A Michaels Gift Card Haul & Senior Day

Hi legionnaires, just wanted to show a Michaels' haul I got yesterday. Do my fellow seniors know that Tuesday is Senior Day and that you're entitled to a 10% discount? In my state that covers the taxes. So my dear friend gave me a $10 gift card and I was able to maximize it by taking advantage of a huge clearance going on. The store's look was weird. So many shelves were empty and wooden stamps were 40% off, which I haven't seen for a while. Select Recollection sets were $4.99 & 5.99. I'd been eyeing this 'Bouncin' Baby Boy' clear stamp set and the Inkadinkadoo Footprints sentiment on wood for even longer. There's a Stampendous "Mr. & Mrs." that's kinda hard to make out here and two Studio "G" dollar Thank you stamps. I threw in the No. 10 envies which are a beautiful gold. Figure I'll make some sort of mini album. With the discount, I spent $16.20. And for once, I actually really wanted everything I bought. I have a nasty habit of going to Michaels and just buying to be buying. Not that that "I have it like that." It's just my addiction love of all things stamping getting in the way.

So Joan at Paperlicious here is asking us for our goals this coming year. She's put forth this word as an alternative to the ubiquitous resolution. And I much prefer it. So that lofty yet attainable goal is to not to buy if I don't see a genuine (and reasonably timely) need for it. Care to join me in this pursuit?

It's Snowing...sorta'

Good evening legionnaires. Hope your year is ending on a high note. I have just completed babysitting my 3 1/2 yr. old granddaughter since 12/24. Unless you've been there, you've no idea how much fun (uhhh, most of the time) this daunting task can be. Our days together began at 6:30 and ended 12 hours later. I will not bore you with the details, but I'm glad it's over. Suffice it to say, I got very little stamping done. I had to pack as much as I could into the evenings, but couldn't keep my usual late nights since I had to be up and ready for her.

Soooo, I made this card yesterday. I'm annoyed with myself for not sending out Christmas cards. Come on, how does a stamper not send out cards I ask, especially, when she has about 10 sitting on her desk. In an effort to reprieve myself, I'm sending out a few like these to cherished friends (some of whom haven't sent me a card...but alas, I can't throw stones). I made this with the Sizzix Bigz SU snowflake die which was a gift from my upline and friend and I used glittery blue paper from another dear friend. The embossing folder is from Sizzix and was brayered with Rangers Distress Ink in tea dye. Sizzix folders are giving Provo Cuttlebug folders a run for the money. The base is SU kraft. Gosh, I'm sure hoping that crumb cake is exactly like kraft. It took me years to get into the kraft and now I'm totally loving it. The finishing touches include SU twine, a button from my stash and the simple sentiment is from a long retired SU set. I went over the word with a Sakura blue glitter pen. IMO, these relatively cheap pens are better than Copic's 'atyouSpica's'. The colors are deeper and richer. They can be a bit tough to find nowadays. But Michaels usually has a few colors.

I've more to share in the following days, so stay tuned.
Hugs & Blessings,
Erica
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How the Year is Ending for Me

I don't have a card for you yet, and as I suspected, I didn't have time to take pics of the 30 or so 3D items I made. They were teabag holders which held chocolates and/or teas, and tealight boxes which held 4 'stamped' tealights. I also made several gift card holders.  All were done up in Christmas ds, ribbons and embellies. They were a big success with the recipients to be sure.

So I had a quiet holiday...cooked way too much food. I will not be doing that again. I think my small family was a bit overwhelmed by it all. We are such a stinkin' foodie rich culture. I keep saying I'm going to skip the cooking and go to serve at a shelter some holiday. I've simply got to just do it!

Well, we did manage to keep  presents to a minimum.  We tried to make it all about the little ones. As for me, I usually tell hubby what I want (since he's homebound) and then order on-line or go and get it. I wanted an ereader, so I got a Sony a bit before Christmas. I love it. Took me a while to get how to download books, but  now I have enough to read for the next 5 years, and by that time, I expect ereaders will be replaced by another technological wonder. I also got a Dr. Charles F. Stanley edited Life Principles Bible. I've been wanting one for a while. I really enjoy it and I'm resolving to read DAILY in 2011.  I also took advantage of stamp company clearances on-line, and purchased some Nestie sets, as well as some Clear Dollar Stamps. Speaking of...one of the lead designers posted personal sad news. Her blog is on my blog list.It's called My Paper Haven.  If you have a moment, go and show her some love. My heart goes out to this young wife and mother. And finally, I was given Ina Garten's latest cookbook. I enjoy her style of cooking and the book has beautiful food photos and is good reading if you like the Barefoot Contessa.
So legionnaires, I had a blessed Christmas and hope you did too. Tomorrow, I will posta card I made using a die from SU and a Sizzix folder. Would you believe, I didn't have time to send even one Christmas card this year. UGH....not happy with myself.
Hugs & Blessings,
Erica

I've been soooo busy...

Hi legionnaires. I have been up to my neck in gifts for dd's co-workers, my friends and grand's  teachers, and as usual, I didn't start early enough. But from the response of giftees so far, they are lovin' what I made. I will post pics and deets shortly. I'll give you a little hint now though.Candles and tea and candy. In the meantime, Office Max is offering a cute chance to "Elf Yoursef' in a You Tube vide and after watching Ashley Newell Cannon's on her blog
I decided to take the plunge and what fun...here's mine. Merry Christmas. Hope you'll play along.

Now don't go just yet. Obviously, no one liked my sticker card of last week, so I'm posting

this one  and I hope you will like it better.

The photo was taken with the card laying down. I'm not sure that was a good idea. It appears smaller than

what it is. I'm too pooped to write the deets and blogger is doing some strange things. I suppose it's tired too, so let me know if you'd like them. In the meantime, be well and I hope you're almost done with your holiday shopping.

Blessings, Erica (who is not!).

Rub-Ons? or Stickers?

Hey legionnaires, the weekend is almost upon us. I have two weeks to complete several Chrismas projects I started, and get a little baking done. And I'd like to see a movie or two and finish the book I've been reading and I have to help babysit when school breaks and I wanted to visit a friend I haven't seen in 4ever. OK, so it looks like I'll be busy, huh?

Here's a card I made using a sticker. I rarely make cards that don't have some stamping on them, but HL had lovely stickers on sale at 50% off, and I couldn't resist a few sets. I love the Victorian style, but not enough to invest in samps to any great degree, so stickers fit the bill. I have a friend who makes all of her cards with stickers. They are cute, but it's not for me. I do hope to someday get into digital images. The trend is burgeoning and I don't think it's going away. I have downloaded a few freebies, but I need practise re-sizing with appropriate programs.

So, I love my Nesies Label 10. I find it so versatile and it works vertically as well as horizontally. I don't think I've captured the colors well (the story of my life). The musical sheet is a BG stamp from Stampendous and I almost didn't get it...but at the exit door of Michaels, my intuition told me buyer's regret would haunt me, so I marched back and got it with the $$$ I had for a few groceries I planned on getting. This happens sometimes.... food money spent on stamps, that is. Ever encounter this annoying problem. I prettied up the rest of the card with a new CB folder, some ribbon and an MS snowflake punch accented with some bling and more bling at the bottom of the Nestie shape.

I have another sticker card to share tomorrow...more of a C&S look.

God Bless,
Erica

Heartfelt Creations

Hi legionnaires....Got big plans for the weekend? I'm stamping with close group of friends. We've been stamping together for more than 5 yrs., and call ourselves The Three Abuelas. We eat, stamp, eat, gossip, chat eat and stamp some more. What fun we have and what fast friends we've become. I just love them and feel blessed. Do you belong to a small group like this...where you may not see each more than once a month, but wish it could be more?

Sooo, here's my card. I was gonna enter a challenge for Heartfelt Creations stamps at Joan's Garden here, but found out all stamps used had to be theirs. My sentiment is one of my dollar stamps. I don't think the card will look as good w/o that word, and I have no single Heartfelt sentiments, so the card will be added to my stash to be mailed.

The poinsetta is Heartfelt Creations (an older set), stamped twice in gold and embossed with gold ep, then cut out and mounted. I added some tiny gold beads and smudged some glitter all over it. The red mat is embossed with a Sizzix snow folder, the blue cs base and smaller mat are from CTMH and the white cs is Papertrey's basic white. I used a Nestie to stamp the sentiment on and added a little bling. A quick & easy card for mailing, I'd say.

Have a blessed weekend.

This IS a Picnik and Santa is Black...

This is edited with Picnik. I'd use one of those copyright thingies if I could find it. When I opened Picasa to upload my photos and then do their basic editing, lo and behold, a new program appeared right inside the little photo editing box. I have never heard of this program, but I'm thnking they may have merged with Picasa. It is super easy to use and gives better results, though I don't know how to enlarge my photos, but I will learn as time allows.

So, T-Day is done for 2010. I've used all the ham my dd sent us home with...made split pea soup, ham salad and made ham omeletes for breakfast. This was my first time in all my years of cooking I got to relax and just watch others do all the fixins. It did take one or two gentle nudges to stop me from butting in when I'd say, "If I were you, I'd do it this way." However, my two cents was only asked for when it came gravy making time. Now on to a couple of potluck parties I will need to make something for.

Here we have the first of several Christmas cards I've been making. This is for the sketch on Mojo Monday. here. The Santa is new to me from Studio G, so it will be added to my dollar stamps collection. The sentiment is from JustRite. The paper is retired CTMH ds. Circle dies used are Nesties and the stars are from Quikutz (can be used in the Cuttlebug). I also used a Quikutz die called "Goosebumps" to give the stars some texture. and they're made from silvery paper from my stash and mounted a bit above the circles. I used the new to me Viva pearl pen for the tiny silver pearls around Santa's circle. The jury is still out on this product.  I plan to keep embellies to a minimum so that I will be able to mail most of my cards. I honestly don't have many friends who send cards, and if I don't get one, they (whomever "they" may be) don't get one. I kinda sit and wait for them to be first. I suppose that isn't very Christian of me, huh? BTW, Santa is black, colored with Copics, and as mentioned on previous posts, that's a job in itself.

And one day, I'll have to tell you about the search for a black Santa in 1974 for my kids to visit, not to mention black Barbies and black Cabbage Patch dolls.

Hugs & Blessings,
Erica