Altered Composition Book

VSN challenge #10 was to make an altered composition book. I bought a bunch of these once at the dollar store to alter to include in some Easter baskets. I was pretty sure I had one left, and I was right. I can't believe I was able to find it. The instructions were to make it for ourselves and to keep "girly." I used a Bella stamp and added some Prima flowers for the basket of flowers that she's holding.


I thought maybe I could use this at the computer to take notes instead of having papers and post-it notes scattered all over the place. I added the ribbon and initial charm to hold my place in the book. All paper is by Stampin' Up.

Simple Saturday

No patterned paper. Two stamps. Three colors of cardstock. Nothing fancy.

This also takes care of VSN challange #9...a "Thinking of You" card.

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Card Details:
Stamp: Studio G (Michaels clear $1 stamps)
Ink: Bashful Blue, Almost Amethyst, Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose (SU!)
Paper: Cardstock - Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, Whisper White (SU!)
Accessories: Prima flower, Stickles (diamond), Photo Corner Punch (SU!)

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
How many times per day do you usually laugh?

Probably not as many as I should, as they say laughter is the best medicine. It depends on where I am and who I'm with. Something or someone usually makes me laugh a few times during the day at work. Paul makes me laugh all the time. He would probably be surprised to know that because I know he sometimes tries hard to get me to laugh but sometimes my mood just doesn't allow for it. He's hilarious, though, and can really come up with some funny stuff.

Soup
What do your sunglasses look like?

They're clip-ons that clip on my glasses. Exciting, huh? Hey...they serve their purpose.

Salad
You win a free trip to anywhere on your continent, but you have to travel by train. Where do you go?

Pacific Northwest

Main Course
Name one thing you consider a great quality about living in your town/city.

Ugh. I'm really not a fan of this city and would much rather live in a smaller town. With that being said, I guess one of the better qualities is easy access to everything...shopping, restaurants, etc. You don't have to drive very far. You usually have to wait in line, though, because there are just too many people.

Dessert
If the sky could be another color, what color do you think would look best?

Weird question. I guess I would have to say the colors of a sunset with the beautiful pinks and purples. If we had that all the time, though, it would become not so special and we wouldn't have anything to watch and appreciate.

Let's Do Our Nails...Well, Sort Of

You have to paint your nails for girls night out, right?! This technique is kind of like painting your nails. It's called Polished Stone, and it was VSN challenge #8. It's a way to make your own patterned paper using re-inkers, rubbing alcohol, and glossy paper. It has a marbled appearance. While I think it is a gorgeous technique, I really think it needs to be used sparingly, as I have seen many cards overwhelmed by this type of background...especially if the colors used don't coordinate very well. I did a whole sheet of glossy cardstock so I would have it to use in the future, but I only used a tiny bit for this card.

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Card Details:
Stamp: Sidekick Sayings (SU!)
Ink: Brocade Blue and Mauve Mist (retired color) re-inkers, Pretty In Pink and Mellow Moss markers (SU!); Sterling Frost re-inker (Opalite)
Paper: Cardstock - Brocade Blue, Bashful Blue, Whisper White ((SU!)
Accessories: Metallic chalks

PUNCHie Animals Challenge

VSN Challenge #7 was to use punches to create an animal or bug.

Oh boy.

I had no idea what I was going to do when I started digging out all my punches. I lined up every single one across my desk. The good thing about that is that I realized I had some interesting punches that I had totally forgotten about. I thought about doing a ladybug or maybe a caterpillar...something easy that I have seen done before. I also had images of bunnies, chicks, and frogs floating through my mind's eye. I reached for some paper, which happened to be pink, and just started punching, and by the time I finished, this is what I had...

Is she not the cutest piggie ever?!! I am so proud of her because I really didn't have any confidence that I could do this challenge and actually come up with something that halfway resembled some kind of animal! Here is the breakdown:

Body = Giga scalloped oval punch
Head = Circle punch
Feet = Heart punch cut in half
Ears = Heart punch cut in half
Snout = Balloon punch with bottom rounded off and then punched twice with tiny circle punch
Eyes = Pieces from a fancy border punch
Tail = Swirl punch

Oink! Oink!

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Card Details:
Stamp: Loving Hearts (SU!)
Ink: Pretty in Pink (SU!)
Paper: Cardstock - Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose (SU!), black (TAC); Printed - Misc. from scrap pile
Accessories: Punches (as listed above), pop dots, computer-generated sentiment (font = MT Curlz)

Nail Polish, Mud MASK, and Lotion

All part of getting ready for girls night out, right? My gosh, I haven't used what you could consider a mud mask in ages! It would probably do me some good.

VSN challenge #6 involved making a card using the masking technique, which is just basically a technique using something like a post-it note to overlap stamped images so they look like one is in front or behind another.

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Card Details:
Stamp: Loving Hearts (SU!)
Ink: Black (Palette); Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, and Pretty In Pink (SU!)
Paper: Cardstock - Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, and Pretty In Pink (SU!); Printed - Just Delightful (SU!)
Accessories: Grosgrain ribbon (SU!), Cuttlebug ribbon sliders, Cuttlebug embossing template (swirls), glitter

She's Got A Ticket To Stamp

VSN Challenge #5 involved making a card that has something to do with a ticket. That could be either an event ticket, using wording of a ticket (admit one, etc.), or simply using the the SU! Ticket Corner punch. This was a tough one for me, but since this past Sunday was the NFL championship games, this is what I came up with.

It's a little too red, white, and blue, isn't it? I can't help it if that's both teams' colors! I have to be honest and say there is no stamping on this card whatsoever...all images are computer generated.

GO PATRIOTS!

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Card Details:
Stamp: None
Ink: Inkjet printer
Paper: Cardstock - Night of Navy, Real Red, Whisper White (SU!); Printed - misc. from scrap pile.
Accessories: Computer, printer, brads, ticket corner punch (SU!)

Annie

This is Annie. She seems pretty proud of what she can do! What a sweetheart!

V-Neck, Baby.

This is VSN challenge #4 and is in reference to criss-cross, wrap, or V-neck tops that are popular for a girls night out (I suppose). The challenge was to make a criss-cross card. This is my first one, so I barely got it done in 45 minutes. I had to print out the tutorial and follow along. It was fun to make.

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Card Details:
Stamp: Buzz in the Air (Penny Black), Best Blossoms (SU!)
Ink: Black (Staz On); Going Gray, Pumpkin Pie, Marigold Morning (SU!)
Paper: Cardstock - Bazzill (oranges), watercolor paper; Printed - Swirls (misc.), flowers (Frances Meyer).
Accessories: Marvy Giga scalloped oval, Stickles, yellow marker, Prima flowers, small circle punch (CM), circle (Cuttlebug).

Little Black Dress

This is for VSN Challenge #3, which was to have your main image stamped on black cardstock. The rest of the card could be any other color, but the embellishments had to be black. I went a little over the allotted 45 minutes with this challenge; however, I made two cards. That should count for something. Here is the first one.

The flowers were stamped with Versamark and then dusted over with pink metallic chalk. This card was hard to photograph.

While I was putting this together, my eye drifted to a jar of pink glitter sitting on my table left over from one of yesterday's cards. I just bought a jar of Heat & Stick powder from Stampin' Up, and I got to wondering how the flowers would look in glitter. They would probably show up better. I pulled out the Heat & Stick powder and followed the directions (as I've never used it before). I applied the pink glitter and heated it again to set it. As I was brushing off the excess, I noticed that the glitter wasn't pink...it was rainbow colored. It looks pink in the jar. The jar even says PINK. Dang it! Now I had to spend extra time digging out a different color accent because the pink cardstock just didn't look right. I chose Cool Caribbean. This was also hard to photograph. Take my word for it...these look A LOT prettier IRL (in real life).

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Card Details:
Stamp: Delight in Life (SU!)
Ink: Basic Black (SU), Versamark, Silver (Colorbox)
Paper: Cardstock - Black (TAC), Regal Rose and Cool Caribbean (SU!)
Accessories: Heat & Stick powder (SU!), square brad, super fine glitter, metallic chalks

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
What is your favorite beverage?

Clear diet pop...something like Sprite, 7-Up, Mountain Dew, etc.

Soup
Name 3 things that are on your computer desk at home or work.

1. Paper.
2. Pens.
3. A picture of Abby.

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how honest do you think you are?

A 10, of course. Oh wait, I guess that I just lied there...so I guess I have to say 9. I all out honesty, though, I'm going to have to give myself a 7 or 8. There is nothing wrong with a white lie to spare feelings...or to get me out of doing something that I really don't want to do.

Main Course
If you could change the name of one city in the world, what would you rename it and why?

I have no idea.

Dessert
What stresses you out? What calms you down?

Stresses me out - Running late or not being able to find something.
Calms me down - When everything goes the way it is supposed to and I'm running ahead of schedule.

Chocolate or Shoes??

Friday's second VSN Girls Night Out Challenge was to use the chocolate shoes in this picture for inspiration (yes...they are made of chocolate). I used a an SCS sketch challenge from a few weeks ago (#155) for the layout. It's hard to tell in the picture, but the shoe in the middle circle is glittery.

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Card Details:
Stamp: Haute Couture (SU!)
Ink: Basic Black, Pretty in Pink, (SU)
Paper: Cardstock - Pretty In Pink, Wisper White, Close to Cocoa (SU); printed paper - One of a Kind Pink (Sandylion)
Accessories: Circle (CM)

Circle of Friendship

Today was VSN (Virtual Stamp Night) on Splitcoast, which is basically a series of stamping challenges centered around a certain "theme." It actually starts on Friday night with six challenges and then continues Monday from noon until 11 p.m. (Eastern). You have 45 minutes to complete each challenge, but you don't have to do the challenges at the time they're posted. You actually have until Sunday at 11 p.m. to upload your creations to Splitcoast. I've participated every now and then, but usually not doing every challenge. This time, I am challenging myself to do every challenge. Since I don't care if I participate in the contest part of it, I'm not worried about completing and uploading everything before Sunday night. This is just a personal challenge to get some cards stockpiled for RAKs. Plus I REALLY needed to clean off my table , so I used this as my motivation. Check it out... Take a good look because the table hasn't been this clean in a long time.


Anyway, getting back to VSN, today's theme was Girls Night Out, and the first challenge, which was posted Friday evening, is called Circle of Friendship. The challenge is to make a card honoring your girlfriends, but it has to be a circle-shaped card using the sketch provided.


As you can see, I didn't follow the sketch exactly. I didn't want to include the small circle because of the location of the dog, so I added small circles with eyelets instead.

So...one down...17 to go.
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Card Details:
Stamp: Rain or Shine (MFT)
Ink: Basic Black, Pretty in Pink, Bliss Blue, and Apricot Appeal (SU)
Paper: Cardstock - Regal Rose, Wisper White (SU), misc. pink; printed paper - Lullaby Small Flowers (Daisy D's)
Accessories: Corner punch (SU!), eyelets

Blessings

This is for Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge (#30). To be honest, this sketch intimidated me. I sat down to do it yesterday, but I let it get the better of me, so I did Jen's sketch instead. I sat and looked at the sketch again tonight and decided that I wanted to give it another try. I think it was the two strips on the top right that I just couldn't figure out what to do with. I'm glad I stuck with it, though, because I'm happy with the end results.


This is a little big bigger than the size I normally do. It measures 4-1/2 x 6-1/2 instead of 4-1/4 x 5-1/2. I was reading the forums on SCS about 1-1/2 weeks ago and someone posted that the Christmas stuff at Target was 90% off. She got the idea to buy the boxed cards on clearance to use the envelopes....so I hopped right in the car. They had a bunch of boxed cards left, but they were all slightly larger than the norm. This was fine for me because I try to get involved with the Have A Heart Valentine campaign at Dog's Deserve Better (more about that to come), and I need a lot of envelopes for the cards I make. Anyway, I came home pretty impressed with my good deals. I got 6 boxes of 40 cards and envelopes; wrapping paper, bows, and bags for next year; a set of lights; two sets of different size boxes; a tree stand (because we're thinking about getting a real tree from the tree farm next year); and a set of Dilbert magnets from the $1 spot for Paul all for under $7. Can't beat that!

Friendship

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Today was a lazy day for me, but I did manage to get a little (very little) stamping done. I made this card using Jen Del Muro's weekly sketch on her blog, I {heart} to Stamp. This is the first time I have used one of Jen's sketches. The sketch was a square, but I modified it to the standard rectangle.

I've been stamping a lot lately with images that need to be colored in, and with the last couple of cards I have done, I have been trying to get away from that, as I have a ton of other stamps I'm neglecting. I need to start stepping out of the box and using what I have.

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Card Details:
Stamp: Friendship Blessings (CTMH)
Ink: Chocolate and Blush (CTMH)
Paper: Cardstock - Chocolate and Hollyhock (CTMH), vanilla and rose (misc. from my scrap pile); Patterned - Sonata (CTMH)
Accessories: Brads, Cuttlebug embossing folder (swirls)

Simple Saturday

I felt like keeping things simple today.

One color. Two stamps. No layers. One embellishment.

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Card Details:
Stamp: Sincere Salutations (SU!), Flourishes (Rhonna Farrer)
Ink: Certainly Celery (SU!), Palette Noir (TAC)
Paper: White
Accessories: Ribbon (SU!)

More On The Orchard

The daughter of the orchard family is a medical student, and the Student Affairs Department sent out an email Thursday with an update for all of us and mentioned that if anyone one wanted to send a card to the family, to just drop it off at Student Affairs. As soon as I read that, the proverbial light bulb went on over my head. I knew of the perfect stamp. I've had my eye on this stamp at Hobby Lobby for quite a while, so I printed off this week's 40% off coupon and headed there after work, hoping they would have one in stock. As luck would have it, there was one left! After waiting in line f-o-r-e-v-e-r to pay for it (I'm not even going to get into that), I rushed home to try to come up with a card so I could take it into work today for all the girls in my department to sign. Here is my card...is this not the perfect stamp?! It's one of the Happy Hopper stamps from Stampabilities and is called "An Apple A Day." I was so excited they still had one left!


There are still a couple of the girls that need to sign it, then I'm going to drop it off to Student Affairs on Monday. The inside says, "Just a note to let you know that our thoughts and prayers are with you all."

In the email they gave us the website address set up by the orchard's church to keep everyone apprised of the situation. There you will find a lot more pictures of the damage caused by the tornado. Here is the link if you're interested... Edward's Apple Orchard.
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Card Details:
Stamp: An Apple A Day (Stampabilities); Tag Tidbits (TAC)
Ink: Palette Noir (TAC)
Paper: Cardstock - From my scrap pile; Printed - The Paper Studio
Accessories: Brad, ribbon, Cuttlebug embossing folder (swirls), circle punch (CM), Prismacolor pencils and odorless mineral spirits.

Friday's Feast

Appetizer

What is your middle name? Would you change any of your names if you could? If so, what would you like to be called?

My middle name is Lynn. No, I don't think I'd change anything. Mom was going to name me Mona. Why I don't know. Thank God she came to her senses.

Soup
If you were a fashion designer, which fabrics, colors, and styles would you probably use the most?

Simple basic styles and classic colors with maybe a few brights thrown in. Soft comfortable fabric.

Salad
What is your least favorite chore, and why?

Vacuuming. It's boring, tiresome, and loud.

Main Course

What is something that really frightens you, and can you trace it back to an event in your life?

Deep water. When I was younger, maybe around age 10 or so, I was playing with my next door neighbor and her family in their pool. I slipped under the water and couldn't find my way back to the top for a second. It wasn't a huge pool or anything, just an average above-ground pool, so all I would have really had to have done is stand up, but I remember having a moment of panic thinking I was going to drown because no one knew I was under the water. To this day I can't even watch movies with underwater scenes. I have to look away and tell myself to breathe.

Dessert
Where are you sitting right now? Name 3 things you can see at this moment.

At the computer desk in our computer room/office/my stamping studio.

1. Abby's toys scattered all over the floor.
2. My extremely messy stamping area.
3. Miscellaneous papers scattered all over.
   

Christmas Card...Finally!

I realized the other night (after a reminder ) that I never posted our Christmas card after it was received by everyone. I left you all with only a sneak peek.

We wanted to keep things simple this year after last year's card, which contained a lot of stamping, wet embossing, and painting. As I mentioned in my Sneak Peek post...


I just now noticed that I made a spelling error in the title of that post (should have been sneak peek...not sneak peak). I know there are some of you out there that noticed too (don't bother looking now 'cause I changed it ). I'm so embarrassed...especially after my big post about correcting errors at work! I better get out my red pen for myself.

Anyway...as I mentioned in my Sneak PEEK post, Paul helped a lot with this one. The other day I was listing off all the parts of the card that Paul made, mom asked me what was left for me to do? I cut all the layers, stamped the sentiment, added the glitter and brads, and tied the ribbon...and took the picture! Paul did the embossing, inking, punching, and taping. I think he just wanted to play with my Cuttlebug.


To make the window we used my Marvy Giga Scalloped Oval punch, which measures 3 inches long. I know Michaels carries some of the Giga punches because I bought my Giga Scalloped Square punch there. It helps to get them with the 40% off coupon because I think this size runs about $20. We attached the snowflake-embossed cardstock onto the front of the card, and then punched through both layers. I had Paul do this part because it takes some muscle to punch through two layers of cardstock. I then attached the picture to the backside of the front of the card using photo corners. I use photo corners every year so people can keep the picture of Abby without having to keep the card if they don't want to.

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Card Details:
Stamp: Seasons Greetings Script by Wordsworth
Ink: Palette Noir (TAC), Bashful Blue (SU!)
Paper: Bashful Blue (SU!), navy (Archivers)
Accessories: Sakura Lightening gel pen (clear), brads, ribbon, Cuttlebug embossing folder (snowflake), Marvy Giga Scalloped Oval punch

Heartbreaking

While very rare, yesterday was proof that it does happen. A tornado in January. Not something you expect to hear about. This has been a crazy winter. The weather just seems to keep cycling. First we will get rain...then everything will ice over...then about 6-7 inches of snow will fall on top of the ice...then it will warm up and all the snow will disappear within a day...then comes the fog. This has been the foggiest year I have ever seen. I hate fog. I feel like I'm surrounded and can't breathe...a claustrophobic feeling. I also have a fear of tornadoes. They cause so much destruction, and there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it. As it turns out, a tornado did touch down yesterday. While the damage could have been much worse if it would have touched down in the city instead of in a rural area, it still left behind a path of destruction...including one of our favorite fall destinations. Most of the buildings were destroyed at our beloved apple orchard. Here are some pictures. These were taken by a young man named Aaron Brackett, a trained storm chaser (a crazy guy if you ask me ) .




It's so hard to believe. I've been going there since before I can even remember. My first memory of going there was a field trip we took in kindergarten. I remember riding out into the orchard on the wagon. They gave us each an apple to eat. I had a loose tooth and I was afraid that eating the apple would make my tooth come out. I tried, but it was just too uncomfortable and I didn't want to finish it. I wanted to get rid of the apple but the teacher told me I had to finish it. Well, I showed her...I threw it off the wagon while she wasn't looking. Dad was along on the field trip as a chaperon, and if I remember correctly, he's the one who told me to toss it! It's weird the stuff we remember, isn't it?

Anyway, I'm heartbroken about this. I was on pins and needles last night watching the news, curious to know if Ollie was okay (their golden...the one with one eye). The family said that he showed up after the storm. Apparently he had been out wondering around the orchard. Both the family and Ollie were safe, and the apple trees were spared from destruction.

They said on the news that they are going to rebuild but it will be smaller and more modernized. I'm sure it will be nice, but it just won't have that same feeling as all the old barns. We'll definitely be there, though...waiting in line for some apple pie with ice cream and cider donuts!

Playing With A New Stamp Set

I ordered the set of clear acrylic stamps called "Rain or Shine" from My Favorite Things way before Christmas, but today is the first chance I've had to play with it. There are a few different sets I want from them, but for a while I couldn't get past the fact that most of the people in their stamp sets are missing their head. I really liked what I saw done with this set, though, and since the umbrella can be used to cover up the fact that the lady has no head, I couldn't resist. Now that I realize how fun they are to play with, I'll definitely be ordering the other ones I want!

For the layout for this card I used Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge. She's back after taking a break for a while, and I'm really glad because I really enjoy her sketches!

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Card Details:
Stamp: Rain or Shine (MFT), circles (Target $ Spot)
Ink: Palette Noir (TAC); Regal Rose, Bashful Blue, and Apricot Appeal (SU)
Paper: Regal Rose, Close to Cocoa, and Wisper White (SU); printed paper (misc. from scrap pile)
Accessories: Glaze pen (clear), black marker, pop dots, glitter

Friday's Feast

One of these day's I'll actually get ahead of the game and actually post this on Friday!

Appetizer
When was the last time you received a surprise in the mail, and what was it?

Christmas presents from both my siblings.

Soup
If you could have a summer and/or winter home, where would you want it to be?

In a cabin by a lake and overlooking the mountains...wherever that may be.

Salad
Pick one: pineapple, orange, banana, apple, cherry.

Orange. Unless it's a fresh pineapple, then I might have to change my answer. I remember one time when Uncle Pete brought us back a fresh pineapple from Hawaii. That was the best pineapple ever!

Main Course
Describe the nicest piece of clothing that you own.

I have no idea. I'm not into clothes whatsoever and would totally live in sweatshirts and jeans/sweatpants if I could. Designer labels mean absolutely nothing to me, as comfort is what its all about. If it's not comfortable, I could care less who makes it. Right now my favorite piece of clothing is my University of Illinois College of Medicine sweatshirt...it's roomy, warm, and extremely comfortable.

Dessert
If you could forget one whole day from your life, which day would you choose to wipe from your memory?

I had to think about this one all day, and I still don't have an answer. There are a few days that I would just soon forget about for various reasons. If I want to forget about them, I obviously also don't want to talk about them here.

Inspiration Challenge

Splitcoast Stampers posts a different challenge every day of the week, and Saturday is the Inspiration Challenge. On Saturday morning they post a picture of something, maybe a magazine ad or a piece of clothing, etc., and you're supposed to use that to find inspiration to make a card. There are no rules. Your inspiration can come from the colors, the layout, or the theme...or all three. I haven't had time to participate in any of the challenges lately...until today!

Here was today's inspiration piece (IC109). It's a photo from the Pottery Barn catalog. Yes, that fact that I love the Pottery Barn catalogs did have some bearing on my choice to participate in the challenge. I really want this table too! I don't know where I would put it...and I'm way to cheap to ever buy it...but I think it's cool.Here is my card.
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Card Details:
Stamp: Flower Collage (TAC)
Ink: Palette Noir (TAC); Mellow Moss, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Barely Banana, Bashful Blue (SU)
Paper: Mellow Moss (SU); watercolor paper; brown cardstock and printed paper (misc. from scrap pile)
Accessories: Glaze pen (clear), black marker, pop dots, wire, brad

Happy Birthday, Dad.

Today would have been dad's 76th birthday...January 3, 1932.

Happy Birthday, Dad.

If tears could build a stairway,
And memories were a lane,
I would walk right up to Heaven
To bring you home again.

Who said Christmas is Over?

I must have not gotten that memo because I'm still wanting to make Christmas cards. With working all that overtime, I didn't get a chance to stamp as much as I would have liked to over the holidays, so I just can't bring myself to put my Christmas stamps away! This card here is totally unconventional as far as the colors go, but it was completely inspired by the Christmas cookies that the kids decorate at my house every year. We usually decorate cookies twice a year, Easter and Christmas, and I know they really look forward to it. I don't like to use a ton of food coloring to color the frosting, so the colors are always pastel, which is great for Easter but a little strange for Christmas!

I ran out of time this year, so I didn't get to make any cookies (well, that and the fact that Paul's diabetes is acting up and I didn't want to have a bunch of dough and cookies around to tempt him), so I went to a new place in town called U-Bake where they have all the cookies made already and you just take them home and bake them. I bought 2 dozen holiday cutouts for $6.99. They didn't taste anywhere near as good as mine (if I do say so myself ), but they served their purpose and saved me a lot of time.

Happy New Year!