Lori's Addiction: Playing w/ adhesive!

i'm moving!!!

2011-09-28T17:38:00.001-07:00

And you know what that means... lots of packing, rearranging and unpacking again.

I'm moving my blog to the address below...

http://mylifeaslori.wordpress.com/

Stop by for a visit?! I think you're going to like what you see!!!

My view...

2011-04-09T07:27:00.001-07:00

I fully recognize that I'm the most fortunate girl in America. THIS is the view from my seat in the craft room...

A few moments before this picture was taken the rain and hail had ceased, the wind had blown the storm passed my house and a beautiful rainbow appeared in the east.

I stopped for a few moments to gawk at the hail on the ground, to watch the fluffy clouds slowly blow by and then I got back to manipulating paper into cards.

A good time was had by all...

CLASS: Recycled Wreath, handmade decor project

2011-01-21T15:30:00.000-08:00

Special announcement on an upcoming class...

Friday - February 4, 2011

Please join me to make this beautiful piece of art for your home, or office... or as a gift. (After you make it you're not going to want to give it away, though!) Look at this beauty...

CLASS DETAILS

When: Friday - February 4, 2011 @ 6:30 pm
Where: Rancho Bernardo Radisson, Montedura conference room
Address: 11520 West Bernardo Court, San Diego, CA 92127
Class cost: $20, includes all supplies/instruction to make project
What to bring: a thimble, if you have one

RSVP by Tuesday, February 1
Call me at 619-889-6268 or email tisdalestamps@yahoo.com

Decking the halls...

2010-11-30T03:54:00.000-08:00

The holidays are all about making hand-crafted decorations (and cookies, and gifts, and... and... and...)

So I started with a simple banner. It reads "Merry & Bright"...

These are individually cut triangles, strung up with a very thin silver string (through holes at each top corner of the triangle).

The "fringe" or "pleat" across the top is a 1/2" x 12" strip of thin scrapbook paper. I ran adhesive across the back of the strip and then roughly folded / glued it to the top of each triangle.

I ran the edge of the scrapbook paper along the edge of a stamp pad to give it some color and depth. And then used a friends letter cutting tool cut out the letters! The letters are then capped off with some silver glitter/glue to make it resemble a frosting of snow (sorta).

Are YOU making any decorations, gifts, etc this holiday season?

And yes, I think I'll be hanging some twinkle lights with this banner... but that will have to wait for the weekend...

"Thankful" pennant banner... just in time for Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T17:15:00.001-08:00

Using a few pieces of 12" x 12" scrapbook paper I cut some triangles... and then decorated them.

I sure enjoyed hanging out in the craft room this afternoon...

Altered Envelope Scrapbook...for Christmas or anything else

2010-11-21T19:19:00.000-08:00

Using Stampin' Up!'s Jolly Holiday Designer Series Paper and the Holly & Jolly Rub-Ons we can turn medium sized envelopes into sleeves for scrapped pictures. Glueing them together creates an accordion-like book that holds all sorts of memories.

Take a gander...

It's easy to embellish each layer and page with stamped images, rub-ons or other embellishments. Stampin' Up! creates all sorts of ideas that will work with this project simply perfectly!

The backbone of this scrapbook is two 6" x 12" strips... so cut one 12" x 12" page in half, yes... THAT easy! They are overlapped slightly in the middle panel.

Have fun! Enjoy!

let the holiday packages begin...

2010-11-16T17:22:00.000-08:00

In this package went the following items: sugar cookies, toffee, sweet and salty crunch.

One uber-lucky individual is going to receive this package in the next day or two... who will it be?! who will it be?!

As you can see I have repurposed a cute little tin ... and decorated it for a fun pre-Thanksgiving gift.

I had so much fun putting this together and sending it off! I can't wait to hear from the very special person who receives this in the mail...

All dressed up, with somewhere special to go...

2010-11-07T15:42:00.000-08:00

What are you looking at?

You're looking at a 6" x 6" x 3" tin that's been dressed up to be so much more than that! Since I'm going to be stacking a ton of cookies in the tin I need to make the "walls" much taller.

This is where we started... by lining the tin with parchment paper. I adhered (or is it "adhesed"?!) the paper to the bottom of the tin so it wouldn't move around too much.

Then I found the STRONG tacky tape. I'm going to use this tacky tape to adhere the scrapbook paper to the tin. Have you used this stuff before? It's STRONG! It's like double sided tape... the red is a protective layer that peels off to expose the other side of the strong tape.

Next I picked a few coordinating (and double-sided) scrapbook pages. These are a few pages from Stampin' Up's "Greenhouse Gala" Designer Series Paper. I wanted to use the yellow side for the "walls" and the darker/floral side as a coordinating border that wraps around the bottom of the tin.

I started by applying the tacky tape to all 4 corners of the tin... and then got ready to apply the designer paper.

A quick peel back of the red layer and it's all ready to go...

And once the designer paper is in place I give it another layer of tacky tape, but from the thinner roll. This will hold the next layer in place as the sheets overlap.

Apply all 4 sheets... and there you have it.

Then I moved on to the embellishment phase.

Turning the paper over, again I used the thinner role of the tacky tape, placing it in strategic places and making sure the sheets would overlap. These strips are 3" x 12". Then I used the scallop edge punch on one edge.

Next I used the dotted scallop ribbon border punch for another layer ...

What else can I put on here? The brown layer was just SCREAMING for a little birdy to join the party...

So I think it's time to load up the cookies...

And then we'll close up shop, with a few more layers of parchment paper on top...

Now isn't it all just the most adorable lil' dressed up package you ever did see?!

And Gramma's recipe for sugar cookies sure is D-A-N-G good!!! This package of cookies was delivered to a very good group of people... I hope they enjoy them!!!

What have YOU altered recently?

CLASS: Mini Scrapbooks/Recipe books

2010-10-31T08:10:00.000-07:00

Friday night November 12th - you want to be there!

We'll be doing a class on these rockin' scrapbooks/recipe books.

Location: Dawn Taylor's house, 2469 Starlight Glen, Escondido Ca
Time: 6:30 pm

Cost of class: $25
I will ask that you choose AHEAD OF TIME which theme you want to make: Christmas or Recipe book. (that way I can order the supplies and have them prepared for you!)

What you get: time with a "world-class" instructor, supplies to make your own book, and detailed instructions to duplicate this project again over and over (or with your own customers)

Deadline to sign-up: November 3, 2010 (and space is limited)

Email me at tisdalestamps@yahoo.com with your interest

Front view...

View opening the first panel...

View of the opened scrapbook/recipe book...

Can you figure out what the "index folders" are?

And now for some close up shots of some of the super cute details...

View of an inside panel...

Don't forget to let me know by the deadline, 11-3-10 (because I may have to order more supplies). Email me at tisdalestamps@yahoo.com

All we needed was another reason to have a party...

2010-10-29T18:53:00.001-07:00

But first off let me show you what the sunrise looked like this morning when I sat down at my desk!

Awesome!

Then I had to finalize a few details on our Trick or Treat event...

I made Red Velvet Cupcakes and brought in some decorations. Some of the decorations were homemade and some were store bought.

I made the headstones ... but bought the "Have a Fang-tastic Halloween" food picks.

As usual, we commandeered the closest conference room and made a mess of it.

I set out some wicked scary decorations...

... and I'm still buzzing from all the sugar over-load!

I made a few more of these, and figured I ought to share them as well: paper pop-up pumpkins

What are YOU doing this Halloween?

Life is good...

TEMPLATE: Accordion Apple Pattern

2010-10-24T16:17:00.000-07:00

So... I was browsing through a recent Better Homes and Gardens magazine... and I ran across an adorable template I just KNEW I had to put to use.

And now I want to give credit where credit is due... artist Jenny Lee Fowler is being represented in a recent craft article and we all get to use her artistry to bless our tables, our desks, our bathroom counter, window sills...

Thank you for this Jenny Lee Fowler: Accordion Apple Pattern
(Click on the link above to download the template for yourself!)

Here's what I did... I downloaded the template and then I found a few pieces of double-sided scrapbook paper that fit the occasion. And I started tracing...

Just a few different colors...

I found that I could trace this image up to 4 times on each 12" x 12" scrapbook page.

And here is the first one...

But I have about 19 more to go... so excuse me while I keep tracing/cutting...

These were used in conjunction with some other decorations for a ladies' retreat at our church. The topic was "Recipe for a Fruitful Life"... we displayed fruit and recipe cards in various ways.

How are YOU going to use this template?

Life is good...

My Craft room...

2010-10-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

Oh how joyful I am to have my own craft room... a room in the house dedicated to all of my inspired madness. I just wish I could spend MORE time there.

From where I sit right now I look towards the craft room, through the french doors... and into a space where I've painted the walls "avocado" green. The bottom half of the room is wall, while the top half of the room is ALL windows... our house is perched up on the side of a slight hill and my view is of the treetops throughout Old Escondido.

Our house was built in the 1930's sometime... and this addition of the house used to be an open patio. At some point, before we bought the place, the previous owners enclosed the patio (which stretches the length of the house) and made two rooms. One of the rooms is my guest room and the other is my craft room.

There have been many renditions of this room... here is the current version of my craft space.

I am a collector of ribbon... if you couldn't tell.

Below is my not-so-fancy storage for various types of adhesives and sprays: stampin' mist (stamp cleaner), glitter mist and water mister.

For my punches: a reclaimed silverware tray. I believe this used to be my Gramma Ruth's, or maybe my Great-Grandmother's. Not so sure anymore... but it's perfect for my punches of all shapes and sizes.

And then we have the library table... there is probably more of a story than this, but it used to be the island in my Gramma Helen's kitchen. She made many a pie, dozens of batches of cookies and many trays of chocolate/peanut clusters on this table. I promise to take good care of it, Gramma! (Every time I sit down at my library table I tihnk of you! Love you!)

To the left of the library table is a 4' banquet table... under that table is some good room for storage. I have my holiday stamps, Cuttlebug and other things stored in large containers. On top of the containers are baskets holding the rest of my stamp collection.

On top of the table - storage for embellishments of all colors/shapes/sizes, glitter, embossing powders/tools, inks/refills and various tools.

And when I'm done crafting... or if I just want to hang out... or maybe catch up with someone on the phone... or just enjoy the evening breeze... or ? Anything...

This is where I like to spend my free time on the weekends.

When in doubt... find me here. And if my car's out front but I'm not answering the door I'm typically napping or out in the backyard. Now, you know...

Life is good...

Two cards and a bookmark

2010-10-10T05:23:00.001-07:00

This is one of the oldest stamp sets I own. Still in love w/ the "HOPE" message and the encouraging words you can stamp inside a card... I hold on to this comforting set. And quite often I receive requests from a co-worker who wants me to make her some cards using this set as well.

Her favorite color is purple. Can you tell? Using Concord Crush, Perfect Plum and Whisper White it was easy enough to create a sympathy card with a little bit of flair.

The card opens like shutters... two panels on the front fold open to reveal the heart felt message inside.

And for some subtle flair... there's a beaded line of glitter on those wings to add some shine. And everytime I use this set I think I should use it more often.

Holiday card class ... Saturday Sept 25, 2010

2010-08-27T06:49:00.001-07:00

Join us for a card class in Escondido, Ca at Community Lutheran Church

Date: Saturday September 25, 2010
Time: 9 - 11 am
Cost: $15
Bring your own adhesive and bone folder

We will be making Thank You, Birthday, Happy Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas cards

RSVP deadline: Monday Sept 13 by calling 619-889-6268

SPACE IS LIMITED! Call me today...

a treat box for Halloween!

2010-08-21T20:39:00.001-07:00

Need a quick treat box for stashing some treats? This will come together so quickly ... you'll want to make more!

Using a strip of whisper white cardstock, I cut it into a 3" x 8" strip. I scored the strip at 2 1/2", 5" and 7 1/2". This should create 3 panels of equal size and one small panel measuring 1/2".

Stamp your image on the strip of card stock (you can either use a wheel image or a regular image). When using a stamp wheel I have found that by rolling it at a diagonal it helps to hide that I can never (I repeat, NEVER) wheel that thing in a straight line. So, I'll take all the help I can get...

See how nice that turns out?!

Fold at the score lines, apply adhesive to the 1/2" flap and make your triangle treat box.

Move on to the embellishment stage... and have fun.

One more tip... in the way of filling the box with the baggie of goodies:
Turn the treat box on it's end (so the opening is at the top), insert your empty treat baggie into the box and THEN fill your baggie with sweets and tie it closed. (First time I made this the bag was too full to insert into the box. Oops!) This size box will nicely fit 7-8 mini peanut butter cups.

And try not to eat ALL of the peanut butter cups...

Fall is in the air...

2010-08-20T23:16:00.000-07:00

OK - who am I kidding?! The hot summer weather just hit here in Southern California and I think it's going to stick around for a while. But, I'm sure ready for Fall to be here... and for the cooler evenings!

Check out this fun (fun = easy and quick) project. It's a paper pumpkin!

This is what I started with: Two brads, crop-a-dile, 12 1" x 6" strips of Designer Series Paper and some embellishments.

First step, stack up the DSP (coordinating/various colors or all one design) and punch a hole through each end. Put a brad through both holes.

Bend the paper and start lightly tugging on the top layer and bottom layer of paper - pulling them in opposite directions of each other. Pull the layers of paper to separate them from each other... and you will start to see the form make a ball shape.

Go slowly... it'll happen. I promise. It really IS that easy!

See?!

Now, go to your own personal creative space and make one of your own!

But first, what kind of embellishments are YOU going to use?! I used a leaf stamp, some paper curls, a button, a few round punches (using complementary colors) and some hemp twine.

As I said: fun, fun, fun!!!

Off I go to make some more in different colors to use as a centerpiece for the table... when Fall arrives I can welcome it in colorful style!

Thinking about Christmas...

2010-08-20T22:35:00.000-07:00

I know, I know... it's August. But I've been thinking about Christmas.

Take a gander...

See what's been rattling around in my head lately?!

It's beautiful, isn't it?! This came from my brain?!

I LIKE IT!!!

Are YOU well-behaved?!

2010-08-07T17:25:00.001-07:00

Quote of the day: "Well behaved women rarely make history!" - Laurel Ulrich Thatcher

I've loved this quote for a very long time... and now it's on a stamp! I'm in heaven! I ordered it immediately ... and have been looking at it on the corner of my stamp desk! I finally found time to use it!

This is a card doing double duty... it's also holding a bookmark for the unsuspecting recipient!

Let me tell you a secret... this was a tag from a shirt I bought at Target! Just slap some more card stock on the back, and voila! A beautiful bookmark!

You KNOW you want to make one too!

How strong are you?!

2010-08-07T17:18:00.000-07:00

A girlfriend of mine just got some bad news, in the way of her health. She's a cheerful person... and I already see her tackling this diagnosis with vigor! She is inspiring.

The message on this stamp set is perfect for her!

So I pulled together some cheerful-looking paper (to match her personality)... and made her a card. Between the textured and smooth paper, and the slight distressing I did on the white card stock... the grace and grit in this card matches her outlook on life!

Kellye - as I pray for your health, your future, your journey, and the legacy told in the survival of this diagnosis... I know you will show us what you are made of. I love you, Kellye!

Playing with watercolor...

2010-07-28T16:28:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I got to play with SU's new Presto Patterns Specialty Designer Series Paper! And WOW!!! Did I have fun!

Of the various techniques I use with my stamp craft watercoloring is my favorite. It's therapeutic. It doesn't require many tools. It's conducive to some artistic flair... what else?! The style it creates asks me to keep it simple... and simply is good! I like simple.

Oh yeah... and one more thing, it downright looks P-R-E-T-T-Y!!!

All of SU's DSP is 12" x 12". So I cut the corner designs to fit a square card... and started playing. I set out my watercolor tray and dripped a few drops of ink from the reinker bottles... and found the perfect brush...

When you brush the ink over the decorative patterns on this DSP it simply resists the ink. The patterns are similar to a white embossed image. You could use a brayer to roll ink on to the paper as well... and it would create the same effect.

(But again, why would I use my brayer when I can use my watercolor brush?!)

Here's a close up shot...

And I couldn't resist... I had to play with yet another color.

There are 6 different designs in this DSP packet. This is just one of them. I'll keep playing. Look for some more pictures soon!

What are these clear stamps all about?!

2010-07-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm late to the party. Everyone else has been playing with clear stamps for years. I've arrived! Finally... and it was worth the wait!

I pulled apart the first package.

Inside was a sticker sheet and a rubber sheet with the various cut-outs of stamp images.

Punched out the first stamp image and then found the matching sticker... and starting working towards assembling this new way of doing things.

Peel off all the extra paper layers... and lay the stamp image on the back of the rubber stamp... this will help the rubber cling to the clear block.

And here's another one...

And then keep on going...

The clear stamp image/sticker on the back of the rubber stamp also helps the stamp cling to the inside of the stamp case. It's good stuff... and smart!

The case itself is streamlined and another smart product... the stamp images are on the outside of the case.

More smart items: the name of the stamp set and the tiny little stamp images are also on the binding. This makes finding the stamp set easy once they are stored...

Have I said yet how I love "smart-products"??? Off I go to assemble my other new stamp sets!!!

And lastly, I'm happy that SU is offering the clear stamps now - for several reasons: they take up less space in my storage, they are cheaper than the wood-mount stamps and I can buy more of them!!!

I can't wait to play with these things!

A quick look at SU's clear mount stamps

2010-07-26T14:49:00.000-07:00

Looky, looky! I got some of the new SU's clear-mount stamps!!! And I can't wait to show you a little about them...

The shape of these boxes is similar to the size of a DVD case. It's quite ingenius, if you ask me.

What's even more ingenius is the placement of the tiny little images on the binding of the case! Sooo ingenius!

And the stamp titles as well... right there in plain sight! So when you store them they are easy to find when you NEED them!

A quick point... they even cost less!

Oh, yeah... and... they take up a lot less space!

Don't hesitate... order yours today!

A tip from Lori...

2010-07-25T09:38:00.000-07:00

When you purchase card stock also buy the Classic Ink Pad and the Classic Ink Refill. I promise you... you want the ink refill. Several years ago I realized how much more I loved the SU colors when the ink pads were saturated with ink from the refiller.

Below is a sample (however, in a different color) of a stamped image on a brand new Classic Ink Pad and the same ink pad that had been saturated with the refill.

This is why you want to buy the refill. See, I told you ... you should have listened to me! Next time is ok...

Color Coach, 2010-2011 colors

2010-07-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

Stampin' Up! has produced a fancy new Color Coach! Thankfully... I still can't wrap my head around all these colors. I need all the help I can get... on the back of each card are other colors that make good combos with this color. In fact, 3 different combos. This tool sure is nice and handy ...

And they sent along the additional cards for the new InColors as well. Now I'm set!

And at the back of the Color Coach they provided a place for you to add your own color combinations. Simply punch out a few color swatches and adhere them to the cards. Voila! Your own library of color combos!!!

Off I go to the stamp room...

Playing with Newsprint, the DSP

2010-07-18T09:52:00.000-07:00

One of the first purchases I made from the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog was the Newsprint DSP. I love this stuff... I could sit here and make card after card with it!

(Side note: As I sit here and type, my hubby is talking about how intrigued he is of the way I hit the DELETE key. Apparently I move my hand strangely as I slide the ring finger up to the delete key! This is hysterical! I have now had to hit the delete key several times just in typing this short paragraph! Have I said yet how hysterical this is?!)

Back to the post... I also happen to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the new Cherry Cobbler paper! That's my next purchase. All I had was one little piece and this project used it up!

This card uses both Basic Black and Cherry Cobbler card stock as well as the Newsprint DSP. I used StazOn black ink and Encore Silver ink to color the edges of the cardstock layers. Stamp set: Word Play (another first-thing-i-do purchase)

Then we move on to the 2nd card of the day... and yes, I really AM hooked on this Newsprint DSP!

This card uses both Basic Black and Bravo Burgundy card stock as well as the Newsprint DSP. I used StazOn black ink and Encore silver to distress the edges of the cardstock layers and leave behind the "dirty newspaper fingerprints". Pretty ingenius, huh?!

Can't wait to play with more of my "first-thing-i-do" purchases!

Entombing coasters...

2010-07-18T09:22:00.001-07:00

And yes, I'm using the word 'entombing' lightly. I just don't want these cardboard coasters to start falling apart as soon as someone uses them for the first time. I'd like them to stick around a little longer. Thus...

Let's use SU's Glassy Glaze Enamel ... it's retired. So let's use it up! (I guess we could use SU's clear embossing powder the same way... but let's use up the retired goods first.)

Here's our cocktail party coasters...

And here is a sample of one with a few coats of the Glassy Glaze Enamel embossing powder on them...

The steps to do this? Using your Veramark pad, turn the pad over and lay it flat on the coaster. Press down firmly and move the pad around the entire surface of the coaster. Get out your heat gun and pour the embossing powder over the entire coaster. It will stick to the Versamark ink left behind on the coaster. Hit it with the heat gun and watch the pieces slowly melt together to create a uniform glaze over the coaster.

You can make the glaze thicker by applying another layer of both Versamark ink and the embossing powder. Hit it with the heat gun again... and voila!

A coaster that won't start to come apart when it gets wet.

Taking these steps with the Versamark and the embossing powder will also deepen the colors of the surface. See how it pops?!

If you used the clear embossing powder you might want to do 3 or 4 layers to make it thicker... but that's up to you!

Have fun with your heat gun!

A shadow box for Grampa

2010-07-02T07:12:00.000-07:00

Today's craft project: making a shadowbox for my handsome Grampa.

We found some pictures from the 1940's and 1950's and they were just perfect for this project...

Oh the stories that come from his lifetime... wish I could sit and tell all of them. "Bottom line is" he lived quite the life and has quite the sense of humor!

It's your LAST CHANCE... see retiring items!

2010-06-05T17:43:00.001-07:00

It's THAT time of year again... the "get-outta-my-way-i-need-THAT-before-supplies-run-out" season at Stampin' Up!

Click on the links below to find out what's going away as of June 31st. Get it while you can...

Last Chance Stamp List

Last Chance Accessories List

Last Chance Definitely Decorative

And then click on "SHOP NOW" at the following website: http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/tisdalestamps/

Thank you for your business!

Some of the new colors for 2010...

2010-04-24T09:51:00.000-07:00

This week in the mail I received this card stock of Stampin' Up's new colors!!! What fun...

So how do they compare to the existing colors?

Let's look...

OK - go ahead and cringe at the next picture. My camera wasn't liking the color yellow today. What can you say?! (OK - you can tell me to get help from a professional. go ahead... you know you want to say it... )

Just trust me on this one... you WANT Daffodil Delight! It's irresistible!

Some of these "existing" colors are retiring, so check out the post below to see which ones you need to grab before they are gone. Once they are gone ... well, they're gone.

Some big news on the horizon!

2010-04-10T17:27:00.000-07:00

Stampin' Up! reminded us to stay flexible this week with this warning:

"If there's one thing that is constant in our world, it is change! In fact, change is one of Stampin' Up!'s eight core principles. The principle reads: We believe in exercising imagination and wisdom, in taking responsible risk, and in embracing change. We set challenging goals, always striving to 'better our best.' "

Good stuff... so what's changing?! The color collections are changing B-I-G T-I-M-E!!!

Click on the links below to see those you can wish farewell to (or snatch up before they are gone - officially retiring June 30, 2009).

SU’s 2010 Fond Farewell to some colors

SU's 2010 Color Renovation

Can I say now that I haven't officially held the new color in my hand - but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the new Marina Mist!

Lovely inspiration

2010-03-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

Just before Valentine's I received a B-E-A-utiful card in the mail from my blogger-friend Kay! check it out: Creativity Is Good

I love the amazing layers. She really got it right with this card...

And I've been admiring it (with a little jealousy brewing) for several weeks. Finally I got my bootay to the stamp room to make my own version.

My own version? Realy it's only different colors, different paper and different glitter. The layout is exactly the same. I had no creativity today. But I sure did copy her amazing creativity! And that's a good thing!

Thanks Kay... you've been an inspiration to me in so many ways...

Most recently in the card department...

6" x 6" indexed scrapbook

2010-02-09T20:17:00.000-08:00

A few years ago I received an interesting package in the mail at Christmas time. I believe I had been participating in a special project swap. And I received an indexed Christmas scrapbook... similar to this one.

And so I made it my own... by making a recipe index. Enjoy the pics...

Can you figure out what the "index folders" are?

Those are envelopes! With the flap flipped backwards and glued together to hold them together... I know, how ingenious!

And now for some close up shots of some of the super cute details...

Anyone else wanna play?! I think I might lead a class...

My first "shaker card"...

2010-01-30T17:16:00.000-08:00

I was brave enough to pick up a new tutorial and tackle it once and for all... in all actuality, I had a technique class to teach and wanted to play with something new!

So, here's the deal... the "box" (an oval-shaped box in this instance) on this card is enclosing some espresso grounds. And when you shake the card back and forth the goodies inside shake around too!

See?! Making the box is a bit of work - but such a fun product to play with once it's complete. You can even keep a "backup" card in your purse in case you need that afternoon jolt... ok, just kidding. But you know I had to go there...

Now, what else can I shake?!

some recent cards...

2010-01-27T06:40:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we had a stamp class... and we got to play with these new clear mount stamp sets!

Everyone was so excited to play with new products! And we had a full house! A huge thank you to Kellye for opening your beautiful home (again) to let us get together and play!

Don't you love that chunky glitter on the bottom of the Valentine's Day card?! I don't know how it got there... it just jumped right up on that card stock and said "I'm not leaving!" What are you going to do?!

i love my new clear-mount stamps from SU!!!

2010-01-19T19:57:00.000-08:00

They're beautifully slim... they're amazingly compact... they're just downright rad!

And I just got these in the mail... I have to admit... I never thought I'd convert to clear blocks for stamping.

And yet, here I am! I'm a convert...

Looking forward to showing them off at Saturday's workshop! Yippeeeeee.... yippee!

Two things...

2010-01-06T09:20:00.000-08:00

1. Thank you cards went out this week...
2. I've fallen in love with this bird...

Isn't that bird just adorable?! Thank you to SU for selling this new punch to me. My life would be incomplete without it.

And thank you to SU for showing me this card template in a recent magazine... as you can tell, I put it right to work!

Even better, now that the holidays are behind me there is more time to hit the craft room. And that's what I like... new Pazzles machine, oh birthday present (from October), I can't wait to get back to you! Thank you for waiting for me...

how I love receiving Christmas cards!!!

2010-01-05T20:30:00.001-08:00

Disclaimer: I cannot take credit for the artistic license used on these cards. I can however take credit for having some very creative friends who love to spend time making their Christmas cards (just like I do)... how lucky am I?!

So, I wanted to share the masterpieces that graced our mail box and our bookshelf this past holiday season. I love looking over all the work that went into these hand crafted gems. They all inspired me, to one extent or another...

This card inspired me to replace my broken Cuttlebug! HA! (I broke it several months ago by forcing something through those rollers that didn't have any business going through there. It's my own fault... and I'm embarrassed to admit it. But now it's out there for all the world to know... whatever!) How I love the embossing folder used here by my friend Kaye! Thank you for inspiring me...

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this card... thanks Joanie! I love the different fold and and the bright colors! (Every year I promise myself I'm going to find a "different fold" for this year's card... and it just doesn't happen... maybe some time in the future...)

Suzi - these colors are stunning! Where did you get that designed card stock from ?! Is that DSP from SU?! What is it called?! Please tell me it's still an active product... 'cuz I need me some of it! So beautiful!

Kellye - I know just how long you worked on these cards... I was so thrilled to get this in the mail, FINALLY! HA! Love it! Don't you just want to kiss that snowman?!

Thank you, Cheryl! I didn't know you were a stamper! I can't wait to get to know you more... see what else we have in common!

Kay - thanks for sharing your beautiful card with us! I loved these colors... and the sparkle of the glitter on that paper. Simply gorgeous... how blessed I am to call you a prayer sister!

And from my Stampin' Up! upline, Natalie Travis! I know you make way more cards than I do... and you put soooo much work into each one of your cards. You're a pro! You're my hero... do you start these in July?!

I love the layers and the colors... and Lee made special note of it one afternoon: "Wow - this is an amazing card! Who made that?!"

So much detail... and I love the letter you include every year. Your kids are growing so fast! Simply amazing...

And this one?! Oh my! So much time and work went into the layers of this card. Sherri - these colors just jumped out at me before I could even get it all the way out of the envelope!

I mean look at each layer... she distressed the edges, the has two colors on those trees (was that with the watercolor crayons?!) and she dry embossed that strip on the side... wow... so many layers, so much work, so much love went into these cards! I'm so grateful to have received this card in the mail...

Thank you to my creative friends... you inspire me with every envelope! I love your crafty genius! Keep 'em coming!

A gift, for you...

2010-01-01T06:59:00.000-08:00

The birds are chirping outside, the Rose Parade is getting ready to begin... and I'm watching an interview with Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger. I'm crying... and I'm wishing I was that gracious and eloquent. Maybe I'll work on that in this new year?!

In the meantime, I'll keep crafting and blogging...

I'm a tad more eloquent when I can take the time to write down my thoughts. So, inside these tags was a verse of exhortation for some ministry partners.

2 Timothy 1:7a "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God..."... this was the message inside the gift tag.

And inside the gift? A candle and candle holder... now you understand the reference to "flame"... right?

I'm so fortunate to serve along side a great group of ladies as we serve the women in our church... ladies, I learn from you every day! It's amazing to see this: we've all been given different gifts and have been brought together for "such a time as this"... thank you for your service... I am a blessed girl!

A box of memories and insights...

2010-01-01T06:31:00.000-08:00

A group of my friends agreed it was time to write down a few thoughts for one of our inspirational friends. We each wrote our own personal note to this friend and tucked it away in one of these drawers...

It was a simple gift ... but one that was meant to leave a lasting impression.

Then we got together for dinner. She thought it was to celebrate her birthday - actually, it was to say 'thank you' to her...

We love you, Holly! Your encouragement, prayers and leadership has changed our lives. We look forward to continuing to learn from you more and more each day...

Dress it up... it's easy!

2009-12-31T07:16:00.001-08:00

This was an idea I saw in a magazine last fall... so I broke out the adhesive and had fun with it...

Here's the necessary supplies... glass candle holder with a flat bottom (no little "feet" on the bottom), adhesive, scissors, felt, decorative cardstock of any kind, circular template and something to draw with...

Step #1... trace your template onto the back of the cardstock.

Step #2 - but since my template wasn't fit perfectly to size, I knew I had to cut just outside the traced line... so, start to cutting...

Step #3 - Use adhesive to attach the card stock to felt. I used glue.

Step #4 - Cut out your two layers of cardstock/felt. This is now ready to be attached to the underside of the candle holder! That's how easy this is...

See how pretty?! How easy?! What a great gift this makes... too bad I didn't finish any for Christmas presents! hmph...

Tip from Lori: next time I make this, I would try to use a thicker cardstock than just scrapbook paper. The glue made the paper warp a little... and while you can't really tell (because it's laying flat, and a candle will be on top of it... ) I would know. So, the next one I make will have a heftier cardstock. I'll post pic when done...

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2009-12-30T22:42:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year... we're pulling down the Christmas decorations and cleaning up the house. Some times we stop and re-read some of those Christmas cards.

Above is a picture of one of the cards that we sent out this year... I sure had fun making these while on vacation (in Oregon, in October). This year there were 3 different designs... and I handmade made about 140 cards. Wow... that's a lot of adhesive!

Welcome 2010! We've been waiting for you!

2009-11-29T07:33:00.000-08:00

Wow... I have so much to post! But most of it is related to Christmas presents. And I just can't ruin any surprises... so I might be quiet around here for a while.

And it's killing me...

Let the bells ring... Christmas is in the air!

Labels x3

2009-11-21T10:12:00.000-08:00

It's time to think about holiday baking... and what we want to eat... and holiday parties... and what we're going to serve for snacks and sweets... and so I pre-made some labels.

Really, I just posted these pics for my Mom's benefit ('cuz if she does then I'm going to send them to her for HER party and HER desserts).

So, what do ya say, Mom? Like them? Should I make more? Or would you prefer different colors? In total, how many # would you like?

This first one is meant to look a little like a Christmas package (made of a burgundy colored card stock).... there is bronze cord wrapped around the "package" with a nice label on top of the box and some cute flower embellishments.

This cute label uses razzleberry and mossy colors to match your house - you like?!

And the third one - I know you love this turquoise color and it is complimented well with a sage green in the background (although I think the flash made it look more gray). It's really pretty in person.

And when you click on the pictures above it will enlarge the picture for you. See the glitter I added to each one? Really, pretty detail... don't you think?!

Say the word - I'll drop them in the mail to you... just let me know the names of the desserts you are making and I'll get the labels done too!

Thinking about Christmas...

2009-11-01T07:36:00.001-08:00

We are currently on vacation... and we're doing exactly what we want to be doing. My dear husband is surfing the net (reading music blogs, posting on musicians forums and reading the news), my Grandparents are playing "chicken foot" and me? I'm stamping...

We're fortunate enough to go on vacation and do what we want to be doing...

I worked hard to get my supplies ordered and delivered just in time to pack it up for our road trip to the Pacific Northwest. But I didn't order enough ribbon... so I haven't been able to complete all of my cards... just working on pieces of it while I wait for more ribbon to arrive. (Sidenote - Why does it seem like I'm always ordering more ribbon?! Maybe I should change to name of my blog to "Addicted to Ribbon"... )

In the meantime I'll work on more of these beauties!

Happy stamping folks... I'll be back to playing with my Pazzles soon enough...

Seeing 3D...

2009-10-27T06:02:00.001-07:00

So, here it is...

My first 3D project with the new Pazzles machine! This box is only big enough to hold about a half bag of M&Ms... but that's about all it needs to hold, right?! I made this out of 12" x 12" sheet of scrapbook paper and looped through some of SU's satin ribbon, in tones of Chocolate Chip.

My box sits on the corner of my stamp table ... and doesn't have very many M&Ms left in it...

More lessons with the Pazzles...

2009-10-19T12:39:00.000-07:00

Today's lesson on the Pazzles involved using fonts that don't work too well together when you weld them. So, the last video lesson I watched showed how to make a foundation under the letters and then create a box around the word... I like this look!

So, you'll notice, when using this font, if I had put the letters together "r" and "d" (somewhere in this word)... that the letters would have joined to the point that they wouldn't be readable. So, leaving them separated, and just creating a foundation for them to sit still gives you the option to weld them all together so that you are glueing each letter to your scrapbook page separately.

What joy this machine has brought into my life! WEEEEeeee!!!!!

Our deepest sympathy...

2009-10-16T14:12:00.000-07:00

Some very meaningful people in our lives have recently passed away. And I found myself in need of a couple new sympathy cards. I have to admit, I really don't like making sympathy cards. I found some muted colors that were also comforting.

And I got busy with my colors and card stock and came up with this.

Les - your days were cut short in a tragic way. We hope having people around in your final days were comforting in some way. In the way you needed...

Joanne - you made a huge difference in every life you touched. We loved you tremendously! And we miss you already

More lessons with the Pazzles...

2009-10-15T12:12:00.000-07:00

I'm doing some more work with welding letters together... and playing with different fonts and sizes and cutting intricacies...

And at the same time I'm getting ready to work on my high school scrapbook! So, my alma mater (San Marcos High School) got to touch my Pazzles! But, be careful... that's my new toy.

So, this font I used (don't remember it's name at this point) made block style letters. And I joined the letters together and tilted them a little to the left ... and a little to the right... and then welded them together. What a great toy... I love this thing!

Off I go to keep playing... ta ta for now!

More lessons learned - via the Pazzles

2009-10-13T05:47:00.000-07:00

So, today we'll look at what I call "intricacy problems"... ha!

What are we looking at? We are looking at various die cuts, in relation to a Tombow Adhesive. I included the adhesive roller in these pictures so you can understand the proportionate scale of the die cut.

Here we are looking at a leaf, a swirly-swirl and a cute lil' flower blossom. These three die cuts turned out great (except for the smallest li' holes in the middle of the flower). And the second image down is a paper clip of sorts... cute, eh?! Nice cute, too.

And here - what are we looking at? A die cut that had a problem... here is where I started seeing "intricacy problems"... see the bottom half of that flower? The final cut of the petal did not complete. I'm thinking this happened because the cutting mat had started to lose it's tackyness... or stickyness. Since the paper quit sticking to the mat, it lifted and just moved around along w/ the blade for that last little swoop of the cut. Hmph! OK... keep testing...

And here... even deeper "intricacy problems". All those individual cuts ... and some broken swirls. See the swirls across the top? The right side of those swirls are mostly un finished/broken.

So, what did I learn today? Do these intricate cuts on a larger scale and/or a tackier mat.

Off I go to shop for more mats... I have heard that it is normal for these mats to lose their tackyness rather quickly. But, this next part is key...

Most Valuable Lesson learned this week... I made a big mistake on my first run through the machine. I pushed the cardstock onto the cutting mat rather hard... and after my cut, when I pulled the cardstock back off the cutting mat... well, a lot of cardstock stayed behind. And when I worked to get it off, the adhesive started to come off the cutting mat as well.

Note to self #1: press the cardstock against the cutting mat. But DO NOT, and I mean DO NOT, press it too hard.
Note to self #2: maybe i should buy some more cutting mats.

Off to the lab to keep testing and playing and learning...

Instant Gratification - via my Pazzles

2009-10-12T05:27:00.000-07:00

Since I put this shadow box together (from our wedding, in 2003)... I've been wanting to put something in there representing the year we got married.

So, here you have it... may I present to you(completed) project #1!!! All the rest of the elements have been in this box since early 2004... I just needed to repair some "falling" items and put the year in there.

So, let me tell you a little bit about us. If you couldn't tell, we went to Italy on our honeymoon. And the white pieces of paper in the middle of the box... that's our personalized vows ... The background (gold foil) print is wrapping paper... off of a present from my parents. The keys? Well, there is a story about the large key in the middle (the others were acquired from various antique shops in Oregon)... at some point in my single life I bought the "key to my heart"... and held on to it. As I say, I was single at the time I purchased it. And I purchased it with the hope that someday I would find the man of my dreams. (You see - this would be my second marriage. The first wasn't very dreamy... so, I was still holding out hope.) I held onto that key... I kept it in my jewelry box and looked at it daily. It was symbolic to me in so many ways...

So, when Lee proposed to me I gave him the key to my heart...

And now it hangs on our wall... but He holds me in his heart. I love you honey!

Some more tests on the Pazzles machine...

2009-10-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

So, it's day #3 of playing with my new Pazzles Creative Cutter... and so far here is what I've learned...

- How to create a title
- How to reset the machine
- How to join (aka "weld") letters together
- That I messed up my cutting mat in the first try through
- What different blade/pressure settings to use for SU card stock and thinner scrapbook pages
- How NOT to mess up my cutting mat the next time
- The approximate amount of intricacy on cut design (this differs depending on how stick your cutting mat is - if it's not sticky enough, more intricate designs don't work so well - watch for some pictures in future blogs)
- How to vectorize imported clip art
- What "vectorize" means...
- And that my memory isn't what it used to be... hmph! (After watching the tutorials - I have to go watch it again before I can successfully take the steps it just explained! hmph!)

So, let's start with the first few lessons... I've been watching tutorials on Pazzles.com and with the software that comes with the machine... and it's been ever so helpful! Both places for tutorials are very specific and detailed... and while I'm following it, sometimes I don't know what I'm accomplishing. Some of the instructions say "click on B"... so I do. But I don't know "WHY" I clicked on "B"... and I'm a "why" person... so, I'll keep playing and maybe eventually I'll figure it out. In the meantime... I need to get my hands on it. Play and learn... play and learn... you don't learn unless you put yourself out there.

I sat down in front of the computer, started up the software, picked my font, found some cardstock and measured it. Then I opened a new document and entered my information: size of paper. A blank screen opened in front of me... and I typed a word. I manipulated my text graphic (changing font, size of graphic, welded the letters together, etc) and clicked on "cut project". Voila...

And this font is really nice... although the "K" is in two pieces (I'm not sure yet if I could've welded that to the other part of the "K" - but you know it's on my "to learn" list). This doesn't really cause a problem... because problem easily fixed. And I can use the negative image as well.... right? Looks great!

Next, I want to play with another font style. So, I pick another color of paper, measure it, create a new document... and start the process over again.

And then I wanted to make something for my desk...

And I moved back to the stamp table... I want to give it some gloss. So, I pulled out the Versamark pad and the clear embossing powder. I hit the whole word with the Versamark pad and got it all sticky. And then dredged it through the embossing powder and hit it with the heat gun. See the gloss? I will now mount this to something near my work station...

And for today... that's enough. I learned, I cut, I conquered... stay tuned for more from my new Pazzles studio...

The Story of my new Pazzles...

2009-10-11T07:33:00.001-07:00

Several months ago I started to save up my hard-earned pennies to buy myself a Cricut... my creative brain was longing for something new to play with. And I had the opportunity to try one out at a creative getaway I went to around the same time.

At the end of the 2 days I was convinced... the Cricut was definitely what I wanted! (Thanks Mila - for letting me touch and use and drool all over your Cricut! My childhood scrapbook looks so much better for it!!!) And I came home and told my hubby about it... and he started researching... here is a sample of one of the words I did...

In my childhood scrapbook I was able to leave behind one word memory triggers on each layout ... and it added such a great touch to my scrapbook!

Fast forward... a few weeks later I brought it up in conversation again (still saving my pennies)... and he said "Oh - I forgot to tell you... I found something else you should look up. It's by Pazzles... it's called an 'Inspiration Creative Cutter'." He went on to explain it can also cut out text and shapes and images, etc... but you hook it up to your computer and you can manipulate the images a bit more. It can also dry emboss, pierce, weld words together... really, since you're doing the manipulation of the image, you are only limited to your imagination.

So, I kept saving up for it... and then went for it. Retail price is $600. But being so cheap... I only paid $479 for it and found a coupon for FREE SHIPPING! (Thanks to Deb! Thanks for talking me into it!) HA! Power to the coupon collectors! Plus, I had a $50 coupon for Joanns from a friend... and so, I went shopping for my birthday! (Bad habit, I know - but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE buying my own birthday present! How about you?!)

So, here is one of my first creations from my new Creative Cutter...

It's a rather small cut project, but it's welded! And that's more than I could do with the Cricut I took for a test drive. So, I feel like I'm already up one... and moving closer to what I envision my creations to look like. But this is just a taste of it... there is much more to come. So, stay tuned... I've got some good stuff on the horizon!

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

2009-10-06T19:04:00.000-07:00

So, look what I bought myself for my birthday!!!!!

My new Pazzles Inspiration Cutter is expected to arrive on Friday! Can you guess what I'll be doing this weekend?! I'm already giddy... already watching tutorials... already dreaming about designs and ideas and projects... I can't wait to put my Stampin' Up! card stock and Designer Series Paper in here and P-L-A-Y!!!

Stay tuned... more to come soon.... very soon!

Birthday "Thank Yous"

2009-10-05T12:02:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to hang out w/ a bunch of "the girls" on my birthday... and wanted to get some cards out in the mail to say "I had a blast - thanks for making my birthday so special..."... it was an easy card. And they were fun to make...

I just love this satin ribbon from Stampin' Up! Availabe only in the online Clearance Rack. Check it out now... once they run out, they are out!

Gals, and you know who you are, all of the laughter really topped off my birthday! Thanks a million... love you!

Happy Birthday Lee!

2009-10-03T21:24:00.000-07:00

Our wedding anniversary, Lee's birthday and my birthday fall during the same week. So, I've been cranking out some cards... and I'm just starting to get the itch to work on cards a lot more. (You see, during the summer I close up the stamp/patio room because of the amount of heat in that corner of our house... phew! So, the only stamping I usually get done is on Saturday or Sunday mornings ... but I digress...)

So, I got some stamping in last weekend when I went over to a friend's house... here is Lee's birthday card.

I just love SU's Rich Razzleberry... does it still look masculine? I'm hoping so...

Either way... we had steak and potatoes for dinner, cookies and ice cream for dessert and plenty of our favorite t.v. shows on hand. We love getting older around here... it's just so much fun...

Happy Anniversary to us...

2009-09-30T21:04:00.000-07:00

Six years... it's flown by and it's taught us a lot... about life, each other, ourselves, love, relationships, trust, patience and friendship. How do you commemorate once a year, when you should really be doing it every day...

Well... we've learned to honor each other at the end of the day... to meet up in the kitchen at the end of every day for a hug and a kiss and a "how are you today?"... and at least a moment of "just us"...

But every now and then I truly need to stop and thank God for the gift of intimacy He's given me in the love of my life... could it be a glimpse of the love He has for me? or is His love deeper? better? different?

Until we know... we will honor each other daily, celebrate annually, and thank Him for the love He has given us in each other. And I get to enjoy beautiful bouquets of flowers like this one... lucky me!

Today's stamp-a-stack cards...

2009-09-20T21:37:00.001-07:00

Today I had my first holiday stamp-a-stack... for THIS year at least. And we had a blast. I set up 3 work stations and made room for everyone ... next, I explained to them that they were on their own with the pieces in front of them. And we made these cards...

Pretty, huh?! Can I just say I'm tired of the summer heat (it's supposed to be over 100 degrees a few days this week.... ME: not happy!)... and I'm ready to welcome in the Fall. So, I was itching to get working on this card today... and it came just in time ... because the first bag of candy corn made it's way to my house this week too! Weeee.....

Next step? I set the daring card makers down in front of these pieces of holiday card stock and gave them two different stamps. I wanted to see the different ideas they would come up with on their own. Some people even gave up on using the scallop square punch altogether and instead used scissors to cut out the scalloped square... now isn't that silly?! What was funnier was her daughter-in-law sitting next to her who watched her cut the whole thing out by hand instead of telling her there was a punch that would do that for her!!! (Yes - really!)

And lastly... we worked on this beauty! And because of it I sold quite a few punches today! Woo hoo!!!

Have YOU started working on your holiday cards yet?!

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a lil' birdy told me...

2009-09-07T05:04:00.000-07:00

That it was time to play with SU's new Soft Suede... and so I did!

I just love the "Wings of Friendship" set... and the adorable bird was chirping at me. So, I decided to hang out with said bird and stroll through olive colored hills, suede covered branches and curly Curry-colored flowers.

Like my play on words?!

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Crocheted embellishments...

2009-08-25T15:06:00.000-07:00

A huge shout out to my friend Kaye!!!

Girl! You rock my world! In the mail last week I received a little bundle of happiness... in the form of a ziploc bag in the mail. Inside this cute little bag was some fun embellishments... the bright jewels of joy below were hand-made by Kaye's mom. These crocheted flowers measure about 3/4" to 1"... perfect little size!

So I grabbed a pink one and found some card stock and made a card with my niece Hillary in mind. Her birthday was coming up... and I needed to get a card in the mail.

Hilly - Auntie Lori loves you! We haven't kept in touch as much I'd want... but you have to know that the love I have for you is very deep! You and your mom mean so much to me! Your mom is a very wise woman... who taught me a lot about life and love. You are so blessed to have her to call Mom...

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Playing with vellum AND Scripture card #8 (summer Faith project)

2009-08-23T07:32:00.000-07:00

I had a color inspiration... used in these cards. And while I was at it I wanted to play with vellum. So, take a gander...

I took the same idea and just switched it up a little ... with the message.

And then I moved into my next scripture / faith project... and wanted you to get a close up shot of the layer behing the vellum. It's hard to see it in the first picture... but there is a row of daisies on the amethyst colored paper behind the vellum. And I also used the "Swiss Dots" embossing folder on the amethyst paper as well. Nice, soft effect, huh? I need to do this more often...

Have fun being creative...

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12" x 12" scrap-card

2009-08-22T14:41:00.001-07:00

Now - this idea just about made me fall off my chair. My friend Joanie showed me a card she made recently. So, what did I do?! I came home and replicated a copy of it!

The base of the card is made from 1 sheet of card stock, measured at 12" x 12". It's then scored at 3 3/4" from each edge of the card stock. And again at 4" from each edge. So, there are 2 score lines right next to each other... 2 horizontally and 2 vertical. You want the two different measurements so that you can fit embellishments and layers inside of it... see for yourself...

Fun card for my hubby...

2009-08-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

So, time w/ my Hubby is much cherished... mostly because his days off are in the middle of the week (when I'm typically working). And his schedule during the week is such that we doesn't have set "hours"... he comes home once he's solved all of the day's problems.

To solve MY problem... I took yesterday off (YES! right in the middle of the week! GASP!) with the sole purpose of hanging out with my husband. We decided to go check out a cooking store. Yes, this is how the Tisdale's have fun... we shop for pots/pans, utensils, measuring spoons, etc! You got it... even a utensil holder!

So, to start off the day I gave him this card... what a fun day with my husband of nearly 6 years! We went out for our favorite breakfast burritos... then shopped our tails off! Seriously! We were in one cooking store for 4 hours, and then moved along to two more stores to continue the insanity! Then we came home and tried out a new recipe...

And the new recipe? Creamy rice casserole ... Zarela's specialty! Part of that recipe involved roasted poblano peppers... so I grabbed the camera... and wow, it IS melt-in-your-mouth yummy!

Scripture card #7 ... summer Faith project

2009-08-09T06:07:00.000-07:00

And for this week's unveiling of the spiritual inspiration for the week...

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FINAL Deal of the week - from SU

2009-07-27T16:09:00.000-07:00

Well, my friends, sales from SU don't come around often. So take advantage of it! This is the last "deal of the week" special... get it while you can!

Heart to Heart punch, regular price $15.95
SALE PRICE $10.99
Item #113694
(offer good 7/27 - 8/2, order online today! Click "SHOP NOW")

LORI'S FREE CATALOG DEAL
FREE **NEW** Idea Book & catalog when you book a workshop or spend $40 on SU merchandise!

Scripture card #6 ... summer Faith project

2009-07-26T05:46:00.000-07:00

This has been a very personal message for me lately. And an inspiration on many levels...

Deal of the week - 7/20 thru 7/27

2009-07-20T19:37:00.001-07:00

SU's CURRENT DEAL OF THE WEEK

Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware, regular price $29.95
SALE PRICE $18.99
Item #112454
(offer good 7/20 - 7/27, order online today! Click "SHOP NOW")

LORI'S FREE CATALOG DEAL
FREE **NEW** Idea Book & catalog when you book a workshop or spend $40 on SU merchandise!

A view of my work space...

2009-07-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a random shot of my workspace ... I was taking a pic of a recent creation, and accidentally hit the shutter button while I was messin' with the settings. Oops! And then I looked at the pic - oh cute! So, there's my ink pad tower, my ribbon organizer, my camera lens and my messy table top.

What does YOUR workspace look like?!

So, while I'm here let's address how I take the pics for my blog. I use my Ott-Lite to give me proper lighting and then create a background (in this case I taped up a piece of white paper). I bought a few of those cute little easel at Mike's - and here am using a clear one for the 4" x 6" recipe card. Then I zoom in... and voila!

My name is Lori and I'm an addict...

2009-07-18T15:57:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm addicted to ribbon. I don't know how many spools of ribbon I have... but when Stampin' Up! came out w/ this sampler of ribbons (to use as a sales tool) I just about flipped. Now I can get my hands on all of the ribbon...

BEAUTIFUL, HUH?!

Simply beautiful... wow... pardon me... I need a moment.

Scripture card #5 ... summer Faith project

2009-07-12T14:36:00.000-07:00

Here's another scripture card... it's 4" x 6". I found a great recipe card box to keep these in. I'll show them off later on down the road...

Workshop cards....using the new "goods"...

2009-07-11T07:59:00.000-07:00

So, I just put the quiche in the oven and now I'm waiting for my friends to show up! Yup... you got it! It's that time of year! Once a year I throw a "pj party"... I make lemon bars, some yummy quiche and fruit salad. We get together and eat good food, drool over the new catalog and mark up all the pages with post-it notes. Oh yeah, and we make a few things... here's what we're doing today...

I just got my hands on this beautiful designer paper. Isn't it pretty?! I love the bright yellow (aka "Crushed Curry") and the deep magenta (aka "Rich Razzleberry")... they are just beautiful! aren't they?!

I love these cute little trees. Don't you?!

And here's a fun technique... you'll need the following items: stamp, versamark pad, card stock and chalks. First step - ink up the stamp image with Versamark and stamp the cardstock. Second - gently and slowly dab your designated chalk color onto the wet Versamark ink. Don't smear it on... just dab it on. You can use as little or as much chalk as you want - when you add more it adds to the color intensity. Fun, eh? Then some people recommend spraying the card stock with a clear coat paint... it'll keep the chalk in place.

If you couldn't join us this time... you can next time!

NEW Vinyl rub-ons!!!

2009-07-10T06:37:00.000-07:00

Like we needed a reminder to eat when we walked in the kitchen?! I'm in love with this new vinyl rub-on in SU's newest Idea Book & Catalog. And I'm going to have to find a way to get this into my house without Dear Hubby finding out. Do you think he'd notice if I rearranged all the art in the kitchen and stuck a big word and eating utensils on the wall?! I don't think he'll notice... I'll let you know how it goes.

I - WILL - HAVE - THIS - IN - MY - KITCHEN!!!

I've got great friends...

2009-07-08T15:35:00.000-07:00

If you know me well you know that I surround myself with friends... sometimes it's one friend, sometimes 15... either way, friends are highly important to me. So I often find myself making cards to thand my friends for being my friend! HA!

Here I used some of my favorite colors, stamp wheel and ribbon. I made an easy, no-frills card as I was racing the clock to get the card in the mail box before the post run for the day.

I'm grateful for my friends and all of our good memories! Love you guys!

Scripture card #4 ... summer Faith project

2009-07-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

Some time ago I had a long discussion with a friend about WHERE God lives. We argued over this verse... and I still stand by the fact that God lives in my heart.

TOOL: In-Color combo chart for 2009-2010 In Colors

2009-07-02T05:49:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year... it's almost like Christmas! The SU Home Office posts up all sorts of new tools for us to share with our valued supporters. Here is one of my favs...

As you know, SU comes out with a new line of colors... kind of "this seasons" favs... they run for the length of the catalog and then we wait for a new set of colors. What fun to play with ...

New colors this year...

The link below will provide you with lots of ideas for color combinations between the In-Colors and the regular color families: Soft Subtles, Earth Elements, Rich Regals and Bold Brights. Have fun making up come of your own, as well!

Link: In-Color combo chart

(this link is also posted to the left for future reference)

Deal of the week - 7/1 thru 7/5

2009-07-01T18:45:00.000-07:00

Well, the excitement is upon us! Our new Idea book & Catalog is here... our new Definitely Decorative catalog is here (our vinyl rub-on products formerly known as "Decor Elements")... and the specials are starting to roll in! Can you feel the excitement?!

SU's CURRENT DEAL OF THE WEEK
Scallop Edge punch $10.99 (this is over 30% off original price)
Item #112091
(offer good 7/1 - 7/5, order online today! Click "SHOP NOW")

LORI'S FREE CATALOG DEAL
FREE **NEW** Idea Book & catalog when you book a workshop or spend $40 on SU merchandise!

See my website for new classes and project ideas!

Taking pics for my blog...

2009-07-01T18:25:00.000-07:00

Some of you have asked how I take the lovely pics of my cards / creations for this blog. It's what my Daddy would call a "jerry-rigged studio". I have a standing Ott-Lite on my stamp table... I tape up a clean & crisp white sheet of paper... set out the small easel ... set-up my display... and shoot away!

Fancy, eh?!

Scripture card #3 ... summer Faith project

2009-06-28T18:22:00.000-07:00

Another card from my summer faith project...

Catalog sneak peek #4

2009-06-26T07:09:00.000-07:00

I bring you today another sneak peek from SU's '09 - '10 Idea Book & Catalog. This is a sample of a card on one of the opening pages of the catty.

And I've already decided - this will be the second new stamp set I get my hands on! It's a background stamp called "Medallion"... and I've got all sorts of plans for this beautiful image! Isn't it gorgeous?!

Why, YES! It is!

The image is colored with different colors of chalk... I believe the Versamark ink was used to stamp the image on the paper... and then they dragged different color chalks over the ink to hold on to the chalks... so subtle!

Wow, have I said yet how much I love this stamp image?!

New in town ... the "Circle Circus"...

2009-06-25T07:02:00.000-07:00

I'm telling you... I love the new items from Stampin' Up's! '09 - '10 Idea Book & Catalog. This is the first stamp set I got my hands on (through a pre-order offer for demonstratos)... and I think it might be one of my favs from this catty. (Well, we'll just see about that now, won't we?!)

Anyway... I went out w/ the girls this past Friday night and we laughed for 3 hours straight! It was great... I woke up the next morning inspired to say "thanks" to my girlfriends for being so much fun.

Now looking at this card I'm thinking of a second style I want to try out... off to the stamp room once I finish this post...

Details, details...
Stamp sets: Cirlce Circus and Smarty Pants
Colors: Elegant Eggplant, Soft Suede (NEW color), So Saffron and More Mustard
Other: stampin' dimensionals and circle punches

'09 - '10 Designers Series Paper from SU!

2009-06-23T08:57:00.000-07:00

And here we are again with another sneak peek of the '09 - '10 Idea Book & Catalog. This is a shot of just 1 of the 8 pages of DSP / Simply Scrappin' items.

And just look at those beautifully layered lowers... yes, that is a project done on SU's Big Shot.

Items available July 1.... can you stand the anticipation?!

Scripture card #2 ... summer Faith project

2009-06-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

This verse was a great reminder this week... that He knows our ever NEED and He will not forget about us. I rest in the peace that He is taking care of His little sparrows.

'09 - '10 SU In Colors...

2009-06-20T08:53:00.000-07:00

Oh - be still my beating heart... how do I love the hue of your colors?! So much so that I'm channeling Shakespearean-like odes to you. Wow... I need to "walk away from the computer"...

In the meantime, here's some beautiful new colors to look at! These will be available from Stampin' Up! as of July 1! Contact me asap to get your hands on these beauties!

New SU goods... lucky me!

2009-06-19T22:45:00.000-07:00

This past week I got my hands on some of the new SU goods... there are two new colors here. Do you see them?! That's Crushed Curry ... the polkadot grosgrain ribbon, that is. And the blue color? That's Bermuda Bay...

I love these bright colors..

And one lucky person received this card in the mail this week.... you know who you are!

A piece of my Niece's vacation...

2009-06-17T04:42:00.000-07:00

We recently had a bit of a family reunion... and I had planned on making a cute little scrapbook for my niece as a memory book of our vacation together. While on vacation I got to stop into a crafting store here in town, Stampfully Yours, downtown Escondido. That's where I found this cute scallop edge chipboard album. I snatched it off the shelf and it all started to come together.

The book is bound together by 3 rings on the left side... there are about 8 sheets of chipboard (maybe more)... and it was such an easy little project. I just finished it this weekend... and wanted to leave some pictures here so you can drool on your keyboard. ;-) You're more than welcome.

Cute, eh?! My niece is adorable too!!! te he he..

I used all different kinds/styles of scrapbok paper, ribbon, brads, eyelets and my SU scallop edge punch...

This was such a fun project, I went back and bought another chipboard album at the craft store yesteday... and it was the last one on their shelf. Oh no! Why do I fall in love with things that have been discontinued?!

Enjoy... take inspiration... drool all you want!

what does this look like?!

2009-06-15T04:36:00.000-07:00

Another sneak peek from the new Spring/Summer 2009 - 2010 Idea Book & Catalog. Some more die cut note cards, maybe?! OMG! I can't wait for everyone to see all the new goods...

I simply couldn't help myself...

2009-06-14T07:44:00.001-07:00

I'm a Catalog Tramp... that's what we call us stamp lovers who pour over the new Idea Book & Catalog endlessly and can't help but spill-the-beans to our friends ... really, as a demonstrator, I should keep my big mouth shut, build up excitement about new colors / products, then throw a big open house and serve lots of goodies to entice people to come spend their hard-earned dollars on this stuff. But NO!!! I don't have much self-control when it comes to this time of yeart.

I've been carrying this 209-page book around with me everywhere... stopping people in the office .... marking it up with my post-it tags... reading it while in church (ok, haven't actually done that yet ... ) ... looking through it for new stamp sets ... going through it for fun color combinations... going through it again, but for fun techniques ... going through it again for new accessories... I have a problem.

Anyway... here are some sneak peeks...

What's the first item you are going to buy?! As soon as I can, I'm ordering the background stamp "Medallion"... oh, pardon me, I'm drooling again. I need to find a tissue.

Stay tuned... there might just be more goodies peeking in to say "OH HI!" over the next few days. Oh, I don't know... maybe tomorrow?!

more watercoloring with Fun & Fast Notes...

2009-06-11T06:22:00.000-07:00

If you've been watching the blog you'll notice I've been using this stamp set a lot lately. It's on loan from my friend Lisa. In order to get it back to her soon I stamped up quite a few pieces of watercolor paper and "got to town" this past weekend. As I sat by the window in my patio I watched the clouds roll by and fell in love with "Soft Sky"... so I had to use it as my focus.

These are just a few of the cards I created over the past weekend... bright n' cheery, eh?!

Details, details...
Stamp set: Fun & Fast Notes and Priceless
Colors: Whisper White, Soft Sky, Tempting Turquoise, Rose Red, Pink Pirouette and Old Olive
Other: White grosgrain ribbon, double rectangle punch, eyelet border punch, designer scrapbook paper, small Niji waterbrush, Peony Nestabilities and Cuttlebug.

Thinking of you... (#2)

2009-06-10T06:10:00.000-07:00

Was thinking about a few friends who could benefit from an encouraging card in the mail... they won't be mentioned here. But they should have received these cards by mail now - if I remembered to put postage on the envelopes, that is.

Love you, my friends.

Details, details...
Stamp set: Trendy Trees
Colors: Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla, More Mustard, Old Olive and Chocolate Chip
Other: Haiku designer series paper, Mega Curved Rectangles Nestabilities and Cuttlebug and stampin' dimensionals

Thanks a latte...

2009-06-09T06:13:00.000-07:00

In the last entry I used the outline image of the green printed sheet... scroll down, see? So, here I am using the cut out piece on the front of this card. Switching up the message a bit ... and the feel a little too. This retro gal is happy now that she has a cup of coffee in her hand. (Reminds me a lil of me... the "happy" part.)

I have some great friends... seems I'm constantly running out of "thank you" cards. So, I made a couple of these to use right away - and a couple for the box on the shelf.

Details, details...
Stamp set: Sip by Sip
Colors: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Close to Cocoa and Kraft
Other: Prima flower from Mike's, bronze brad, Haiku designer series paper, Mega Curved Rectangles Nestabilities, larbe oval Nestabilities, Cuttlebug, hemp twine and stampin' dimensionals.

Congrats card... remake on an old card...

2009-06-08T06:58:00.000-07:00

I had some precut card stock sitting on the edge of my desk (from a previous class). And instead of making more Father's Day cards (you may recognize this layout from another card already posted) I decided to make a "Congrats" card. A friend and co-worker was promoted... and our team is going out to celebrate his new endeavor. He'll not really going anyway - in fact, he'll still be sitting right next to us... but he'll be doing tackling another job altogether. Still, we wish him well...

Details, details...
Stamp set: Fun & Fast Notes
Colors: Kiwi Kiss, Old Olive, Tangerine Tango and Whisper White
Other: "Pig Tails" ribbon originals, small Niji water brush and stampin' dimensionals

Summer faith project

2009-06-07T12:15:00.000-07:00

This Summer I will be participating in a study and project to memorize God's word. I'm going to start with this verse... I gleaned it from a friend, Kay, who is hosting this study. And whether or not I can get my hands on the book they are going throug ("Celebrate Life"... the first store I went to didn't have it... so will try another store this week) I intend to do these 4" x 6" scripture memorization cards along with them.

More on this later... maybe some of the ladies at my church will want to do this with me?

2009-06-07T06:49:00.000-07:00

Another set of cards from the recent unveiling of the "brick" of designer scrapbook pages (360 sheets - wow!)...

I'll keep it short today... I think the jazz had invaded my brain in the last entry. I love it when I go on and on like that... (will it ever stop?!)

Details, details...
Stamp set: Fun & Fast Notes
Colors: Soft Sky, Pink Pirouette and Old Olive
Other: small Niji water brush, Swiss Dots and Birds and Swirls embossing folders, Peony Nestabilities, Cuttlebug, primas from Mike's, silver brads, small corner rounder punch, eyelet border punch and stampin' dimensionals

New inspiration - designer scrapbook paper...

2009-06-06T13:13:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I bought this pack of scrapbook paper - from a friend who was having a moving sale (she couldn't remember where she had purchased it). I couldn't let it sit there all by itself and wonder if it would get snatched up. So, I jumped to the rescue and took it off her hands.

I should call it a "brick" of scrapbook paper - 360 sheets. It has been moved around the craft room (in order to get out of my way when crafting yet still within eye sight so I could continue to glean inspiration from it) over and over again. Until today... I cracked it open, flipped through the 360 crisp sheets of scrapbook paper and found some pattern combinations I liked. I then proceeded to turn up the funky jazz tunes (some call it "acid jazz"?!), got out the paper cutter, the adhesive, some ribbon, my water color brush... and some cardstock. And wow... hours later I emerged from the craft room starving!

As I hopped towards the kitchen I remembered I had a few slices of bacon in the fridge (wouldn't be enough for a meal for DH and I together - yay for me!) ... and I whipped up some scrambled eggs (protein helps when pushing through for a strong finish - oh wait, that's for exercise, not time in the craft room?!)... wolfed down brunch, and continued to create.

These cards were simply part of the melee. The rest of it? Well, you'll see it in the next couple of days.

Details, details...
Stamp set: Fun & Fast Notes
Colors: Soft Sky, Old Olive, Rose Red and Basic Gray
Other: small Niji water brush, designer scrapbook pages, Peony Nestabilities and Cuttlebug, filigree brad, small corner rounder punch and stampin' dimensionals

Squash Book...

2009-05-25T15:16:00.000-07:00

A while back I attended a class, hosted by my friend Kerri-Leigh Grady. She put these great books together for us... and I've been promising her this tutorial. Now that I've put it together I wanted to get it on here.

This is a 4" x 4" book that can be used like a scrapbook, etc... and super easy to tuck in the purse or briefcase! It makes for a great brag-book for new grandparents, pet lovers, etc.

Pretty darn rad, eh? (Yes, I said rad.) If you'd like to try it out for yourself... check out the tutorial here.

Another Baby Shower gift...

2009-05-19T18:40:00.000-07:00

Lately it seems I only find time to stamp when I need to make a gift for an event. This past weekend it was a baby shower for my friend Lisa... expecting their first child. They've waited so long for this... and I am so excited for she and Justin! Such great friends who deserve what they've longed for ... for such a long time.

So the card on the top is the card that went w/ the gift... and a close up shot, of course. And the 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" card was her THANK YOUS for the baby shower. Adorable, eh?! I hope I get one in the mail!

Details, details...
Stamp sets: Much Appreciated, Fresh Cuts, Great Friend, Wild About You and Congratulations
Colors: Pink Pirouette, Almost Amethyst, Certainly Celery and Whisper White
Other: Cuttlebug, "Textile" and "Swiss Dots" embossing folders, pink gingham ribbon, 2 oval punches from SU, prima from Mike's and stampin' dimensionals

Bundle of Thank Yous

2009-04-28T07:54:00.000-07:00

So, as usual for me, I made "Thank You" cards as my gift for a recent bridal shower. I had helped w/ the invites... so I knew the color theme. And color me happy --- because SU's new Riding Hood Red matched just perfectly!

First for the brides gift card... I just found these B-E-A-TIFULLY elaborate primas and I had to use one. So it's all hers.

I found these at Mike's... and snatched them right off the display, didn't I Debbie?! She almost insisted I put them back ... but I held out and bought them anyway. I had a plan for at least one of these gorgeous buds...

Now, on to her thank you cards... keeping in line w/ the theme of your wedding invites, I had to use Baroque Motifs again. (OH DARN!! Imagine my disdain!) ::: enter sarcastic tone here :::

All the best Jessi and Jeremiah... you two have many wonderful years ahead of you!

Hugs,

thank you, Sarah! you're an inspiration!

2009-04-27T06:58:00.000-07:00

I got to stamp with cousin Sarah last weekend... and we collaborated on a design for this card. But when she was making it she added a few twists to it ... and I like it even better than I pictured it in my head.... fun idea, eh?

Not my typical color combo... and that's why I like it so much. We were limited on supplies (as we weren't at either of our homes)... so did what we could with what we had... and voila. The other ladies at our table wanted to make this card too. So we just kept making the card.

fun times...

Details, details...
Stamp set: Fresh Cuts
Colors: Basic Grey, Chocolate Chip, Kraft and More Mustard
Other: Cuttlebug, "Textile" embossing folder, SU-exclusive Beautiful Butterflies die cut, satin vanilla ribbon, green ribbon was from Mike's and stampin' dimensionals

Long overdue THANK YOU!

2009-04-26T07:16:00.000-07:00

My friend Zoey sent me a surprise in the mail several months ago... and I FINALLY got it up this past week... it's one of those fun vinyls. These vinyls are awesome! You can customize them and pick your own color.

While I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this new vinyl trend it bothers me that all of my walls are textured. So I had to find the least textured wall in the house to put up my vinyl... and it just so happens that wall is in my stamp room! How convenient!

I put this inspiring thought over the double doors ... I just love it. Simply... love it!

Thanks Zoey! Your gift really made my day!

one last card for Creative Cafe....

2009-04-25T06:50:00.000-07:00

The post below talks about cards for an upcoming stamp class at my church. Here is the 3rd card we made last weekend... and I have to say, it was my favorite of the day. I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these colors together right now!

And since these stamp sets are so versatile, I put them out on the table and let the ladies chose which message and icon they wanted to use. It was fun mixing it up ...

Details, details...
Stamp sets: Darling Dots and Sweet Little Sentiments
Colors: Elegant Eggplant, Basic Grey, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss and Whisper White
Other: Square scallop punch, elegant eggplant grosgrain ribbon and stampin' dimensionals

Cards for an upcoming stamp class

2009-04-14T06:48:00.000-07:00

On April 18th I'll be leading a class at an event at our Church. About twice a year we have a fun day planned for the crafty ladies of our church.

It's called Creative Cafe. Starts at 9 am... ends whenever you're done being crafty (or around 3 pm). The premise? Bring any crafty project to work on... it can be sewing, knitting, scrapbooking, a school project, card making, etc. And for those who don't have a project to work on they can attend my card making portion of the day. We'll be making 3 cards... these two and a birthday card (which can be used for either a female or male)...

Wanna come to Creative Cafe?! Come on... everyone's doin' it... it'll be fun!

Details, details...
Stamp set: All Holidays
Colors: Kiwi Kiss, Old Olive, Tangerine Tango and Whisper White
Other: Stampin' dimensionals and "Pigtails" ribbon bundle

Details, details... Stamp set: Eastern Blossoms and All Holidays
Colors: Sage Shadow, Bravo Burgundy and Whisper White
Other: stampin' dimensionals