BRING ON THE CAKE!!

Bring on the Cake is in the new Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini Catalog.  This is such a great set of stamps to create birthday greeting cards.  For this card I used Bashful Blue and Real Red card stock and the Celebrations designer series paper.

A SURE SIGN YOUR COLLEGE KIDS ARE HOME FOR SPRING BREAK!

Explore Your Creativity with Stampin' Up!

                                                                    BEAUTY

IT'S A NEW YEAR AND A NEW LOOK!!

Hello Stampers and Bloggers,

It's been a couple months since I last blogged, and that's because I have had a few exciting and not so exciting events happen in my life and I have been very busy taking care those matters.  The not so good news is my very dear mother who I love so much passed away on January 26th.  She had been living in an assistant living facility near me since July 2010.  This past December right before Christmas she had a very bad fall in her apartment and was rushed to the hospital.  After being released from the hospital she was then admitted to a rehab facility where she was being rehabilitated daily and doing quite well.  I had so much hope that she would eventually be released to her assistant living facility again, but unfortunately she caught pneumonia and never recovered.  The past couple weeks have been very difficult for me and my sister as we needed to move her things from her apt, handle tons of paper work, and make arraignments for her memorial service.  Here is one of the last photo's I took of my mother.

Now for the exciting news!!   My daughter Elizabeth and her boyfriend Chris of five years got engaged right after New Years.  Elizabeth met Chris her freshman year in college and they have been together ever since.  Both families are so excited and we can't wait for Chris to be "officially" part of our family.  Here are a couple pictures I took of them the day after Chris proposed to Elizabeth.  CONGRATULATIONS ELIZABETH AND CHRIS!!

Thank you for stopping by and reading why I've been MIA.  I'm looking forward to a new year with lots of exciting news, samples, products, pictures and more.

HOME FOR CHRISTMAS!!

Home for Christmas is such a lovely stamp set, and perfect for coloring using markers or colored pencil or water coloring which I what I used for this card.  I made a pallet of Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red, and Garden Green ink and used my Aqua Painter to lightly paint. I added a little piece of Silver Tinsel Trim  wrapped in with the piece of Whisper White Organza Ribbon.  

SPEAKING OF RUDOLPH!!

Is this adorable or what?!?!  My sweet daughter Laura brought this home for me over Thanksgiving.  She bought it in Tallahassee where she goes to Florida State.  She knows I love reindeers, so I guess when she spotted this she saw my name on it.  I absolutely love it, and I've been moving Rudolph and Friends from window to window to give it maximum light.

RUDOLPH THE RED NOSE REINDEER!

What would the holiday's be without a Rudolph??  I love reindeers and when I was young I absolutely knew without a doubt that there was a Rudolph with a red nose.  This very simple and easy card was made using the small oval punch, and the nose was punched from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack. I drew the antlers using a very fine tip brown pen.  The eyes are those cute wiggle eyes you can get at the hobby store.

IT'S BEGINNING TO FEEL A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS!!

Right now it is 47 degrees in Orlando, Florida and that is COLD!!! Burrrrr! My feet are cold, my hands are cold and I just can't get warm.  I don't know how you folks up north do it for months on end.  Anyway......

Todays card I used the poinsettia stamp from the Bells & Boughs stamp set.  I also used the very fun Glass Glitter in the Champagne color.  I love this stuff because  it is so easy to use and really makes your project pop. The designer series paper is from  Deck the Halls, and I used Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding for the bow.  Hope you enjoy today's card and maybe it will give you some new ideas for your cards.

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS!!

Wow, has this year flown by or what?!!  I can't believe Thanksgiving came and went, and now there are only 26 days until Christmas Day.  Are you ready?  I'm not. I just started making my Christmas cards which I will start posting today or tomorrow, and I will also post some card kits that you can purchase from me. All you have to do is put everything together.  So, put on your santa hat and check back soon.

HALF OFF STAMPIN' UP! STARTED KIT!!!!

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!  BELIEVE IT!  Starting this Monday, November 15, until November 30, you can purchase the Standard or the Digital + Starter Kits for only $87.50.  That is 50% off the regular price of $175 for over $310 worth of crafting and business supplies. Click here for details.  

The standard Starter Kit includes:

• Four complete stamp sets (including a clear-mount set and clear-mount block)
• A Stampin' Around wheel, handle, and ink cartridge  
• Assortment of Designer Series paper and card stock
• Four Classic Stampin' Pads
• Two Stampin' Write markers
• VersaMark Pad
• Whisper White 5/8" satin ribbon
• Songbird Décor Elements and applicator
• Adhesives
• Blender pen
• Stamping sponge
• Stampin' Scrub and Mist 
• Box of Idea Book & Catalogs
• Business forms and tools

The Digital+ Starter Kit includes

• My Digital Studio software suite
• Three complete stamp sets (including a clear-mount set and clear-mount block)
• Assortment of card stock
• Four Classic Stampin' Pads
• Two Stampin' Write markers
• Real Red 1/4" grosgrain ribbon
• Brights Designer buttons
• Songbird Décor Elements and applicator
• Adhesives
• Stampin' Scrub and Mist 
• Box of Idea Book & Catalogs
• Business forms and tools

If you have been wanting to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator or just a Stampin' Up! Hobbiest  this is the time to do it.  You have two weeks before this amazing offer from Stampin' Up! ends. Email me to get started today.

BEAUTIFUL FALL DAY!!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Saturday afternoon.  I know it's snowing in places in the North, but in the South we are enjoying beautiful Fall weather. Here are some pictures I took to prove it.  Enjoy!

AUTUMN SPICE - DAY OF GRATITUDE

The Day of Gratitude stamp set is an ideal stamp set to make all your Fall projects and Thanksgiving Day cards.  I also used the beautiful Autumn Spice designer series paper for this card.  Click HERE and scroll down to page 12 and 13 to view both these Stampin' Up! projects.

HAS IT REALLY BEEN A MONTH??

Wow,  I cannot believe it has been over a month since I last posted on my blog.  I made so many beautiful Halloween projects too and never posted them.  ARGGH!!  It has been quite a busy and sometimes not so pleasant past month.  Some days are diamonds, and some days are rocks.  There always seems to be some kind of drama in my two daughters lives that always needs attention and keeps me very busy (not so unusual I guess) and then I visit my mother daily at the assistant living facility she is living in which takes up a ton of my time.  I enjoy seeing her every day, and with me being there all the time I can make sure she is being well taken care of.

Three weeks ago today our house was burglarize while I was taking my mother to the doctor.  I lost all my jewelry, including my wedding rings and my mothers pearls I wore on my wedding day.  It was terribly upsetting and still difficult to think about.  So hopefully things will calm down for a while and I will start posting again more regularly. For right now I am going to leave you with a beautiful Fall picture I took last week.  Enjoy and have a great Thursday.  Happy Veterans Day!!!

CHECK OUT ALL THESE GREAT DEALS!!

Stampin' Up! has a ton of great products in their clearance rack.  Check them out HERE

TODAY'S CARD USING "TAGS TIL CHRITSTMAS"

The new Tags til Christmas stamp set has nine stamps, and all the stamps are wonderful Christmas tag stamps to use on cards and gifts.  I used the ornament tag on this card and I love how it turned out.  I used Riding Hood Red card stock for the card base.  Certainly Celery for the scalloped piece, and Early Espresso for the small piece.  I also used my Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder on the Early Espresso piece. 

Can you believe there are only 81 more days until Christmas?!!  Yikes!!  Time to start thinking about your holiday cards.  Let me know if I can help you.

Do you like these colors together?  At first I didn't think I would, but after putting this card together I love it!!  The colors are Concord Crush, Peach Parfait, and Bravo Burgundy.  To make the flower I punch three times using the Fancy Flower Extra-Large punch. Happy Halloween was punch on a small piece of vellum.  Enjoy.

FALL IS IN THE AIR!!

October 1 always marks the beginning of Fall for me.  The days become shorter and the temperatures in Florida drop into the mid to lower 80's during the day and low 70's at night.  I unpack our Fall and Halloween decorations and start burning our pumpkin spice candles throughout the house.  This is a picture l took while visiting Blowing Rock, North Carolina last week.  This gorgeous little town was decorated for Fall and some of the leaves were starting to change into beautiful colors.  Something I never see happen in Florida.

I have not posted to my blog in a couple weeks due to my trip to North Carolina which was cut short, and because of some very unfortunate circumstances that were beyond anyones control.  My family experienced three very unexpected deaths over a period of three days.  They were all related to each other and very tragic.  Through lots of prayers and talking to family and friends my husband and I, and our two daughters are doing better and looking forward to happier days ahead.  Starting tomorrow I will resume my regular daily blogging.  Thank you for reading.

BLOGGING FROM THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS.

Dear Bloggers, I am sorry I never got as chance to post any pictures or write any posts this past week like I said I would.  It has been very difficult getting internet access in the mountains which is one of the reasons for no posting, and also this past week has been very bitter sweet in many ways which I will post about at a later date.  I am leaving North Carolina early tomorrow morning and driving back to Orlando....14 hour drive...arrggh.  I will back posting soon. Have a great reast of the week.

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers!!

Anyone who knows me knows my love for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and every time this band  tours I try and go to at least two or three of their shows each tour.  Last night I went to the show in Tampa, FL and I will add that Tom rocked Tampa Bay. Today I am leaving for Raliegh, North Carolina to see the Sat. show and then on to Charlotte, NC to see the Sunday show.  Call me NUTS....you won't be the first, nor the last.  I have loved this band since the 1980's and I know I will never get tired of their music.  They just keep getting better and better.  After the Sunday night show I will be driving to Blowing Rock, NC to have a few relaxing days before returning back to Orlando.  I hope to be posting from the road with lots of pictures, so please check back.