Jolly Old St. Nick

OMG! 80 days 'til Christmas!

I'm really dreading the holidays this year. For my readers in Hawaii, you can imagine the shock I am about to face... I often had a trouble shopping for the perfect gifts for family and friends in Honolulu (yes, even with Ala Moana, Pearlrige, Waikele and Windward Mall), and now I am about to tackle holiday shopping in Hilo (at the Plaza?!) For my non-resident readers, I have moved from Hawaii's capital city to a small "big town" on another island, where we have one tiny mall on the island, some small shopping centers, and NO Toys R Us!!! LOL. Is there even a toy store here? I know KB closed down years ago.

It seems I will be doing all of my shopping online. Problem there is that you cannot always rely on shipping to arrive in time during holiday season, shipping can be expensive (usually, if they don't offer free shipping, I don't buy!), and I have to pay shipping out to my family in Honolulu. I'm thinking about flying to Honolulu (alone-without my kids *crossing fingers*) for Black Friday. That will decrease my shopping funds by (what is interisland airfare nowadays?) 160?? Oh my... I'm begging, if you live on the Big Island and have any holiday shopping tips and tricks to share, I would love to hear them. Ü

Wouldn't it be nice if all my family members were stampers... Stampin' Up! gifts for everyone!!  Ü 

Okay, enough blabber... I do have a set of cards to share with you:

Featured: Jolly Old St. Nick Stamp Set (Holiday Mini Catalog)

Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Jolly Old St. Nick Stamp Set, 1 3/4 x 7/8" Oval Punch, Extra Large Scallop Oval Punch, 1/4" Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon, Basic Pearls Jewels

Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Jolly Old St. Nick Stamp Set, 5/8" Victoria Lace Trim, 2 1/2" Circle Punch, Watercolor Pencils, Blender Pen

Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler, Jolly Old St. Nick Stamp Set, Watercolor Pencils, Blender Pen, 1/4" Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon

I'm not yet ready for Christmas, both shopping and stamping. This is the first Christmas set I have purchased for the new Stampin' Up! IB&C and Holiday Mini Catalog. If you've seen Friday's post, not much of that was Christmas. I'm still having fun with Halloween and I'm preparing for Thanksgiving. I've got so much on my holiday wish list, I'm afraid I'll go crazy when I place my next demonstrator order.  Ü

I have lots of plans for this set. Check back soon... I will be making tags next.

Thank you for visiting!

SSC 171

It's been a while since I've visited Stamping 411. They post awesome sketch challenges. Usually I check them out, but don't make the time to participate. I loved this week's sketch so much, I made time!  Ü

I love simple clean sketches... Seriously, I completed my card in 10 minutes!

As promised, I am working to love green and the Woodland Walk DSP. It's starting to work. I was really pleased with the outcome of today's creation. Here it is:

Whisper White, Garden Green, Woodland Walk DSP, Growing Green Stamp Set, 5/8" Victoria Lace Trim, Blender Pen, Basic Pearls Jewels

You may have noticed that I don't always stamp sentiments on my cards. Most of the cards I make are versatile and can be used for many different occasions. I stamp my cards right before I use them as gifts. This way, I don't have to search through a stack of cards for a Thank You, and find everything but. It's really great to have blank cards on hand.

Hope you enjoyed this card. If you've visiting from Stamping411, and are posting your card after me, leave your blog address as a comment, I would love to see you creation.

Thanks for stopping by.

Mojo Monday 159

I am exhausted! I recently got over a cold, although I am still a little conjested at night and early morning. But yesterday, I drove to Kona (90 miles, 2-1/2 hours) alone with my kids to stock up with goodies from Target and Costco. Boy! Yesterday was not a good day for my son. He usually sleeps on the drive over, but not this time. Ugh. The drive home wasn't so bad. He got about an hour nap in. When we got home, they both went crazy!! I went crazy! And I konked out at about 7pm while I was putting my son to sleep. I woke up at 10pm, jumped out of bed to realize my husband fell asleep, too. My daughter had tucked herself in, the table wasn't cleared, the dishes weren't washed, and my garage was wide open. OMG! When do I ever get a break?!  Ü

Even after my long day yesterday, I was still able to squeeze in some time in my stamp room for Mojo Monday. Yes, I'm an addict and that's what addicts do!!  Ü

Here is the sketch:

I was stumped on this challenge, because of the wavy cut on the bottom. I don't have any Sizzix dies that will cut that from the bottom and I'm not good freehand with scissors. So, I tore it. I thought it worked perfectly with this Thanksgiving card.

More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Chocolate Chip, Autumn Spice DSP, Day of Gratitude Stamp Set, 5/8" Victoria Lace, Stampin' Dimensionals

I apologize for the poor photo. It's been pouring rain all day in Hilo and the light in my stamp room isn't as great as I would love it to be...and the flash on my camera makes it worse. Yuck!

Someone asked me a question about tearing paper. Yes, there are tools out there, such as The Tearing Edge, which you can order from me here. I choose not to use tools to tear paper. When I tear, I think of what I want my edge to look like. Then, I draw a line across my paper with a Blender Pen or Aqua Painter. Moistening the paper makes it easier to tear, and it will tear just where you want it to. Tearing dry paper isn't too difficult either. Just do it slowly, you could easily tear too much off.

Thanks for stopping in today. Visit soon or sign up to receive my blog posts via email (the FeedBlitz widget on the left sidebar).  Enjoy your week!

Wicked...

Every year, I make a bucket of goodies for my kids, nephew, and little cousins. Since I've moved, I'm unsure whether I will be doing so this year. To ship a box of that size would cost more than the goodies are worth. Hmm... I'm sure I'll send them all something, so I made a few Halloween 3x3 cards.

Wicked Fun DSP, Rich Razzleberry, Cajun Craze, Wicked Cool Stamp Set, 1/8" Rich Razzleberry Taffeta Ribbon

I punched the DSP with 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch and adhered using Stampin' Dimensionals over Whisper White with the witch hat image stamped in center. Sponged with Cajun Craze ink.

The witches shoes are my fave stamp of this set. I can see myself using it even after Halloween is over.

Spooky stamped in Cajun Craze and punched with 1 3/4 x 7/8" Oval Punch, Cajun Craze CS punched with Extra Large Scalloped Oval Punch

Web stamped in Old Olive on Whisper White and punched with 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Old Olive CS punched with 1 3/4" Scalloped Circle Punch

This is a really fun Halloween DSP and stamp set. I also own the Nite Owl and Dark & Dreary stamp set. I had lots of fun playing with those, too... but this one is more fun... and more kid-friendly! Well, anything with candy is kid-friendly... Scary things become invisible when sugar is present!  Ü

I've got a couple more to make. I will post my final Halloween gifts for the kiddies when I figure out what I'm going to do.

Check back soon. Thanks for visiting.

Tote-Ally Awesome Opportunity!!

Tote-Ally Awesome Opportunity!! {Two Weeks Left!}

New recruits who join the Stampin' Up! family as a demonstrator during from now until October 18, 2010 will receive this adorable Tote-Ally Awesome craft tote (valued at $39.95) FREE with the purchase of their Starter Kit.  **Hurry! While Supplies Last!)**

Greenhouse Gala Craft Tote

•100% twill nylon exterior; 100% nylon interior   •Dimensions: 15-3/4" x 7-5/8" x 8-7/8"   •Includes attachable shoulder strap for easy transport   •Center section fits 12" x 12" card stock, Craft Keepers, and Paper Cutter   •Outside pockets fit extra-large punches perfectly   •Outside flap pockets offer secure spot for accessories   •Back zipper pocket holds up to seven Stampin' Pads

Click here to view this Opportunity Flyer

Click here to Learn More about Becoming a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Contact Me Today to Get Started Right Away!!!

Day of Gratitude for Autumn Spice

I am thankful for Autumn Spice DSP... Thank you, Stampin' Up!

If I could wallpaper a few areas of my house with these designs, I sure would! The rich earth tones make me feel happy. Here are some happy cards I created:

Autumn Spice DSP, Cajun Craze, Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Day of Gratitude Stamp Set, 5/8" Victoria Crochet Trim, 5/8" Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon

Here, I layered the Victoria Lace Trim over Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon

Don't you feel warm?

I love this stamp. It must be beautiful multicolored...but I don't have the patience or precision skills for that. If you do, please share! I would love to see.

I enjoy this stamp set and DSP. My new fave for now! The DSP is so lovely, you can complete a beautiful card with simple stamping.

Again, if you plan to make Thanksgiving/Autumn cards, scrapbook pages, gifts, and/or decorations, get the Autumn Spice DSP. It works great alone or with the coordinating stamp set, Day of Gratitude.

I will have more Thanksgiving cards for you soon. I will think about autumn scrapbook pages, too; although, we do not really have the autumn season in Hawaii.

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy World Card Making Day!

Today, October 2, 2010 is World Card Making Day. I got a late start, as I don't usually spend my weekends in my craft room unless I am playing with my daughter. So here are my cards for the day, dedicated to all who read my blog posts. Happy World Card Making Day!!

Garden Green, Very Vanilla, Woodland Walk DSP, Growing Green Stamp Set, Curly Cute Stamp Set, Natural Hemp Twine, Scallop Trim Border, Basic Pearls Jewels

Yay! A masculine-ish card!

This basic card took me a long time to make. I'm really not a fan of green. it's hard to design when the colors are not my usual taste. I think it worked out okay.

I love line art. Color it... Don't color it... It really doesn't matter, it's still beautiful.

I thought I would enjoy the Woodland Walk DSP more than I am right now. I was really excited about the wood grain sheet, and that set the compulsion to buy it. Because I don't care too much for the color green, I'm having a difficult working with it. Usually the more I play with my products, the more I get to liking it. All the more reason to keep playing!  Ü

Hope you had a wonderful World Card Making Day! Comment with your blog, I would love to see your creations. Thank you for stopping by.