Thank you, Stephanie W! :)

I've had the distinct pleasure of making a new crafting friend via this crazy Internet world. :) Not only is she a new friend, but she's an amazingly creative muse. Her name is Stephanie and you can check out her blog here.

Well, not too long after I quickly added her blog to my reader, I saw this lovely creation:

And I commented on it and how I'm going to have to now hunt high and low for that wonderful embossing folder.

Well, not long after that, I get some communication from Stephanie stating that if I'd like the embossing folder, she'd send it to me as a gift. I had to do a double-take, but, after making sure she was 100% certain, I graciously accepted. A few days ago, it came from over the pond to arrive in my very appreciative hands.

Here's what I did with it (note: I just NOW realized I used the same butterfly die from Love Lives Here... I guess her card dug into my subconscious ;) )

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I hadn't played with metal for a while, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I'm happy I did. :) Some close-ups for you:

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And then I was inspired to try something I had never thought of! I took the folder to the envelope (I'm sure this is not new to most of you but to me it was a "aha!" moment ;) )

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How cool is that! :) (I think so, anyway ;) )

So, Stephanie...thanks so much for a wonderful gift. I can tell you it will be used frequently! :)

Thanks for looking and/or commenting!


Stamps: Script Sentiments (PTI)
Ink: Elegant Eggplant (SU!)
Paper: Stamper's Select, Royal Velvet (both PTI)
Other: Butterfly Kisses embossing folder (Craft Concepts); Royal Velvet felt, Love Lives Here dies (both PTI); Metal, ATG

 Happily Ever Yours,
 

Valentine Jars for the Secretaries

As I've always said, a teacher doesn't want to ever make the school secretaries feel UNAPPRECIATED. :)

Here are just some mini-jars filled with goodies for the secretaries. And...because I happen to know my principal has a sweet tooth for candy corn...I think she'll be happily surprised to get some of those even though it's not Halloween! ;)

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And a close-up of behind one of the tags:

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And because I know some of you will want to see a close-up of the ribbon (purchased at Michaels):

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Thanks for looking and/or commenting!


Stamps: Friendship Jar, Friendship Jar: Winter Fillers, Fillable Frames #9 (all PTI)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Paper: Stamper's Select (PTI)
Other: Friendship Jar dies, Rustic twine (both PTI); Valentine ribbon, Copics, Jars

 Happily Ever Yours,
 

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Well, I'm actually writing this post on the 16th, but I'm scheduling it to appear on my mom's birthday, January 28. You see, the genius that I am, I taught my mom how to use Google Reader and even put my blog on there...so, in order to keep this a surprise, I have to post-schedule it! :P

Anyway, I wanted to try something new with her birthday card and create some panels of coordinating colors. Also, I thought it might be interesting to see how some pinks and chocolate would look together and so I experimented with that as well.

Here is the result of my labor:

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And some close-ups:

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I hope she'll like it...er...likes it. Liked it?

Scheduling is fun. :P

Thanks for looking and/or commenting!


Stamps: Happy Day, Year of Flowers: Carnations, Birthday Basics (inside sentiment) (all PTI)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (SU!); Versamark
Paper: Autumn Rose, Rustic Cream, Hibiscus Burst, Lavender Moon, Dark Chocolate (all PTI)
Other: Dark Chocolate Luxe Satin ribbon, Rustic Twine, Hibiscus Burst button, Happy Day die (all PTI); Blush Mixed Accents (Hero Arts); Bow Easy; ATG; Dimensionals

 Happily Ever Yours,
 

Papertrey January Blog Hop Challenge

Well, it's been a while since I've joined a Papertrey Ink blog hop so I figured let's start off the new year with a blog hop...what do you say? :)

I'm glad you're here to help me participate, as I know there are many who are hopping. :)

If you want to read more about the details, check out Nichole Heady's blog entry here.

The challenge was basically this:

This month, in honor of the new year, we are challenging you to pick your  favorite project from 2011 and share it with all of us!  To take it a step further, you are also challenged to create a second card that is inspired by the favorite project you select.  Your new version of an old favorite could carry over the color scheme, the layout or the stamp sets.  We look forward to seeing your best creations from 2011 as well as one of your first projects for 2012!

So, I looked back on my 2011 creations and thought I'd check out the start of the year, since this is the start of the year. There is some yin-yang in that, I think. ;)

Here's the project I with which I wanted to work (click on the image to go to the original post):

Okay, so granted I chose a different green...and perhaps a different purple. ;) But I did stick with the Flower Fusion series... (just a different Flower Fusion stamp set. ;) )

Here's what I came up with:

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And some close-ups:

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and

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Thanks for looking and/or commenting!


Stamps: Flower Fusion #3 (PTI)
Ink: Pale Plum, Perfect Plum (both SU!); Onyx Black (Versafine)
Paper: Pale Plum, Perfect Plum (both SU!); Spring Moss (PTI)
Other: Ric Rac die (PTI); Nestabilities (Spellbinders); ATG; Dimensionals; Clear Star gel pen (Sakura)

 Happily Ever Yours,
 

Birthday - a GAS card

Well, I thought I'd create a birthday card using the GAS style (Gaudy And Silly).  :)

You've heard of one channeling his inner child? I must have been channeling my inner grandmother! ;)

I apologize in advance for the assault against your eyes. You may want to close this window NOW!

Okay...still here? You've been warned!

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I know... what was I thinking?  :P

Anyway, some close-ups for the brave at heart.  ;)

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and finally:

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See that filigree border die cut? Can I just say how much FUN it was trying to get all those little bits out of there... especially the microscopic! So much enjoyment.

I do promise that in person it doesn't look this um... offensive.  :)

Thanks for looking and/or commenting!


Stamps: Take Three: Summer (PTI)
Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine); Autumn Rose and Tea Dye Duo (for the edges) (both PTI)
Paper: Unknown DSP; Autumn Rose, Hawaiian Shores, Fine Linen (all PTI)
Other: Filigree Border die, Doily Details die, Autumn Rose button, Simply Chartreuse twill, Linen/Canvas Impression plate, Rustic Twine (all PTI); Brother sewing machine; Xyron; Zots; ATG; Bow Easy

 Happily Ever Yours,
 

Be a kid's valentine this year. :)

I stumbled upon a blog by a lady named Winter Sims. She has a wonderful drive going on right now. We can send Valentines to children who are in hospitals (for various reasons) and she'll send them off to them. She has some guidelines, of course, and you can read them here.

There are also chances to win some fantastic prizes from very generous sponsors! You ought to check it out! I'm going to request NOT to be entered for a prize because I selfishly had a real blast creating this card I'm about to show. :) (Translation: I usually don't have such luck with window cards! ;) )

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It really wasn't that hard to make at all; here's a shot of it closed tight:

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and the inside:

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You may not be able to notice it, but I outlined each heart with a glitter gel pen. Just to add a little somethin'-somethin'. ;)

So please consider going to Winter's blog and checking out the drive and making a card. It may only take about 15 minutes of your time, but it will make a child's entire day (or more!) :) Thanks for considering!

Thanks for looking and/or commenting!


Stamps: Heart Prints (PTI)
Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine)
Paper: Rustic Cream, Distressed Dots (both PTI)
Other: Heart Prints dies (PTI); Clear Star glitter pen (Sakura); Scalloped edge punch (EK Success); ATG; Xyron machine

 Happily Ever Yours,
 

Birthday - Fly Away!

Well, what started out as a Valentine's card ended up as a whimsical birthday card. :)

I'll be honest... I was not crazy about the results. I'm not much of a whimsical guy. I loved being able to try my new Market Streets background stamp "Here Comes the Sun"... I can see so many options!

It's just the Fly Away plane...while it's cute, I don't see it as being useful for any of my recipients. Then I realized... it would make a perfect card for any kid's birthday. :)

Here's the card...which can be appropriate for either a little girl or boy. :)

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I realize the banner's text is hard to see, but it's the same color as the base.

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Thanks for looking and/or commenting!


Stamps: Here Comes the Sun (MSS); Fly Away (PTI)
Ink: Pale Plum (SU!); Onyx Black (Versafine)
Paper: Pale Plum, Baja Breeze, So Saffron DSP (all SU!); Wal-mart White
Other: Vintage Cream felt, Fly Away die, Cloud die (all PTI); ATG; Dimensionals

 Happily Ever Yours,