held those little green scrubby things for washing pots and pans. When my Grammy (as we called her) passed away, the frog found a loving home in our kitchen. It still lives with my mother in her kitchen. When I moved into my own home, I was out one day shopping for kitchen items when there on the shelf sat this little guy:

He is the same design as the one my Grammy owned, only difference was that this little one was white, they didn't have a bluish-purple one, so I bought him. He lovingly sits in my kitchen, above the sink. His scrubby has never been used. It's a reminder of my Grammy. I only wish that she had lived longer. It would have been nice for her to have met my children. I could hear her now "Doesn't she ever take anything serious" that would be my daughter, and "does he have ants in his pants?" that would be my son. I could just smile and tell her, no Grammy, after all they are just like me when I was little!
Okay so now onto my project. I went with a card, I know surprise, surprise. I love how happy this little frog looks!
I colored him with my Marvelous Markers by Stampin' Up. I don't know if you can tell in the picture, but I did my best at trying to blend and shade colors. I used papers, cardstock and ribbons that I had on hand. I must say I am not sure about the bow. I am NOT a frilly kind of gal. I love this ribbon though, and I think it goes well with the colors of the frog. You can't tell in the picture but it's top half is green, while it's bottom half is yellow. I love how it looks, and i think I bought every color combo they had!
I only wish my Grammy was here. I'd love to send her this card with a little note like "Oh Hoppy Day!" And she'd probably think to her self...."doesn't she ever take anything seriously?" No Grammy, I try not too. Life gets too stressful that way!

Now HOP along to your next stop Stephenie at SSCrafter at http://www.sscrafter.blogspot.com/ And try not to take life so seriously! :)

It's our Birthday!

2011-04-15T00:01:00.003-04:00

Happy Friday! Today we are celebrating the Cricut Card Fairies!! We turned THREE YEARS OLD yesterday! YAY! What are Cricut Card Fairies you may be asking? Well I am here to tell you! We are a group of crafting volunteers who LOVE to send cards to those that need it. To date we have sent over 750 missions all over the globe. That is over 750 smiles and hugs via cards. Isn't that amazing? I became a fairy in the very beginning of the group. I started with the very first mission, and here I am so many missions later, and I wouldn't change it for the world! Crystal, had contacted me and asked if I thought that would people would be interested in having a group. I told her absolutely! Sign me up! Now I don't always get to do every mission, but I do as many as I can. Card making is a stress reliever for me. I have so many cards that I have made that I will ever be abe to use myself. So I thought what better way to share the cards, while giving someone a smile (well hopefully)in the process. If you are interested in becoming a fairy you can email Crystal at cricutcardfairyarmy@gmail.com with your cricut messageboard name and the email for which you wish to receive missions.
If you just happened along my blog you may want to go back to the beginning with Crystal at http://crystalscraftycreations.blogspot.com/.
If you arrived here from Brenda's blog http://www.beejaysstudio.blogspot.com/
you are in the right place! And please remember when you are finished here to continue with the FABULOUS Karel at http://www.kareljcreations.com/.

And now onto my project!
For the blog hop we are celebrating our birthday, and so I created a birthday card. It features the flower from “Because I Care” and the sentiment from the (now retired) “Watercolor Trio”. By the way, I love this image, and love the fact that you don't have to color it in to achieve a great look! The image is stamped in Cherry Cobbler on Very Vanilla cardstock. I then cut it out using the Top Note die from Stampin’ Up. I layered that piece on a piece of Cherry Cobbler cardstock which I ran through my BigShot using the Square Lattice embossing folder. That was added to my Very Vanilla cardstock base. I added the finishing touches of the oval punch as well as the Oval Scallop punch and a bit of ¼” Basic Black Grosgrain ribbon. What a cheery way to celebrate someone’s birthday!!
Here is the list of bloggers in our hop in case you get lost along the way.
Crystal aka Caitlynsmommy http://crystalscraftycreations.blogspot.com/
Larelyn http://www.handmadefromtheheart-designsbylarelyn.blogspot.com/
Rachelle http://www.rachelle-rachellesplace.blogspot.com/
Shawnee http://quiverofangels.blogspot.com/
RachelM http://trickut-rachelscrafts.blogspot.com/
Sheryl http://sherylscraftingcorner.blogspot.com/
Tami http://sunsetami.wordpress.com/
Jenn http://craftingwithjenn.blogspot.com/
Brenda http://www.beejaysstudio.blogspot.com/
Gina http://ginathorntonstamping.blogspot.com/ You are here
Karel http://www.kareljcreations.com/

April really?

2011-04-10T20:48:00.005-04:00

I can not believe it is already April! And that we are almost halfway through the month already!! Just think in two more months we will be opening up the pools and pulling on our bathing suits. Which reminds me, those chocolate donuts I bought the other day, probably not the best idea! ugh. Thankfully we now have a pool in our back yard so I can relax in it without someone whispering about beached whales and such!! Why can't they invent a donut that when you eat it bam you lose 10 pounds! Imagine what a dozen could do!!! LOL anyway.....I wanted to let you know about Stampin' Up's current offer. For a limited time only YOU can purchase an item from the upcoming new catalog (due out in July) as a preorder! Own it before your friends! After this promotion, the items will only be available after July 1st!

Spend $20* on any Stampin' Up! products and become eligible to purchase both the Four Frames Set and Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper.
Host a $350* workshop and get the Four Frames Set and Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper for FREE
*Net sales before tax and shipping

Click here to see these items in a larger view.

Don't delay! This Preorder is only available until April 30th!!!

Spring Into Some Savings!

2011-04-01T21:20:00.004-04:00

Begining today and UNTIL SUPPLIES LAST, Stampin' Up is offering Grab bags full of savings! What a great way to start off Spring! There are three options to choose from:
125873 - $5 Grab Bag (containing at least $20 worth of products!)

125874 - $10 Grab Bag (containing at least $40 worth of products!)

125875 - $15 Grab Bag (containing at least $60 worth of products!)

•Grab bag orders can only be placed in the Online Store. Click Here to get to my Online Store!

•There is no minimum purchase required to participate in the grab bag special offer.

•There is no limit to the number of grab bags you may purchase; however, grab bag items are only available while supplies last.

•All grab bag sales are final. There are no refunds or exchanges.

•Not all grab bags will be unique.

Don't delay grab these savings TODAY!

My Stampin' Up Story

2011-03-30T14:09:00.007-04:00

I wanted to share with you, my story of how I became interested in and later joined Stampin' Up. My sister had a catalog party when my niece was little, 1998 or 1999 I believe. At the time, my sister lived in Maryland, and I lived in PA, and I wasn't able to attend the Demonstration. But my mom brought home the catalog for me to look at. Well, I wasn't overly impressed at the time, but I did get a few sets, all in FOAM! Yes Stampin' Up! sold foam stamps at one time!! Here's a picture of one below:

One of the sets that I had gotten was Dreams and Dragons.(The picture is in wood, but the one I bought was foam. Mine have since been unmounted):

Well, again I wasn't impressed, the image was rather small, (Stampin' Up has also come a long way in their images and selections! Keep in mind this was 11 years ago!) and so it went into a drawer and I didn't do much with it.
Flash forward a few years. We had a Demonstration here with a local gal, who actually said at the time "I don't make cards or Scrapbook. Someone designed this card for me. But you can make it however you'd like"!! I did place an order, and this time I got some cardstock. Real Red. I also picked up a few sets (in wood this time) again it went into the drawer. At the time I "didn't want to pay that much for Cardstock. I could get it cheaper someplace else!" Flash forward a few more years. Now I have children. And I don't get out much. I have stacks of paper and stamps and all types of stuff which I have collected and not done anything with. But I went to a Stamp Camp around Christmas time and I really enjoyed myself. I considered becoming a Demonstrator although I could "Never come up with ideas on my own"! Again I placed an order, but the Demonstrator, who shall remain nameless, almost acted as though I was a bother. Like my order didn't matter. Now granted, I was the only one who ordered, but it was during SaleABration so I was well over $300 in sales on my own! I decided to find a new Demonstrator. And found one in Colorado! I'm still not sure how that happened! It was then that I finally pulled out that original pack of Real Red cardstock....and fell in love! Every sheet of red was exactly the same color! (You can't say that with the packs of red in those big box stores!) And it's so thick!!! No more flimsy cards!!! Anyway I started seriously considering becoming a Demonstrator. I talked it over with my hubby who said "we don't have the money for the kit". (Party Pooper) Well thanks to President George W. Bush and the stimulus check back in 2007, we had the extra money! And I did exactly what Mr Bush asked, I put it back into the economy! With no offense to the Demonstrator in Colorado (thanks for understanding Joy!) I started looking for an Upline closer to home. I found my Upline, Claire through a friend at work. I called her and she was just the nicest person on the phone! I signed up not long after that. July 11, 2007 to be exact! Not long after that I was invited to a monthly meeting at Claire's house where I had met other Demonstrators in our group the PhillyInkers. At the time we were a small goup, but now we are a pretty good sized group! So big in fact that we had to split and have separate meetings!
I originally started out as being a Hobbyist Demonstrator. But within a year I had 2 Downlines! I now have 5 Downlines! They are spread around the USA in Pennsylvania, New Mexico, California, and Tennessee!

Now with all of that being said I love LOVE LOVE being a Demonstrator!!! I have met so many nice people all through the United States as well as a Demonstrator in Australia! And who could ask for a better job? Stamping and creating? LOVE it! And I still get nervous sometimes that maybe my creations aren't "Good enough". But that's okay! I have a great group of ladies that come to my home once a month to create cards during Card Club. And I hold Stampin' Up Clubs where a number of people agree to purchase a set amount each month and they take turns sharing the benefits of being Hostess.
In closing I'd like to share my first Swap as a PhillyInker. It was pretty plain. But at the time I was proud of it! Now I look back and I can see how far I have come as a crafter and Demonstrator! (and a photographer!)

So if you have ever considered becoming a Demonstrator, ask me! You don't have to be an artist, or some Super crafter! You don't even have to Demonstrate to anyone! You can become a Demonstrator merely for the discount! And trust me if I can do it YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!
So become a Demonstrator today and
"Share what you love, Love what you do!"

Stay Tuned

2011-03-29T00:18:00.001-04:00

Our next Blog Hop will be coming soon! The Totally Frog Blog Hop, April 23rd and 24th!

"Make Up Your Own Holiday" Blog Hop

2011-03-26T00:01:00.010-04:00

WELCOME to the March 26-27 Make Up Your Own Holiday Blog Hop!!
And now for the important messages: Karelj is offering an over-all blog candy for those who are hopping along with us. She thought it would be fun to have some holiday-themed candy for this hop--but, of course, made-up holiday items were hard to come by! She decided to do a whole bunch of *regular* holiday themed stamps for you to enjoy. From Fiskars, there is an assorted holiday set; there's an alphabet from All Night Media, a set of 100 plus clear stamps and a storage case from Family Memories, and 5 sets of clear stamps from various dollar bins in big box stores. How to win them? Follow along the blog trail, leaving a comment on each and every blog. On Monday, Karelj will ask her buddy Randy (random.org) to select a blog number (from the list), a day (Saturday is one, Sunday is two), and a comment number from that blog. Please make sure you have left a reliable way to contact you (email is best, in the safe format of **** at **** dot com ) so you can be notified by her personally. If you don't, she’ll have to select another winner.

You should have arrived here from Nicolette's Blog! If not you may want to start at Karel's blog. The object of today's blog hop was to create your on Holiday. Tye Dye has always been a part of my life. When I was a child I used to tye dye shirts all the time. Especially at Girl Scout camp in the summer. I always loved mixing up that big 5 gallon bucket of dye! That was back when your only choice of dye came in those little boxes of Rit dye. Now the craft store sell so many different kits with different ways to dye! There's the little bottles that already have the dye and you just add water (that's what we used), but there's also kits with strings that have dye in them and you just tye them on! My sister has a Tye Dye shirt that we teased her about because practically every picture I have of her over a 2 year span, she has the SAME tye Dye shirt on in every picture! LOL. My daughter dyed a shirt once at a Scottish Festival (what the two have to do with each other, I don't know) and she had lots of fun! So I decided one day when it wasn't that cold out that my children and I would go out back and dye some shirts. We had our pajamas on (which we kept on in case of a Dye emergency, after all who will see them in their pajamas?) and they slipped on their rain boots (again in case of a spilled dye emergency, easy clean up). Then they slid their art smocks on and out we went. I gave them quick instructions and let them dye their shirts. They had a great time! My daughter declared that we should do this all the time! So a new tradition was born!

Ok so here is what I came up with. My daughter and I painted coffee filters a while back and they have been in my closet forever. I finally pulled them out to use when I thought abut making a tye dye craft. We started out with plain filters, which we painted with watered down kids washable paint. Here's what one of them look like.
Then I adhered them to pieces of cardstock and just started creating. The first card, (which I used the layout that I have used before, CASED from Ilina Crouse). It features the now retired "Wow Flowers" set by Stampin' Up! I went with black and white accent colors since there was so much color already in the card.

The next card I pulled out my 5-Petal Flower Punch by Stampin' Up and punched out some flowers. Then I took a retired punch to punch out the smaller flower. I stuck them all together using a large white brad. The vase is the Ornament Punch by Stampin' Up with the point trimmed off. I crumpled it up, and distressed it with shiny Versamark and Basic Black to give it a look of patterned glass.

The one flower I layered with Dimensionals. The stems are from Stampin' Up's "Greenhouse Garden" set. I added it all to a Z fold card and added some ribbon. Now I will say that this would NOT be ideal for Scrapbooking pages, since neither the filters. nor the paints are acid free, but I think they made some cute cards! Now I just have to figure out what I will do with the other pile of 15 filters I have still sitting here! LOL, that's for another day!!!

Next you want to hop on over to the wonderful Kathryn's Blog! Here's the list of Blogs in our hop in case you get lost along the way:

1. Karelj at One By One The Flamingos Are Stealing My Sanity at http://www.kareljcreations.com
2. Janice at Cricut Confessions at http://www.cricutconfessions.com/
3. Summer and Jennifer at The Cricut Diaries at http://www.cricutdiaries.com/
4. Denine at Pumpkin and Spice at http://pumpkinspiceblog.blogspot.com/
5. Colleen at Col’s Creative Corner at http://www.scrappycol.blogspot.com
6. Mistyrose at Sweet Magnolia Rose at http://sweetmagnoliarose.blogspot.com
7. Ellen at Card Monkey at www.cardmonkey-business.blogspot.com
8. Rachel at Suburban Crafter http://www.rachelstampshappy.blogspot.com/
9. Monica at Scraps 2 Treasure at http://scraps2treasure.blogspot.com/
10. Jen at Young’s Scrapping at www.youngsscrapping.blogspot.com
11. Becka at Creations With Becka at www.creationswithbecka.blogspot.com
12. Jamie at Glitter, Paper, Stamps, Oh My! at http://www.jamieisacraftymomma.blogspot.com/
13. Michelle at Peanut Butter and jelly Designs at http://peanutbutterandjellydesigns.blogspot.com
14. Celeste at Touched By A Butterfly at http://touchedbyabutterfly.blogspot.com/
15. Leah at Leah’s Card Designs at http://leahscarddesigns.blogspot.com
..."There is an error in Leah's line-up--please make sure you go to Calie after Leah at the blog address below!! So sorry!"
16. Calie at Calie’s Creative Corner at www.Caliescreativecorner.blogspot.com
17. Audrey at It’s A Beautiful Life at www.audreyscardsbydesign.blogspot.com
18. Bonnie at A Scrap Above at http://ascrapabove.blogspot.com
19. Diane at Crafting This Moment at http://www.craftingthismoment.blogspot.com
20. Nicolette at Beyond Scrapping at www.beyondscrapin.blogspot.com
21. Gina at Gina Thornton Stamping at http://ginathorntonstamping.blogspot.com YOU ARE HERE!!
22. Kathryn at Creations With Kathryn at http://www.creationswithkathryn.com/
23. Yolie at Just Yolie, Just Create at http://justyolie.com
24. Patti at Short ‘N Scrappy at http://www.shortnscrappy.com/
25. Krista Orr at Scrapaleupagus at http://www.scrapaleupagus.blogspot.com/
26. Kay Craig at 100 Things at http://kopperhead100.blogspot.com
27. Jane Hollon at Sneezy’s Ramblings at http://sneezy1956.blogspot.com
28. removed

Swaps for Spring Fling - In Wilderness

2011-03-23T17:14:00.000-04:00

I seem to be on a masculine kick when making cards recently. Anyway I wanted this set "In Wilderness" by Stampin' Up as soon as I saw it in the catalog. I love the realistic looking wild animals that the images portray. As usual I tned to shy away from coloring those images so as to not take away from them. Instead I usually do a great deal of distressing on them. I started with a Soft Suede piece, layered with a Very Vanilla piece which I crumpled up and distressed with Crumb Cake (formerly Kraft) and Soft Suede classic Ink pads. I adhered the buffalo to a smaller piece of Soft Suede which I anchored down with three silver brads. In an additional effort to distress the piece, I rolled the one edge around a paint brush to give the look of a poster peeling off a wall. I really like how this one turned out. All masculine and natural looking. This is one more of the swaps I made for the PhillyInker's Spring Fling.

Swaps for Spring Fling - Faux Silk

2011-03-22T12:49:00.000-04:00

These are another bunch of cards I made for Spring Fling. These also feature Tempting Turquoise. The flowers are from the Hostess Level 1 set "Because I Care"
(102118). And the sentiment is from the SaleABration set "Bliss" (123217 - Clear). Remember that the only way to get the SaleABration items are to earn them! You may choose one SaleABration set for free with every $50 purchase (prior to tax and shipping) If you are intersted, don't delay, they will only be available through March 31st! I added a 1/4" basic Black grosgrain ribbon. Then the sentiment is punched out with the oval punch (119855)and matted on the Scallop Oval (119856). The technique is called Faux Silk. You stamp your image on tissue paper, and then crumple it. Then you adhere to your cardstock with the Anywhere (104045) glue stick.

Have you ever...

2011-03-21T16:49:00.002-04:00

Have you ever needed to make a card for a special occasion, or for someone special and just find yourself completely stuck?? Maybe it's just me. Maybe after all of the excitement of Spring Fling my mind is just on overload?? Friday night is my monthly card club. I have a few ideas floating around in my head, but nothing is definite. Problem is tomorrow night is dance class, Thursday I have a parent/teacher conference, followed by a quick dinner, and then training for work. My brother and his wife are due in on Friday evening and I still haven't a clue what I am doing!!! So stay tuned...I'm not quite sure what projects may become of this!

Swaps for Spring Fling - Choo Choo

2011-03-21T08:34:00.001-04:00

I decided to use a color I haven't used in a while for my Spring Fling swaps. Actually, I can't officially recall ever using this color, but here it is. The base is Basic Black cardstock with Tempting Turquoise (102067)layered on top of that. I ran the Turquoise through my crimper (101618) to give it the texture. The small Basic Black piece is embossed with the Square Lattice embossing folder (119976). The engine, from Choo Choo (113982) is stamped in Tempting Turquoise Classic Ink
(100814). And the sentiment is from On Your Birthday (111664) is stamped in Black StazOn . I topped it all off with silver brads (104336).

My Demo for Spring Fling

2011-03-20T19:50:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the horrible picture, but sadly it is the only one I have. This is the project I made and demonstrated for Spring Fling. It features the Springtime Vintage Designer Paper (121782)as well as the "Baby Blossoms" (121927-wood) stamp set. The sentiment is from "You're a Gem" (122268-Wood) stamp set. All of these items are available until April 30th in the Occasions Mini Catalog. The background is Always Artichoke Cardstock. The label is stamped in Always Artichoke, and the sentiment is stamped in Rose Red.

Spring Fling PhillyInkers Style!

2011-03-20T19:47:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I spent the good part of the day with a fabulous and creative group of ladies the PhillyInkers!! This is the Stampin' Up Downline group of Claire Lawrence. This is such a great group of ladies! I have been a part of this group for 2 and 1/2 years, since I joined in July 2011. When I joined it was a much smaller group! Now I am not even sure how many members of PhillyInkers that there actually are!!
Anyway we gathered together for the first PhillyInker's Spring Fling in Elmer New Jersey. We got together and swapped, talked, learned a little about our business, and crafted! In the first picture above, we are talking watching some Demonstrators demoing some different techniques, and swapping!
The second picture is of Karen Barber, and Michelle Zindorf. Karen is Claire's real life Aunt Karen as well as her, and Michelle Zindorf's Stampin' Up Upline. Both of these ladies are ULTRA Talented!!! I only can dream of one day creating cards like either of these two!!
This is our Fabulous Upline (who is only slightly pregnant, LOL. She's due in April) Claire Lawrence.
Below is the wonderful Max Conrad who came all the way from Utah to talk to us! She has the best neighbors....Stampin' Up! is right down the road from her home!

And here's one of my Downline members and friend, Michelle (standing with the "fairies" shirt) watching the talented Juliana Bibas demonstrating. Lynn Hunt and Megan Kearnty are in the background discussing fabrics.

And below our table is in the foreground. I have on the pink shirt, and my mom (and another Downline member) is in the blue next to me. (sorry small picture, I stole it from someone's album on Facebook!)

I did also create a project and demonstrate it for Spring Fling. However as far as I know, there are no pictures of me doing so. But I will post a picture of what I demonstrated in my next post.

It's almost time!

2011-03-13T11:03:00.004-04:00

It's almost time for another blog hop! The fabulous Karel at One by One The Flamingos Are Stealing My Insanity is hosting another blog hop! Don't forget to stop back March 26th and 27th to hop along and see some awesome projects and for chances to win some great blog candy!!

Extra Large Ornament punch is now available!

2011-03-11T00:21:00.003-05:00

Great News! The ornament punch is now available! The quality problems that Stampin' Up was experiencing has been resolved and the Ornament Punch is now available to order!

Beach Bachelorette Version 4

2011-02-25T23:31:00.006-05:00

For some reason my brain isn't working as I tried describing these cards, so bare with me. :)
Okay here it is, the fourth sample for the Bachelorette Invitation. We took some elements from two of the cards below and put them together. The stamp set I used on these is the now retired "Tropical Party". The inks are Stampin' Up's Classic Inks in Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive and Tempting Turquoise. The cardstock I used is Whisper White and Old Olive. I embossed the Whisper White background with the Lattice Square embossing folder. The flowers are cut out and layered, and then attached using silver brads. I tied it down with Old Olive ribbon, and finished it all off with a little drink umbrella! (Sewn it to the card so it wouldn't fall off.)
These were fun to make and got y mind off the cold wind that has been blowing all day long! Man what I wouldn't do to be on a nice warm beach somewhere, getting sunburned! (PS If you don't know me...I don't tan. I burn. We're talking like a lobster!)

Samples for a Beach Bachelorette Invitations

2011-02-25T16:10:00.000-05:00

A friend from work asked me to create invitations for her friend's Bachelorette party. They are renting a house for the weekend at a beach to celebrate. She had the idea to add the little drink umbrellas to the cards, so I am trying to work out a few samples for her to choose from. These feature the Tropical Party stamp set (retired) and the Texture embossing folder. The images are stamped in Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Tempting Turquoise, Early Espresso,and Old Olive. The Cardstock colors are Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Whisper White and Old Olive. The umbrellas are colored also with the same colors as the inks. The third card has the flowers cut out by hand and then I layered them and attached them with brads. The tropical drink is also cut out by hand and added to the card with Dimensionals. The sentiment is a Non-Stampin' Up stamp which I have in my collection. I have my favorite of the three cards, but I will also be making one more sample which will mix a couple of things from 2 of the cards. When I have it ready I will post it. I only had one sample umbrella so I had to take the first sample apart in order to make the second. However now I have more umbrellas, so that isn't a problem. Stay tuned for take number 4! I actually had the Tropical Party set on my wish list, but sadly, I didn't order it. Luckily I had friends in the PhillyInkers who offered to lend me their set. I knew I should have ordered it while it was available!!

Baby Shower Thank You cards

2011-02-24T17:50:00.006-05:00

Although the image on these is not Stampin' Up, I wanted to share them with you. First I have to say that Ilina Crouse, a fellow PhillyInker, taught me how to make these cards at a Make and Take at one of our meetings. And I am so glad that she did!!
A friend from work is having a baby, a little girl, and we had a surprise Baby Shower at work for her today. I wanted to make her some cards as a gift, and I knew these were going to be perfect for her. The "Onesie" itself is all hand cut. I could have used my circle punch for the neck hole, but I fear, my circle punch has seen better days. The "ruffle" around the neck and leg holes is YoYo Yellow cardstock (retired)with the Scallop circle punch. I stamped the image twice, once on the card and then on some scraps. I colored the one on the scraps with my YoYo Yellow Stampin' Write marker. Once it was dry, I used Crystal Effects over top to give it some shine. After all of that was dry I cut it out, put on some dimensionals and added it to the card. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up's "Short & Sweet" set.

I decided I wanted to make a box for the cards, and found this one at SplitCoastStampers. The top is made with a sheet of Transparencies, which I got at a local office supply store. I have to say Transparencies are not the easiest to work with. :( And BTW they don't cut well with the Scallop Punch. I guess it is too thick?
Anyway, I love how these turned out!

Brrr....it sure is Blustery!

2011-02-08T17:35:00.003-05:00

A Very Blustery Day ~ Peter and Harrison Ellenshaw

Here's something you may not know about me. I love Pooh! Always have! I have my very first Pooh bear safely tucked away (from moths or rough playing 4 year old! Oh excuse me he reminded me that he is 4 and a HALF). I also have my little red denim jacket with the Pooh patch still hanging in my closet. (Which I never realized looked so boy-ish until recently, apparently back then only boys liked Pooh!) I just think Pooh is such a cute little bear all stuffed with fluff! When I was in High School we actually had a Pooh play, Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, you know the one where he gets stuck in the tree after eating too much honey? I tried out and won a part. The funny thing? The kid that transferred from England, he got the part of Owl. Me? I got the part of Christopher Robin. LOL, hey I was 15 I think, and still looking quite like a boy if you know what I mean! Anyway I have always loved Pooh. Oh and then there's his Tiggeriffic friend Tigger....don't even get me started on him!
Anyway this is how it feels here in PA today. Blustery. The kind of day you really just want to snuggle under a blanket and get all warm and cozy with a cup of tea or hot chocolate. But instead....I need to take my daughter to dance class. So if you don't hear from me in a bit, you'd better take a look outside your window and see if you see me flying by!
Kind of makes me feel bad for Dorothy's house.....

Stay warm friends!!!

It's official! I am on Etsy!

2011-02-02T15:15:00.004-05:00

Well in a continuing efffort to build my business, I am branching out into Etsy. I only have a couple of things listed so far, but I will be adding some more. Why not stop in my store and take a look around! If you'd like to see something listed, please let me know!

Here's my store link http://www.etsy.com/shop/GRKIDDO?ref=top_trail

I got a Blog Award! Thanks Karel!!!

2011-01-28T19:11:00.008-05:00

First I need to tell you three things that make me different from everyone else. Hmm this is a tough one....
1 I love the summer, but I don't like to be hot. LOL weird I know. I have always had issues with getting ill when I get too hot. Can't tell you how many times I have gotten car sick from this too. :( I LOVE the summer though! Swimming, fishing, crabbing, or right and NO WORK! I can do without the hot muggy days though!

2 I love amusement rides, but I also get motion sickness. Two things that don't go well together. I will pop some Dramamine though just so I can enjoy the ride!! However, there have been times when I have paid for it later! Like the time my family went to Bush Gardens in Williamsburg, VA and when it was time for bed I laid down and started thinking about the ride, and ended up getting sick! I am just weird like that! I have also been known to get motion sickness from laying in bed with a hubby that tosses and turns!!! (yeah, not good!)

3 I am a Smart Alec. Plain and simple. I will crack jokes to make people laugh. I have had complete strangers tell me I am a Smart A**. One man said it to me once when I was working, and then said "I hope you aren't offended, I didn't mean it in a bad way" I wasn't. It's true. My mom says that I have my Grandfather's sense of humor. He passed away about 9 or 10 years before I was born, but I think we would have gotten along great. We could crack jokes together!! :D I am not a mean jokester, I don't pick on people. I just like to make people laugh. People who don't know me may not get me, but if you do know me..well then you get me! My daughter has started picking up on some of the things I say, and she seems to be following in my footsteps. Should be interesting once she's a teenager!! LOL

Then I need to choose 5 other deserving bloggers (Karel is deserving, but she sent it to me so I am picking....):
1 Crystal at http://creationsofmyheart.blogspot.com/
2 Sue at http://dream67646.blogspot.com/
3 Albert at http://agoscraftomonium.com
4 Terri at http://puggledaisy.blogspot.com/ **And she promised to get her blog updated so yell at her if she hasn't!!! LOL
5 Michelle over at http://peanutbutterandjellydesigns.blogspot.com/

Metal on cards - Masculine card

2011-01-21T22:23:00.010-05:00

I needed to create a Masculine card for one of the swaps I host on my Favorite MB. And my first thought was the great Motorcycle Stampin Up had available last year. Now I will say that I did see this card someplace else, and I can't remember the name of the gal that made it. I did however make some changes. Stampin' Up used to have great metallic papers, but sadly they aren't available. So I made my own! Here's how I did it.

First I took a piece of plain white cardstock and ran it through my adhesive machine. Then I laid that on top of some plain old tinfoil that I had in my kitchen and smoothed it out.

Once that was done, I trimmed it down to the size piece that I needed.

Then I ran it through my BigShot using the Square Lattice embossing folder by Stampin' Up.

Next I used my Mat Pack and pen to make marks where I wanted my large eyelets to go. (This thing is a lifesaver!!)

Then I used my Crop-a-Dile to punch the holes, and set the eyelets.

I wanted my image to sort of look like you were looking at the cycle on an angle so I stamped it kind of crooked.

Next I colored the cycle, and then used a Silver Pen to go along the edge so it had the appearance of a silver mat.

Then I matted a red (also made some Ballet Blue, which is now retired) piece of cardstock on top of some Basic Black, and did the same with the white piece which I had the cycle images on.

And Voila! The finished cards!

Just goes to show that there are things all over your house which you could use to make your cards with!

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial!

Look Ma I'm on Facebook!

2011-01-16T11:20:00.003-05:00

In an effort to promote my Stampin' Up business, as well as to showcase some of the items I have made,I have decided to add a link to Facebook. If you are a Facebook junkie, or even just a Facebook visitor, I'd love if you'd stop by and "like" me!!!!

Not sure if I am doing this right yet, so bare with me!!

I Have a Dream Blog Hop

2011-01-14T23:59:00.006-05:00

The fabulous Karel at One By One The Flamingos Are Stealing My Sanity has done it again! She's come up with a Blog Hop that is both inspiring, and challenging! The theme for this blog hop is inspired by Martin Luther King Jr's "I have a Dream" speech. The Grand Prize Blog Candy is the Dreams Come True Cartridge, donated by an anonymous donor!! In order to be eligible to win, you need to leave a comment on each and every stop on the hop, along with a way to contact you. Karelj will choose a winner by random.org on the 18th and announce it on her blog, as well as contacting the winner personally.
You should have arrived here from Krista and Kori at 2 Crafty Chicks http://2craftychics.blogspot.com/. If you just happened along my blog, you may want to hop on back to Karel's blog and start there!

Now for my creation. First off I have to say that it has been a crazy few days, and I haven't had a lot of time to put thought into what to make. (my daughter cut her foot on a nail sticking out of a metal strip between the LR rug and Kitchen tile the other day, and I have been concentrating my time and efforts on her) As I type this it is 4:45 on Friday afternoon, and the post is due to be up at midnight. I still have NO IDEA what I am going to make. Not a clue. Don't know what colors, don't know what stamp set, nothing. So we'll see what comes out of this!!! I started thinking, what is my dream? Do I have one? Well of course there's that dream where Richard Gere dressed in his Navy dress uniform and walks in and sweeps me off my feet...oh wait that was a movie. Shucks. But Richard if you are out there reading this Come and get me!! :) Okay seriously. I of course have the dream that my children do well in school, and go to college and become successful in whatever path they choose to take in their lives. Just to be happy. But isn't that every one's dream for their child? I dream of a bigger, beautiful house with perfectly manicured lawns and maids to do all the cleaning, but well, that is more a fantasy than a dream! So what is my dream? I don't know. I decided to research "Dream" a little. Here's what the online dictionary has to say about "Dream" (Noun):
1. A series of mental images and emotions occurring during sleep; "I had a dream about you last night".
2. Imaginative thoughts indulged in while awake; "he lives in a dream that has nothing to do with reality".
3. A cherished desire.
4. A fantastic but vain hope.
5. A state of mind characterized by abstraction and release from reality; "he went about his work as if in a dream".
6. Someone or something wonderful; "this dessert is a dream".
7. The thoughts, or series of thoughts, or imaginary transactions, which occupy the mind during sleep; a sleeping vision.
8. A visionary scheme; a wild conceit; an idle fancy; a vagary; a revery; -- in this sense, applied to an imaginary or anticipated state of happiness; as, a dream of bliss; the dream of his youth.

So then I tried thinking again. Still no idea. I would love to pursue a Full Time Job as a Demonstrator for Stampin' Up. Ah, but that seems like such a distant future. Oh but wouldn't it be a wonderful dream??? I could spend long "hard" hours "slaving" over my craft table creating cards that I can demonstrate. Working up some class schedules, and class ideas. But what a wonderful job it would be!! I could make my own hours, make and meet (or beat) my own goals, and sleep in on days I just didn't feel like getting up! And wouldn't it be wonderful to have a job doing what I enjoy doing anyway??????? That would be a dream indeed!!! It isn't an unachievable dream. After all I know a few ladies who have done it. And it's what Stampin' Up is all about. So in honor of that dream, I am going to make a few different things. I still don't know what they are going to look like, or what colors they are going to be. But we'll see.
***************************************************************************
Okay so now it is 8:30. I came up with a couple of things. First up is a candle. The floral piece is stamped in Wild Wasabi and is from Stampin' Up's "Kind and Caring Thoughts". The sentiment is one that I've had hiding in my stamp drawer for a while, it's stamped in Black StazOn ink.

The second item is a bookmark. The flower is from Stampin' Up's "Awash with Flowers" the stem is stamped in Old Olive and the flower part is done using the Rock and Roll technique in Pixie Pink and Real Red. Sentiment is again stamped in Black StazOn.

And the third item is a card, one that I confess I made a while ago, but it gave me the inspiration for the other two items. The patterned paper is from a stack that I had sitting around, I'm not even really sure what it's called. The buttons are just plain old white buttons. Again the sentiment is stamped in black StazOn, and the edges are distressed with Chocolate Chip.

I wanted to show that you can easily change up the look of a stamp by just playing around a little with the accessories, and by using a little imagination. Hope this inspires you to take a look at some of the old stamps that are sitting around that you haven't used in a while.

Now head on over to Monique at Unique Monique
If you get lost along the way, here's the line up for our Blog Hop:
1. Karelj at One By One The Flamingos Are Stealing My Sanity http://karelj.blogspot.com
2. Nicolette at Beyond Scrapping www.beyondscrapin.blogspot.com
3. Christel at Scrappin' Sista http://onescrappinsista.blogspot.com
4. Celeste at Touched By a Butterfly www.touchedbyabutterfly.blogspot.com
5. Rachel Henahan at Suburban Crafter http://www.rachelstampshappy.blogspot.com/
6. Stephanie at SS Crafter http://sscrafter.blogspot.com/
7. Col at Col's Creative Corner at www.scrappycol.blogspot.com
8. Jessica at Overjoyed Scrapper www.overjoyedscrapper.blogspot.com
9. Krista and Kori at 2 Crafty Chicks http://2craftychics.blogspot.com/
10. Gina at Gina Thornton Stamping http://ginathorntonstamping.blogspot.com/ YOU ARE HERE!!!
11. Monique at Unique Monique at http://uniquemonique01.blogspot.com
12. Kathryn at Creations with Kathryn at http://wamfamily.blogspot.com/

****UPDATE**** My daughter's foot is healing nicely. Today is the first day she has been able (or willing) to put any pressure on it to walk. It is still sore of course, and she's developed a nice bruise, but she's doing okay. Infections seems to be clearing up, so that's good news. Thanks to all that have asked.

As for the candle, thank you for all of your wonderful comments. When I get a chance to go and buy another white candle, I will create a tutorial for all that have asked. Thanks again!

Blog Hop coming soon!

2011-01-14T23:16:00.002-05:00

The I have a dream blog hop is coming soon!!! Real soon!!! Check back tomorrow and don't forget to leave comments on that post to win!

Good bye 2010 Reflections

2011-01-07T19:29:00.013-05:00

I have mixed feeling about saying goodbye to 2010. On one hand I am happy to have lived through it. I was so happy to be able to attend my brother's wedding in September. I am happy that my family made it through safe, and healthy. I am also happy that my Brother-In-Law, who is serving in the Army, is safe. And I am happy that we still have our home, that this slum economy hasn't taken that from us.
On the other I had to say goodbye to a very good friend. We lost a very dear family friend this past summer. Katherine Renish, seen in this old photo she's the one on the left, in the reddish color shirt.

(That's me staring at my birthday cake. Our friend Joan, who was also a very good friend of Katherine's, and how my mom met Katherine, is in the floral shirt in the back. She passed away in Sept 2009. My grandmother, who died when I was 9 is the one on the far right. All the kids are either Joan's or Katherine's. That cutie next to me, with the bowl cut, is my older brother, and on the other side, my little sister.). Katherine wasn't fond of getting her picture taken, so it's one of the few that I have. I will have to search my photo albums for more! Anyway, Katherine and my mom became friends when I was little, and have been friends since. We often stayed with Katherine over the years, sometimes because my mom was sick, or if my little sister (seen in the glasses) had an extended stay at CHOP (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia). I loved Katherine's house! And I have many fond memories of staying there! From swimming in her pool (and losing my bikini top) when I was little, to camping at Green Lane Park with her, and her doggies through the years, Kingy was my favorite, and Ziggy...he just scared me. To the cupcakes that she made us in ice cream cones (before it was popular!!) She always made me feel welcome, and even though she had 5 children of her own, she still always made me feel important, and more importantly loved. Katherine was an amazing woman! Even though she dropped out of school, and she couldn't read very well, she raised 5 of her own kids, not to mention the other children she had hands in raising. And she did it, for the most part, on her own. (Sonny, her husband wasn't home often, usually he came home once a week, but that is a story for another time) She was an avid Church goer, and you'd often find her in the Church Nursery. She later worked in the school that they started in the church I grew up in. I will never forget how she wore diaper pins on her shirts. She said to me once not long ago that she had changed so many diapers (and the cloth ones, not the disposable kind) over the years, and that she just always had them there "just in case". She was at my Bridal shower. And I love that she and Sonny made it to my wedding (Sonny passed about 6 years ago-which reminds me...I have a pict at the wedding-taken May 18 2002)
She was able to make it to my Baby Shower, even though by now her breathing was affected by emphysema. And I will always remember how much it warmed my heart to see her holding my infant daughter in her arms. Katherine's passing hurt. Obviously. I have never been effected by some one's passing quite like hers affected me. She meant so much to our family. She did so much for us. She kept me out of trouble. She gave me a place to stay. And she loved me. And for that she will always have a place in my heart. She also had a "hand" in me meeting a good friend, Terri. I had requested cards be sent to her from the Card Fairy Army, and Terri sent me a message and said we weren't far from each other, we started chatting, and became friends. Now there isn't a day that goes by that I don't chat with her!

Not long after her passing, and she wasn't really sick, just "getting up there in age" I heard this song. It reminds me of the house I grew up in. A row home on West Elm Street in Norristown . It was a 3 story home that sat on the (on the left side of Hope Alley in that link) edge of an alley, with Morbitos bakery pretty much in my back yard. Growing up I hated that house. It was a cold house. VERY COLD! I mean cans of veggies literally froze on the shelves of the cabinets!!!! Our back yard was a concrete slab. Oh but our garden....we had strips of a "garden" area where we grew tomatoes, and green beans, and all kinds of yummy veggies, and flowers...Four o'clock, Columbine, and Gladiolas! I joke that that dirt was so rich it could grow anything! Now the garden we have in our backyard, all we can grow with success is WEEDS! I joke with my hubby that one day I am going back to that house, and I am going to steal their dirt!!! I remember playing wall ball, first with a tennis ball, and later when I would practice for Lacrosse. And then there was playing baseball in the alley with the neighborhood kids. And in the winter, before they took out the hill to build houses, we had a awesome sledding hill across the street behind the garage that Tony owned. I liked Tony, he always made his guys buy Girl Scout Cookies from me! We lived in that house for many years, from (April?) 1979 - (Jan) 1997. Many cold years, LOL. But anyway, it truly was the house that built me. And I can't help but think that Katherine, in her loving way, played an important part in building my character. So in honor of that house, and of Katherine, I say good bye to 2010, and I look foward to a better, brighter, 2011.
And to Katherine, thank you for everthing. I miss you. I love you.

This song always brings me to tears. Miranda Lambert - "The House That Built Me"
If you scroll down and click pause on the My Player, you can hear this song.

*****SORRY! Just found that it keeps pausing when you try to play it. But if you click the photo, it will take you to YouTube where you can hear it without the skips. Sorry!***

Calendar Blog Hop

2010-12-27T23:58:00.007-05:00

Welcome to the Calendar Blog Tour!!! You should have arrived here by way of Summer and Jennifer's blog. If you just happened along my blog, why not start at the beginning with Celeste
Before I post my pictures, I have to say that I am more the card maker then the scrapbooker. With that being said, I picked August so that I could scrap some of the great pictures we shot when we went crabbing last August.

I have quite a few pictures to showcase, so I wanted the decorations to be small, not overpowering. So I chose to use a retired Stampin' Up set called "Crab and Company". I stamped the images first on the tan, and then stamped them on white, cut them out, and adhered them on top of the ones that were stamped on the tan. The sandcastle was cut from Life's a Beach. I only had the tan cardstock in 8 1/2 x 11, and since these were 12x12 pages, I had to figure out something to make it work, and that's when I decided on the cream strips along the sides. They made the perfect mat for the title, and gave me a place for the journaling (I had a lot to say!). I'm sure there are layouts along the hop that are much better then mine, but I am happy with how it came out! The pictures (Which I still need to print out), will most likely be matted in Red, or maybe black. So anyway, there you have it! Your next stop in the hop is Deb at If It's Groovy. Don't forget to comment below if you are trying to win Karel's blog candy - your very own new copy of the Designer Calendar Cartridge.

1. January and April: Celeste at Touched by a Butterfly at http://touchedbyabutterfly.blogspot.com/
2. January and September: Jessica at Overjoyed Scrapper www.overjoyedscrapper.blogspot.com
3. February: Christel at Scrappin' Sista http://onescrappinsista.blogspot.com
4. February and March: Karelj at One By One The Flamingos Are Stealing My Sanity http://karelj.blogspot.com
5. March and July: Diane at Crafting This Moment http://www.craftingthismoment.blogspot.com/
6. April: Bonnie at A Scrap Above http://ascrapabove.blogspot.com
7. May: Michelle at Peanut Butter and Jelly Designs http://peanutbutterandjellydesigns.blogspot.com/
8. May: Natalie at Timeless Legacy Designs http://timelesslegacydesigns.blogspot.com
9. June: Lisa at Lisa's Paper Butterflies http://lisaspaperbutterflies.blogspot.com
10. June: Jamie at Glitter, Paper, Stamps, Oh My! http://jamieisacraftymomma.blogspot.com/
11. July: Summer and Jennifer at Cricut Diaries http://cricutdiaries.blogspot.com
12. August: Denise at Starlight Scrapper http://starlightscrapper.blogspot.com
13. August: Gina at Gina Thornton Stamping http://ginathorntonstamping.blogspot.com/ YOU ARE HERE!!!
14. September: Deb at If It's Groovy http://ifitsgroovy.blogspot.com
15. October: Rebecca at Creations with Becka www.creationswithbecka.blogspot.com
16 . October: Lora at Notes From The Scrapbook Lady http://scrpbooklady.blogspot.com/
17. November: Belinda at Queen Bee's Musings www.queenbeesmusings.blogspot.com
18. November and December : Col at Col's Creative Corner at www.scrappycol.blogspot.com
19. December: Deb at Tidbit's Place http://tidbitsplace.blogspot.com

Another Blog Hop coming soon!!!

2010-12-26T19:02:00.004-05:00

Calendar Blog Hop..Coming Soon
Join me and many other wonderful crafters on Dec. 28, 2010 for the Calender Blog Hop....Great Blog candy and wonderful calender creations....What a great way to end the year!!!

The Grand Prize Blog Candy is a brand-new Designer’s Calendar Cartridge, donated by Karelj at One By One The Flamingos Are Stealing My Sanity. In order to be eligible to win, you need to leave a comment on each and every stop on the hop, along with a way for her to contact you. She will choose a winner by random.org on the 31st and announce it on her blog, as well as contacting the winner personally.”
Don't forget to stop by!!!!

I have the month of August! Which is perfect since the snow is falling outside like crazy, so maybe it will transport me to a nice warm sandy beach.....well it was worth a try!!! The idea is in my head, just have to get it on paper!

Easel Card - Birthday Card

2010-12-19T14:00:00.000-05:00

My friend's daughter Nicole celebrated her 10th birthday this month, and I wanted to send her a card as special as she is! I really am into these Easel cards, I just need to get them to stand up a little higher! I'm not giving up though!! This won't be the last attempt that you will see!
This card features the "Circle Circus" stamp set. The circles are stamped in Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight, and Melon Mambo, also black StazOn. The trim and ribbon are both in Rich Razzleberry. And the outside sentiment is from Sincere Salutations, and inside is a sentiment from "On your Birthday" (not shown).

Cards from Card Club - December

2010-12-18T15:24:00.004-05:00

The second set of cards we made featured, the Thoughts and Prayers stamp set by Stampin' Up. We used an Old Olive stamp pad, and then used our handy Blender pen to remove some of the ink from the tree trunk. Then we used a Soft Suede Stampin' Write Marker to color the trunk and branches. That gave us the two tone tree. The Old Olive cardstock we (gulp) crumpled up before tearing the edge. I always feel so "wrong" when I crumple up perfectly good SU Cardstock!!! The Very Vanilla is matted on Soft Suede, and the card base is Pretty In Pink. The sentiment is from the "On your Birthday" set. We finished off the look of the card by adding three little knots in Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla, and Old Olive ribbon. I took some of the inspiration from a card created by Peggy Brooks on Stampin' Connection. (Stampin' Connection is a website exclusive to Stampin' Up Demonstrators)

Cards from Card Club - December

2010-12-18T15:16:00.004-05:00

If you missed Card Club this month, not only did you miss out on some cute Birthday cards, but you also missed out on some yummy Holiday goodies! New to cardmaking Judi brought some yummy Peanut Butter pinwheel cookies, and Lisa brought some pretzels topped with chocolate and M&M's! Mmmm Mmm!!!
So here was one of the cards we made, along with a twist. When I originally came up with the card (11:30 PM on Thursday night) I couldn't decide if I liked the Elegant Eggplant alone with the Basic Gray, or if I wanted to highlight it with a lighter green. So at the time I settled for just the Eggplant and Gray, and went to bed. The more I looked at the card on Friday, I decided to offer the green, Old Olive, and see what everyone thought. I think we all agreed that while the eggplant and Gray was nice, the Old Olive just finished the card! So the first picture is without the Old Olive, and the sentiment is from Sincere Salutations. The second card is with the Old Olive, and I changed the sentiment, however it too is from Sincere Salutations.

A first Attempt - Easel Card

2010-12-10T19:50:00.003-05:00

Each month at the PhillyInker's meetings we have been having a mail swap, where we each draw a name and we mail that one person a card. Last month I had Juliana. I wanted to try something a little different, so I created this easel card for her. It features Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black, and Whisper White cardstock, Cherry Cobbler Classic Ink, and Basic Black 1/4" grosgrain ribbon. The image is from the Pocket Silhouettes stamp set, and it is stamped over and over again in a circle. The sentiment is popped up with Dimensionals, and is trimmed with the scallop border punch. The sentiment is from Heard from the Heart. I really like how it turned out and I will definitely be making more easel cards in the future!!!

December's Monthly Card Club

2010-12-03T16:48:00.003-05:00

Join us on Friday December 17th for the next monthly Card Club! We meet here in my home starting at about 6 PM. We stamp Open House style, and as long as you arrive by about 7:45 PM you will have more then enough time to complete your projects. (We won't kick you out if you need to stay longer to finish:) )
The cost is $10 for 6 cards, three each of two styles, or $12 for the 6 cards plus 6envelopes. Also new this year, if you invite a friend who has never attended Card Club, you will both receive free envelopes when they attend!
Contact me today to reserve a space at GRKIDDO at Verizon dot Net. Please RSVP by Wednesday December 15th!
No special tools required to bring, however if you have an adhesive or scissors you prefer, you are welcome to bring them along.

Hope to stamp with you soon!!!

Cards from Card Club - Christmas

2010-12-01T21:30:00.000-05:00

The first card was inspired by a fellow PhillyInker, Lynn. She had made a card similar to this one at a shoe box swap a while back (2008 I think??). Her card featured Lavender Lace and metallic silver cardstock (both previously available through Stampin' Up.) I updated it, by changing up the colors, adding some dazzling Diamonds, and adding satin ribbon. It features the Snow Swirled stamp set.
The second card was inspired by a card I saw on Stampin' Connection. I like the simplicity of this card! Now if you wanted to add color you could always switch it up and do the card in all blue, or red and green or whatever color combination you'd like! You could also add some sparkle to some of the snowflakes with Dazzling Diamonds. We kept it simple. But you could also change up the border punch for a little different look. This one features the Serene Snowflakes stamp set, and the sentiment is from Occasional Quotes.

Cards from Card Club Night - Inspired by Andy Warhol

2010-12-01T19:21:00.003-05:00

I made the first card for a PhillyInkers Swap, and although it was a lot of stamping and punching, decided to recreate it using the Sock Monkey card. I was trying to prevent coloring the images.
The Christmas one used Merry Crittermas, and the monkey one used Sock Monkey.

Cards from Card Club night - Nature

2010-12-01T14:02:00.000-05:00

These were on two different card club months, but were both inspired by nature.
The first one used the Upsy Daisy stamp set using the Faux Embossed technique. The background was embossed with the small dots Texturz Plates, and used silver brads, as well as the curly label punch.
The second, was a simple card, featuring the Just Believe Stamp set. The sun was done using sponges.

Cards from Card Club Night - Fall

2010-11-29T15:10:00.000-05:00

This night we made fall inspired cards. The first one is an adorable version of Frankenstein! Isn't he so cute? He was a big hit!!! We also made the card with pink hair, and changed the eyelids to pink to make it into a Frankie Stein. LOL. No stamping on this one, all done with punches and the BigShot die, Top Note.
The second card you have seen before, I had so much fun making it that I had to include it into my card club! This one used French Foliage, and Day of Gratitude.

Cards from Recent Card Club night

2010-11-27T14:00:00.000-05:00

I have been meaning to update with some of my recent cards that we've made at card club, but I just haven't gotten around to taking pictures. I finally sat down to do it today.
There will be a few posts of these cards, and so I tried to split them up into Occasions. So bear with me!!
The first set of cards were all using Elements of Style. I really like this set!! It is so versatile, and works for just about any occasion! I also love that you don't have to color the image, to still get a great result!
The colors used in the blue and white one (Night of Navy and Whisper White) remind me of that old metal blue and white tablewear. :)

WOW this deal is AMAZING!!!!!

2010-11-22T13:48:00.004-05:00

Have you ever wanted to go into business for yourself? Do you love to stamp and scrapbook? Or maybe you have lots of items on your wish list? What about those of you looking for a Demonstrator, and can't find one? Then joining Stampin' Up is the PERFECT choice for you!!! Become your own Demonstrator!! You will receive a discount on your own purchases, as well as make money on any sales that you make! "Share what you love, and love what you do" that's Stampin' Up's motto, and it is so true!!
For a limited time only, until November 30th YOU can join the Stampin' Up family for the low price of only $87.50!!!!!! That is half the normal price, and there is over $310 of stamping and business supplies included! AMAZING!!
You CAN do this, and you can have fun, while making money! You don't need any special training, you don't need to know 100's of people, you just have to love to craft, and want to make money! That's all! Stampin' UP also offers resources for ideas and inspiration via it's own magazine, Stampin' Success, and a website, exclusive to Demonstrators!
If you'd like more information, please check the link http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/gina_thornton/startyourownbusiness. You can also contact me through that link.
Don't wait! Join us TODAY!

On sale now-LIMITED TIME ONLY

2010-11-22T13:41:00.004-05:00

Stampin' Up has done it again! For a limited time only select items are on sale up to 50% off!!!!!
Also if you order online today, a minimum of $150 (total prior to tax) you will get FREE SHIPPING!!!!! How great is that!!! So pull out your wish lists, and shop from the comfort of your own home!!! Make sure Santa brings exactly what you want for Christmas.....STAMPS!!!!
This special is only available online! And will expire on November 30th!!!!
Click the picture above, or click this link:
http://www.stampinup.com/ECWeb/CategoryPage.aspx?categoryID=776

Card Fairy Army Thankful Blog Hop

2010-11-19T23:59:00.008-05:00

Welcome to the Cricut Card Fairy Blog Hop. This month we are practicing being thankful for all the blessings in our lives. What are you thankful for? Do you stop daily and thank those around you for blessing you? Do you appreciate the small things in life? I sure hope so! With that in mind the wonderful fairies have put together some awesome THANKSGIVING/THANKFUL themed crafty items. Along the way there will be opportunities for inspiration, and blog candy. So make sure you hop all the way through, leave comments on every blog, and then a comment here on my blog when finished. I will be giving away a BNIP (Brand New In Package)Hello Kitty Greetings cart to a person that comments on ALL the blogs and here too! Happy hopping!

You should have arrived from Shellie's Creations, if you didn't you may want to start in the beginning and work your way through!!!

Here is the order in case you get lost along the way.

Caitlynsmommy: http://crystalscraftycreations.blogspot.com/
ScrappingDeb; http://tidbitsplace.blogspot.com
AJoy713 http://adreatravis2008.blogspot.com
RachelMutchler http://trickut-rachelscrafts.blogspot.com/
Kisatrtle www.kisatrtleskreativekorner.blogspot.com
ScrappyJess http://scrappyjess.blogspot.com
PennyLight http://lightwhimsy.blogspot.com
KarelJcreations http://karelj.blogspot.com
Shellie shelliescreations.blogspot.com
GRKIDDO http://ginathorntonstamping.blogspot.com YOU ARE HERE!
JamieFitzgerald http://www.jamieisacraftymomma.blogspot.com
Iluvsnowmen wandaswhimsicalwonders.blogspot.com
blondemommy26 http://blondemommy26.blogspot.com/
SherylGreene http://sherylscraftingcorner.blogspot.com

Ok so here is what I am Thankful for:

My wonderful Children Cheyenne is 7, Cameron is 4:

These are my 4 favorite kids!
First is my daughter, Cheyenne, My niece Savanna, My nephew William, and my son, Cameron

My Family (Minus my hubby who couldn't be there):

My sister Ginnese (in Purple), Her daughter Savanna (teal), My Sister-in-Law Bonnie (Bride), My Brother Duane (groom), My daughter Cheyenne (white shirt in front), my sister's son William (blue striped shirt), My Mom Ginnie (Blue with flowers) and me (purple shirt)and the littlest guy, my son, Cameron.

I am also VERY Thankful for my good friend Terri!! We text back and forth every day, almost all day long. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't make it through the day! LOL. My children always say "it's Miss Terri" whenever I get a text (and usually it is!). Here is Terri (in the black) at our recent Crop Weekend in Hamburg, with her sister Sherri.

Ok I would be lying if I didn't say that I am thankful for this:

CHOCOLATE!!!!!

Oh and there is so many other things I am thankful for! All of my card making supplies, RUBBER STAMPS, my friends, and so much more!!!!

Ok so here we go, my thankful project. Now I realize that most of the wonderful Fairies that have showcased their creations before me, most likely made layouts, but I have to be different! (It wouldn't be me if I wasn't!) And I am hands down more of a card maker then a scrapper, so here is what I have to show.

It features the French Foliage stamp set, in Clear Mount, by Stampin' Up. The colors are Kraft, Very Vanilla, Pumpkin Pie and Soft Suede. The embossing is done with the Square Lattice embossing folder by Stampin' Up,I just flipped the already embossed cardstock over as I really like the Debossed image! Once it was embossed (debossed) I used my brayer and brayered some Pumpkin Pie Classic ink over it. The image was done using the "Bamming" technique. I saw this on a website, and sadly I can't remember who's idea it was. You ink up the whole image, with one color and then you take another color and bam an ink pad on it, one time only, which gives it some dimension. I love how the leaves look with this technique!! The great thing about using the Clear Mount is you can use a larger block, organize your smaller stamps on it in whatever pattern you'd like, and then you can make a larger image, or use it to make your own backgrounds! The sentiment is from Day of Gratitude, and it is matted using the Decorative Label punch by Stampin' Up. There is a way to layer the punches to make it look as though it is matted, and I do have a tutorial for that, but that is another project for another day!

When you are finished here, hop on over to Jamie's blog! And thanks for stopping by!!!!

Another Blog Hop!!!!

2010-11-17T16:32:00.002-05:00

You heard it right, join us this weekend November 20-21 for the Cricut Card Fairy Army's Thankful Blog hop!

All the fun will begin at Crystal's blog here

Craft Sale - Post it note holders

2010-11-14T16:11:00.000-05:00

Here are close ups of the Post It Note Holders and Spiral Note Books.

Craft Fair - Masculine Post It Note Holders

2010-11-13T16:28:00.000-05:00

Here are the Masculine Post It Note Holders I created for the sale. Some are on Key chains. I thought they could be hooked on the side of a tool box, so they'd always be handy!
They all used Stampin' Up's Stamp set, "Totally Tool".

50% off...What could be better????

2010-11-13T15:17:00.003-05:00

What would you think if I told you that for a limited time only you could get the Stampin' Up kit for only $87.50 PLUS FREE SHIPPING!!!!!!!!
If you have been on the fence about joining the Stampin' Up family, wait no more! Join up today and take advantage of the amazing savings!!!! Contact me today for more details!!

GRKIDDO at Verizon dot com

ABCs of the Perfect Handmade Holiday

2010-11-13T15:08:00.004-05:00

Stampin' Up! is offering an opportunity to purchase select products--perfect for Amazing cards, Beautiful packaging, and Cherished gifts--at a 20 percent discount!

Things to Remember:

* Additional products from current catalogs may be purchased on the same order.
* There is no minimum purchase required to participate in this promotion.
* You must use the bundle item codes provided. The 20 percent discount will not be applied if individual bundle item numbers are entered separately.
* Order on-line by Thursday, December 16, 2010; 11:50 PM (MT)

And The Winners Are-------

2010-11-12T21:04:00.002-05:00

Drum roll, please! The winner of the Scrap'nTote, generously donated by Marlo of ContainYaCrafts is-----from Deb's Blog, If It's Groovy--Josie, comment number 5. Josie said, "Wonderful! Cheryl is such a nice person too....she welcomed me when I joined the Fiskateers! I love the photo of the baby too!"
Krel will be emailing Josie, or she if sees this,she can contact at Karel at ksjennings (at) gmail (dot) com with her mailing information.
Our second big winner, of the Spellbinders Nesties, donated by Anne of Paper Patch Crafts is---from Christel, at One Scrappin' Sista----number 41---Gina Thornton! Gina said, "Cristel, thanks so much for sharing your father's stories and family member's as well. Thanks for hopping along with us!" Hey that's me!!!

Thanks to all that hopped along with us, left comments and for Karel for pulling it all together!

Craft Sale-Candy Bar holders

2010-11-12T15:07:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the Candy Bar holders that I made fr the sale. These were fun, but I must admit that when I started out, I had a lot more Chocolate to work with!! LOL. They are filled with Kit Kats, Hershey Bars, and Crunch Bars. The idea for these came from ChicN'Scratch.
You can also see the basket of Pixie Sticks in the background.

I am still working on ways to display items...

Land of the Free Because of the Brave Blog Hop

2010-11-10T23:59:00.012-05:00

Hello all! You should have arrived here from Rachel's Blog here, if you just stumbled across my blog, you may want to go to Karel's Blog and start in the beginning!!!
We are doing this Blog today to honor all of the Veterans out there!

Because I have so much information, I decided to do this in a few posts. See the posts below to read about my veterans, and also a great charity, Operation Write Home! PLEASE LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS ON THIS POST FOR THE CONTEST!! Thanks to the MILLIONS of men and women who put their lives and families on hold to ensure our freedom! We all owe them, for if it weren't for people like them, we wouldn't be free. How would your life be different with out them??? Think of that the next time you do something, the little things, that we all take for granted.
There are many different organizations out there that are looking for cards that they can send to the troops so they may send them home to their loved ones.Keep in mind there is no Card store right around the corner for most of the troops! What a great way to show some support - Send them some hand made cards!!!! We all have our favorite organization, and here is one that I deal with most often:
Operation Write Home
Now on to my projects! I added a few oldies that you may (or may not) remember. First is the USA card that I made for Memorial Day. It features the Faux Torn Mosaic technique.

Next up is bookmarks. I want to show how a little embellishments can make a difference. First Un-embellished:

Here is one of the bookmarks Embossed in Silver (kind of defeated the Red/White/Blue theme):

And in Red glitter (this one is not suitable for our troops because of the glitter):

My embossing powders weren't cooperating tonight, so these are not perfect, but you get the idea!

Here's the card I made for the hop. It is a no frills card, simple but it says a lot. It features the "Courage" set by Stampin' Up.

It didn't turn out at all what I had planned on, but I still like the result. I had planned on embossing the image, but after my issues with the glitter, I just left it go! For some reason I couldn't get the camera to get a good picture of the card. I really need to get a light box! Hopefully it is okay.

Now onto the nitty gritty information:
Our amazing Blog Candy (2—count ‘em! TWO Chances to win!!) are brought to you through the generosity of Marlo, who created the marvelous Scrap’NTote and Anne, from Paper Patch Crafts.
The rules for entering are the same for both prizes: Hop along our path and leave a comment AND a way to contact you on each and every stop. Please leave contact information in a safe manner ( ie, written out, rather than a direct link). On Friday, November 12, KarelJ will use random.org to first select a blog number (1-20) and then a comment number from that blog for each prize. She will post the winner’s name on her blog and notify the bloggers, so they can also post the winner. KarelJ will contact the winner, using the information left in the comment. If there is no information available, she will choose another winner from the same blog. It is up to the winner to contact KarelJ at ksjennings(at)gmail(dot)com. If she has not been contacted by Monday, November 15, another winner will be chosen.
Now, on to the good stuff! Our first prize is a wonderful Pink Scrap’Ntote to store your Cricut Cartridges in! It comes to us from Marlo, at ContainYaCrafts. You can see the wonderful way this binder system keeps all your carts together, and ready to go in a flash on this link: http://www.cricutcartridgestorage.com/index.htm Need more than one? Put it on the Christmas Wish List and have the hubs order NOW, as they are simply flying out of stock! We got one of the final donations for the year, and are so grateful to Marlo!
Our second terrific prize is a set of Spellbinders Nesties in the Crown Circle Shape. It comes to us via the generosity of Anne, whose family has an incredibly strong military heritage. You can also check out paper Patch Crafts here, to see what other incredible things Anne has to sell! http://stores.ebay.com/Paper-Patch-Crafts?_rdc=1

Thank a Veteran today!!!
Blog Hop List
1. KarelJ at One By One The Flamingos Are Stealing My Sanity http://karelj.blogspot.com
2. Celeste at Touched By a Butterfly http://www.touchedbyabutterfly.blogspot.com
3. Deb at Tidbit’s Place http://tidbitsplace.blogspot.com
4. Michelle at Peanut Butter and Jelly Designs http://peanutbutterandjellydesigns.blogspot.com
5. Jennifer at Young’s Scrapping http://youngsscrapping.blogspot.com
6. Diane at Crafting This Moment http://craftingthismoment.blogspot.com
7. Judy at Be Present Be Real http://bepresentbereal.blogspot.com
8. Marianne at Life From Marianne’s Table http://number1aunt.blogspot.com
9. Deb at If It’s Groovy http://ifitsgroovy.blogspot.com
10. Christel at One Scrappin’ Sista http://onescrappinsista.blogspot.com
11. Belinda at Queen Bee’s Musings http://queenbeesmusings.blogspot.com
12. Colleen at Col’s Creative Corner http://scrappycol.blogspot.com
13. Summer and Jennifer at Cricut Diaries http://cricutdiaries.blogspot.com
14. Rachel at Suburban Crafter http://www.rachelstampshappy.blogspot.com/
15. Gina at Gina Thornton Stamping http://ginathorntonstamping.blogspot.com YOU ARE HERE!
16. Becky at Sew in Stitches http://sewinstitches.blogspot.com
17. Rebecca at Creations With Becca www.creationswithbecka.blogspot.com
18. Bobbi Jo at http://sweetsassydiva-gspot.blogspot.com/ CORRECTED19. Angie at Gypsy Paperie http://gypsypaperie.blogspot.com20. Linda at The Tulip Collector http://thetulipcollector.blogspot.com

Interview with a few of my Veterans

2010-11-10T23:57:00.002-05:00

The first Interview is with my Mom. Woman Marine Virginia Ruth Irvin (Rueber)

1. What branch of the service were/are you in? Marine Corps 1962-1964 2. What’s your rank? PFC3. What made you decide to join the service? Why this branch? I wanted to get an education to become a nurse, I figured if I was going to enlist, I’d go with the best! (by the way, as she found out in Boot Camp, you don't go into the Marine Corps to become a nurse!!!)
4 What’s the best thing about being in the military? You get to travel. The chance to serve my country
5. What’s the hardest thing about being in the military? Being away from Loved ones.
6. Do you think Veterans and Active service Personnel get the respect they deserve? They do now, but they didn't used to
7. What could crafters and artists do to help support you? Send cards to send home to loved ones, there is no place to buy them. Even on base the pickings are few.
8. What else would you like to share with our readers? I had the honor of being the escort to John F Kennedy, 2 months prior to his assassination. I was in Communications at the time. I took a lot of pictures. He came to my defense when the Commanding general Thought that I said “I guess so” Actually I said “Yes sir” and President Kennedy said “Sir, she said yes sir”. “Sir, yes sir, I said Yes sir” “He said she must be from the Boston area” (she is from the Philadelphia area.) He smiled and told her “it’s okay, no one understands me either!”

Next up is my brother Duane W. Rueber:

1. What branch of the service were/are you in? Marine Corps
2. What’s your rank? Lance Cpl
3. What made you decide to join the service? Why this branch? They were probably going to be the only place where I could learn to be a "man." -- Why pick an "easy" branch? If I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it right, all the way.
4 What’s the best thing about being in the military? Best thing is the bond that no one else ever has unless they have served.
5. What’s the hardest thing about being in the military? Hardest thing is being "government." Too much red-tape BS!
6. Do you think Veterans and Active service Personnel get the respect they deserve? I think they get it NOW, but it was a long time coming for our older Vets.
7. What could crafters and artists do to help support you? Crafters and everyone else need to really grasp, and understand the SACRIFICE our Vets give. Some, never come back home to their families. Don't we owe quite a bit to the one's that do?
What can we do? Push for unconditional support when they are done serving. Stop throwing our Vets away.

And finally, my husband David R Thornton:

1. What branch of the service were/are you in? Navy
2. What’s your rank? FN ( E-3) Which means a non-rate.
3. What made you decide to join the service? Wasn’t too sure what I wanted to do. Why this branch? I talked to other recruiters and was thing of Which I would like more to be in. The Navy, is a way to see other parts of the word and able to do it for free!
4. What’s the best thing about being in the military? The free travel we got to do.
5. What’s the hardest thing about being in the military? All the training we did on board an air craft Carrier. Also the different watches I had to do at all times of the night. But enjoyed every minute of it.
6. Do you think Veterans and Active service Personnel get the respect they deserve? Not really.
7. What could crafters and artists do to help support you? Send cards to send home to loved ones, there is no place to buy them. Even on base the pickings are few. Support the active members by sending card to help them write home to their family.
8. What else would you like to share with our readers? Keep supporting the active members. They all need to come home.(his brother is currently serving in the US Army)

There are other members of my family who proudly served, but are no longer with us. My Great Aunt Dorothy (Irvin) Fisher served as a nurse in the US Army during the Korean War. She also had the honor to be a private nurse to Eleanor Roosevelt!!! What an honor that must have been!!!!

Another interesting story, a great, great grandfather on the Irvin side, served in the Irish army. He was shot in the stomach with a cannon ball, and it went straight through his stomach!!!! He survived this attack, and lived many many years. He later died crossing the street. He was hit by a drunk driver.

Why not do a little research into your family, and see what great stories you can find??

Operation Write Home

2010-11-10T23:55:00.001-05:00

Operation Write Home is an organization looking for donations of hand made cards which they collect, and in turn send to our troops. The troops can pick cards to send home to their loved ones when they can't be there themselves. They welcome any cards, regardless of skill. There is also a place where you can click and print out pictures that you can have your children color and send in! There are a few things to keep in mind when creating for our troops. A very important one is NO GLITTER!!!! It can stick to their uniforms and be seen through Night Vision goggles! There are a bunch of ladies very dedicated to collecting cards and separating them according to holiday/occasion. They work VERY HARD at their "jobs" (it's all volunteer!).
If you'd like to donate, you can click on the picture above, or follow this link:
http://www.owhstarsandstamps.org/p/about-owh.html
Once there you can get all the rules about cards! You can also find them on Facebook!

Oh and show your support to Operation Write Home! They are currently in the top 3 running for a $50,000 donation in the Craft for a Cause Contest!!! You can vote once in a 24 hour period.

Click the picture to vote!!!

Craft Sale - Altered Bottles

2010-11-10T16:04:00.001-05:00

Another top seller was the altered Starbucks bottles that I made. Here are a few of them. They have different types of candy in them.

Craft Sale - Gift Card Holders

2010-11-09T15:11:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the Gift Card Holders that I created. These were some of the top sellers!
Some have some rhinestones added, others have Stickles, to give them that little something extra!

Craft Fair - tags

2010-11-08T13:56:00.002-05:00

Here are some Christmas Tags I created for the Craft Fair! The small tags have some bling added to them. It's a little hard to tell in the pictures.

Craft Fair - Pixie Stick Holders

2010-11-07T15:46:00.003-05:00

Here are some of the Pixie Stick Holders I made. I got this idea from Patty Bennet!

Craft Fair Pictures

2010-11-07T14:53:00.007-05:00

My craft fair on Saturday went pretty well! All of that hard work paid off! Here are some pictures of the items I had for sale. Stay tuned for more pictures...

Another Blog hop coming soon!!!!

2010-11-02T19:52:00.005-04:00

Join us on November 11, 2010 for a Veteran's Day Blog Hop! All of the fun will begin with Karel's blog

Here is more information:
November 11: The Land Of The Free Because Of The Brave Blog Hop begins at midnight and ends at midnight...24 hours of Veteran's Day Interviews, stories, craft projects and Blog Candy! The Grand Prize Blog Candy Give-Away is a Scrap 'N Tote from Marlo Letterle! You can check her out here: http://www.cricutcartridgestorage.com/ There are other great prizes available as well...20 marvelous crafters are taking part as bloggers, some with amazing blog candy, but all with simply wonderful new projects and ideas for you to see!

Dont forget to Hop along with us!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you love fairies??

2010-10-19T07:50:00.003-04:00

I love Fairies, they are a cute and enchanting, and love flowers, what could be better?
Want a chance to try to win some?
Check out Enfys's blog for a chance to win!

Items for a Craft Sale - Coffee Coaster post it note holders

2010-10-18T21:19:00.002-04:00

It always amazes me that someone who does not like coffee should have so many coffee stamps! LOL. I made these for all those coffee lovers out there! Again I used the coasters, and my BindItAll.

Items for a Craft Sale - Coaster Post it note holders

2010-10-18T21:15:00.004-04:00

Ok I have to say that I used my BindItAll on these post it note holders, and I must say I am proud of myself!!!! These are the first items that I made with my BindItAll! YEAH me!!!! I made these with coasters. I just trimmed them down a bit to fit.
These are also going to be added to my pile of items for my upcoming Craft Fairs.

Items for a craft sale - Breast Cancer Awarness Post It note holders

2010-10-18T21:12:00.002-04:00

If you didn't know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. In honor of that I made these post it note holders for one of my upcoming craft fairs.
All of the items used were things I had on hand.
More to come....

Items for a Craft Fair - Post it note holders

2010-10-18T21:08:00.003-04:00

Here are some more of the items I have been working on for my craft fair. These are post it note holders. Again all of the ribbons, flowers, and patterned papers are stuff I had on hand.

Sorry for the short posts, I have to get some items up so that I can show examples of my items for upcoming craft sales.

Stay tuned I have more!

Items for a Craft Fair - Post it note Frames

2010-10-18T21:03:00.003-04:00

I am still working on some upcoming craft fair items. I'm not going to bore you with all of the details of each frame. Most of the papers, and ribbons are items I had on hand. Just trying to use some of the many many (many) sheets of patterned paper I have laying around!
I added a matching pen to each one and tied them up with some tulle.
Stay tuned for more!

Winner of the Think Pink Blog Hop grand prize:

2010-10-12T14:27:00.003-04:00

And the winner of the PINK BY DESIGN STAMPS IS--- Jen, from Deborah's If It's Groovy! She didn't leave a way to contact her, so we were asked to post this on our blogs in the hope she will see it. Ask her to please email Karel(ksjennings(at)gmail(dot)com) with her name and address, and I will forward them to Sarah. If she hasn't responded in a week (by the 19th, we'll choose another winner!

Congrats Jennifer!!!

Thank you!

2010-10-12T00:03:00.001-04:00

I wanted to thank all of you that hopped along with us for the Think Pink Blog hop! What an awesome experience! I have never had so many sweet comments!! I have twice the amount of comments as my last blog hop! Amazing! Thank you so much!!

Also I wanted to add, that the frame is a horizontal plastic easel frame. They sell them at any craft stores, however they are MUCH cheaper at Walmart. Almost $1.50 cheaper!! You can order online, however you have to order 12 at a time that way. If that isn't a problem, then you can order them and ship them directly to a local store.

Thank you again for visiting, and I hope you will return in the future! I may have to have some blog candy when I hit a certain number of followers, stay tuned for that! :)

Dont forget to do your exams, and schedule a mammo!!!!

Think Pink Blog Hop

2010-10-08T00:01:00.006-04:00

It's here! It's here! Welcome to the Think Pink Blog Hop! You should have arrived here from Karel's blog, she started it all! We are doing this Blog Hop to promote Breast Cancer Awareness, and remind all of you to do your self-exams!!!! Our Sponsor is Sarah, at http://pinkcricut.com/ and she has generously donated a 25 dollar gift certificate for out Grand Blog Candy Prize. If you haven't seen her line of Pink by Design Stamps, you should check her out!!!
I decided to create something other then a card for this hop. This is a post it note holder made out of an acrylic frame. The first picture is without the ribbon, but I felt it lacked something, so I went back, took it apart and added the ribbon. The post it notes are on top of the frame, and you can replace the tablet once this one is gone. I'm not sure you can see it in the picture, but I stamped the image once, then again and cut it out, and added some dimensionals to give it some depth. You also can't see it in the picture, but the pink cardstock is embossed. I used my new ScoreBuddy to make diagonal lines one way, and then the opposite way (so it has a diamond shape). Then I used my Stampin' Up Scallop border punch to give the edge a little design, then layered that on top of white cardstock. Imagine this on your desk, you don't have to search for a tablet, and it reminds everyone to have hope that there will be a cure soon!!
These pictures aren't the best, but it is dark out and trying to get a picture without shadows in my craft room is a challenge.
So this is only your first stop on the hop, I am sure there are plenty more of wonderful creations along the way. Not to mention some great Blog Candy along the way! So continue on your way, and don't forget to do your self exam!!!

***I changed the design again!! I kept looking at the PostIt Note holder and feeling it was STILL missing something, so I took it apart again and matted the ribbon in a brighter pink. Then I went and embossed a small piece of paper in the diamond shapes and added it to a RSVP pen, the pen was still lacking so I added some little pink polka dots to that. Wish I had a mini ribbon stamp! Anyway I am FINALLY happy with the design! I took these pictures outside, but the grass was still wet with dew, so I left the frame inside the plastic. You may be able to see that I also added some sparkle to the center of the flowers.***
Next head on over to Crafting This Moment -- And in case you get lost along the way here is the list of participants:
1. One By One The Flamingos Are Stealing My Sanity – http://karelj.blogspot.com
2. Gina’s Stamping Creations -- http://ginathorntonstamping.blogspot.com/ YOU ARE HERE!!
3. Crafting This Moment -- http://craftingthismoment.blogspot.com/
4. The Cricut Diaries – http://cricutdiaries.blogspot.com
5. Sweet Sassy Diva -- http://sweetsassydiva-gspot.blogspot.com/
6. Scrappin’ Sista -- www.onescrappinsista.blogspot.com
7. If It’s Groovy -- http://ifitsgroovy.blogspot.com
8. Oh, Snap! -- http://ohsnaplizzie.blogspot.com/
9. Crazy About Cricut – http://crazyaboutcricut.blogspot.com
10. Gen’s Den -- http://www.gensden.com/
11. Peanut Butter and Jelly Designs --
http://peanutbutterandjellydesigns.blogspot.com/
12. Heartfelt Creations -- http://tlbheartfeltcreations.blogspot.com
13. Creations With Becka – http://creationswithbecka.blogspot.com
14. Calie’s Creative Corner – http://caliescreativecorner.blogspot.com
15. Tidbit’s Place – http://tidbitsplace.blogspot.com
16. Gypsy Paperie -- http://gypsypaperie.blogspot.com
17. Life From Marianne’s Table – http://number1aunt.blogspot.com
18. The Suburban Crafter-- http://www.rachelstampshappy.blogspot.com/