Now Liking A Beautiful Thing!!

Finally!!! I have finally come up with a card from the set "A Beautiful Thing" that I actually liked!!! I think my struggle with the set was wanting to use the words on every card I was trying to work on. Well this layout just didn't allow any room for the word stamp so I was able to just put things together a lot easier. I switched gears in colors as well. But then again I was limited on color because I wanted to use the decorative papers from the "Ginger Blossoms" group. These papers will be available on January 2nd!

This card was actually fun to make. LOVE the Groovy Guava and Basic Black together. The black really makes the color pop. And it was also the first time I got to use the Groovy Guava ribbon too!!! I was beginning to wonder if I was every going to find a card or project to use it on and tonight I did!

I stamped that little row of flowers using the Stamp-a-ma-jig. I'm not that good at stamping in a straight line! After I stamped them I trimmed the edges closer to the images. I didn't want a very thick piece at the top of the card. I wanted to give a "ribbon" look to it. After trimming I sponged the edges and then layered it on top of a black strip of card stock. I set it on top of the Groovy Guava background piece which I stamped in Groovy Guava using the Canvas background stamp. I punched out a black scallop and then stamped out the flower from the set. I punched it out using the 1-3/8" punch and sponged the edges. I added a black brad in the middle but felt it needed something more so I took a black marker and colored over some of the dots in the flower. The dots near the center I punched with the needle tool, they are not filled in with the marker. Though I would think it would give almost the same appearance until you looked closer at it. I taped the circle to the scalloped piece and set it on top of the flower strip. Something was still missing. I then added black dots to each flower. The stamped image had little dots in it already so I just followed those. I set it in place once again and felt it still needed something more. I wanted to add brads but the flowers didn't work out even on each end. The smart thing would have been to stamp the flowers on the left side and then go to the right side and fill in the center but alas I didn't do it that way. Key word there being "smarter!!!" LOL But what I ended up doing was cutting the strip, sponging the end and lining it up on each end with a seam behind the scalloped piece. Can't see the seam now can you??? I then added two black brads and really liked the strip. Since the top of the card was so "busy" I wanted to keep the bottom on a more mellow tone so I just added a strip of decorative paper from the Ginger Blossom group, I tied a ribbon around it, layered it and set it in place. It needed a little something more. As I was looking at it trying to define what category it would go into it dawned on me that I needed a thank you card. I got out the new catalog and looked to see what words sets I had that weren't retired and found just the right size one for this card. And there you have it. Once I figured it all out it will be easy to repeat this design in very little time. I LOVE quick cards. I'm going to have to put this one under the "quick cards" label so I can use it when I need a card quick.

Please email me with any questions. Blogger does not allow me to reply to questions you leave in your comments. I don't want you to think that I ignore your questions. Replying back is not a feature that Blogger supports. Hopefully in time they will be adding that feature. But for now please email me with any questions and I'll be more than happy to answer them as best as I can.

I wish you all a very safe and Happy New Year!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

A Beautiful Thing Calendar

Ok, now this one I like a lot better than the other two cards I made using the "A Beautiful Thing" set. I got the calendar from SplitCoastStampers. I am not sure where on their website I got it, it was a few months back. You can go to their website, at the top click on "Forums." That will take you to a page full of "stuff" that will cause you to spend TONS of hours there. Scroll down to "Stamping Stuff" and in that category you will find downloads. See you in about six hours!!! LOL I could not believe how fast the time went when I was snooping around in that section. Before you get too involved in that area find your calendar. Click on the word search and enter the word "calendar" and a window will open with calendar options. Like I said I'm not sure which one I used but if you would like a copy of the exact one I used please email me and I'll forward it to you. I check email once a day and it's usually in the evenings. I thought I'd let you know that so you don't think I'm ignoring your email.

I printed out the calendar on 28# copier paper. I wanted something thicker than regular copier paper. I buy a ream of the 28# and only use it for special projects so it does last a while. The higher the poundage the more expensive the paper is. After printing the calendars I cut them to the size I wanted them for this card. I used my Crop-a-dial to make the holes. I LOVE this tool, it allows you to punch quite a few pieces of paper with ease and it adjusts so you can cut the same depth each time.

I stamped the row of open flowers in Blue Bayou and cut two of them out. I also punched a hole in the center of them and added a brad and attached them to the calendar. I taped the calendar on a piece of Basic Black card stock that was cut 1/4" bigger than the calendar. I stamped the words in black and cut them out on the paper cutter. I punched a hole in the stamped flower and added a brad there as well. I taped this to a piece of black card stock cut 1/4" bigger. I took the cute larger flower stamp and using the Blue Bayou I randomly stamped the image on the Blue Bayou card stock. I taped it all together for a desktop calendar. I was debating whether or not to tape the card shut to make it more stable and hang it on the wall. I'm still leaving that option open right now. I was just thrilled I finally made something that I didn't dislike with this set. I have one more card idea in mind and I'm going to give it a try tomorrow.

Thank you for stopping by,
Wanda

Still Looking for Beauty!

And not finding it!!! Good thing I'm stocked up on card stock, it may be a long weekend!!! LOL I am on a quest to create a card with this set that I REALLY like. Maybe I'm just trying too hard. Or not hard enough???? I have a couple more ideas I want to try out with this set and then I'm moving on!

I decided to try green with this card instead of the Ruby Red. Here I used Always Artichoke and the green decorative papers in the Ginger Blossom package. I used my white gel pen and followed the stamped lines on the background flowers. I added the two layers of decorative paper (they measured 3-1/2" x 2-1/8" and then 1/4" was added to the black layers. I stamped the words and cut them out. I measured them and added 1/4" to the black layer.

The flowers were stamped in black on Barely Banana and cut out by hand. The tiny flowers in the center of the flowers were stamped in Always Artichoke and cut out by hand. Those I sponged the edges in Always Artichoke to hide my poor cutting. Can't tell, can you??? I taped the tiny flower in place and then snipped the larger flower between each petal about 1/4" in. I took my scissors and curled the petals. I then added the green crystal brad and used Dimensionals to set in place. Now to move on to the next card. I'll get one yet that I really like.

Thank you for stopping by,
Wanda

A Beautiful Thing???

Not so beautiful. I'm not really happy with the way this turned out. The Ruby Red ink pad on the Glossy Card stock doesn't seem to match the Ruby Red card stock or the Ruby Red decorative paper from the "Ginger Blossoms" collection. I'm just not thrilled with the card and I will have to come up with a different design to use with this set.

Anyway, for the card I stamped Versa Mark on the 5" x 2" piece of glossy card stock. I then sponged in Ruby Red and set it aside. I cut the black layer 5-1/4" x 2-1/4" and taped the glossy card stock to it. Then I cut a piece of the Ginger Blossoms" Ruby Red dotted decorative paper 3-7/8" x 2" and taped it on top of a piece of black card stock cut 4" x 2-1/4". I stamped the words on Whisper White card stock and trimmed it to 1-1/4" x 17/16". I cut the black layer 1-1/2" x 1-1/16". Before assembling the card I used Ruby Red ink and stamped the flower image on the background. I added some white grosgrain ribbon to the designer paper piece and tied a bow. I stamped the flower in black on Ruby Red card stock and punched it out using the 1-3/8" punch. I taped it in place on a white piece of card stock I punched out using the scallop punch. Sponge the edges with Ruby red and tape the flower on top. I used the tiny flowers in the set for the very center of the Ruby Red piece. I cut it out and then sponged the edges slightly. If you saw how awful I cut the edges you will understand why they were sponged. It hides a world of mistakes. You don't need to be perfect at cutting if you know ways of hiding things!!!! SO sneaky and now my secret is out! Well, one of them anyway!!! LOL Tape it to the center. Then I set a crystal brad from the Pretties Kit in the center of the whole piece. For the final touch I took some Crystal Effects and using a toothpick I dotted the little dots on the flower and immediately sprinkled Dazzling Diamonds over it. I also added a dot of Dazzling Diamonds to the little flower in the words. Oh and you are probably wondering how I got that little flower colored?? I stamped the image in Basic Black and then I took my blender pen and wiped the flower clean. I then took the Ruby Red marker and colored in the flower. And there you have it!! A colored flower. It's a lot easier than using the marker to color in the words and then adding color to the flower. Though this way still works, I just like to find and use short cuts!!

I added the words using Dimensionals. There are just too many layers to use only tape. And the card is finished. Though I'm not real thrilled with it. I will set it aside and look at it tomorrow and see if I like it any better. But for now I'm going to move on to another layout using that set.

As with all of my cards, just click on the photo for a closer view.

If you wish to ask me a question please do so by email. I can not respond to comments left on these posts. Blogger does not provide that feature and it's best not to leave your email on a comment, spammers LOVE it and look for it on blogs.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Embrace Life Thank You

I am playing with the new Stampin' Up! "Embrace Life" set. I just love this little branch of flowers. I can think of at least a dozen things to use it on. And for starters, how about a "Thank You" card?

I used watercolor paper and stamped the image on using black Staz On. I used markers and a blender pen to add the colors. I used Ruby Red to match the card stock and I used Always Artichoke on the leaves. I tried the Mellow Moss that would match the decorative paper but it was just too light. The Always Artichoke coordinates well with it so I'm ok with that. I added just a dot of Apricot Appeal in the flower centers. I wanted something that was just subtle enough to give it a touch of color but yet doesn't stick out.

I used the "Thank You" stamp from the "Artfully Asian" set. Ok, not only because I didn't put it away yet (my secret is out!!! LOL) but because I again wanted the words long and not one on top of the other. I punched the words out using the larger oval punch and I sponged the edges on the oval and on the watercolor paper. I added a layer of Ruby Red under the watercolor piece. I would like to have added one under the oval but that is as large of an oval I can punch. I'd have to go to the Coluzzle and then probably trim it up a bit. Now when I cut free hand it's NEVER even but that is where the Cutter Kit comes in handy. But I never remember that until I'm all done and everything is taped in place and I step back and look at it. Roll my eyes and then remember that the distressing tool from the Cutter Kit would have hidden those edges.

Ok, now I'm off to go shopping at JoAnn's. I actually NEED something!! I need to pick up some small silver tone magnets for bracelets. I am going to do a little beading tonight. Yet another of my passions. I have a BAZILLION beads and I need to start using them up. I also have a TON of yarn I'm trying to use up. I'm making baby blankets that will be going to "Bundles of Love." And I'd also like to get into my clay more too. Did anyone get some extra time for Christmas? I asked Santa for some but it must have been out of stock or I was naughty!!! LOL There just isn't enough time in a day anymore to do all the things I need and want to do.

I thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Making a Stamp Set Versatile

I am not a big fan of buying a stamp set that has one specific theme. I occasionally get sucked in by the cuteness of a themed stamp set but I try to work with it so it will allow me to use it for more than it was intended for.

I purchased the new Stampin' Up! "Happy Heart Day" set because I thought it was SO adorable. The set does have a "Thank You" that can be used with any other image from any stamp you want. The elephant, even though it has hearts on it, can be used for a friendship card. Masking off the "Happy Heart Day" on the mouse one you can use it for a lot of occasions including birthdays, Mother's Day and Get Well. So the only stamp in this set that I felt limited me was the one that actually said "Happy Valentine's Day." And that was the little tag one.

SO with that in mind I took Butterfly one and stamped my image on Very Vanilla card stock using black Staz On ink. I used my blender pen and a Ruby Red marker and colored it in. I colored the body of the butterfly in using the chocolate chip marker. I wanted a longer "thank you" on my card so I used the words from the "Artfully Asian" set.

I got the layout for this card from Kwernerdesign Blog. Scroll down to "tutorials" on the right and it's in that group about half way down. It's a very easy card layout. And not only is it easy, it's a quick card to make. And with that in mind I'd better quick make up about a dozen of them. I need to get them out in the mail by the end of the week!!!

I hope you all had a VERY wonderful Christmas.



Thanks SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

From Tags to Cards!

My DH's birthday is the day after Christmas. I almost forgot to make him a card. Plus I made a couple of Thank You cards. I need about a dozen more of those! Something to work on this coming weekend. For DH's birthday we always make sure we don't add his Christmas and Birthday gift together. But his birthday gifts are usually under the tree. We sometimes let him hold them and even shake them but he's not allowed to open them!!! We're SO mean!! LOL

Ok, onto the tags. I like to buy the to and from tags after Christmas. They are the best price then. It seems to be one of those items that people don't seem to buy up right away either. Well, probably not until now!!! LOL I got these at CVS Pharmacy last year. I just LOVE this card layout and the little pictures on the tags fit perfectly in it. And since my cards (except for one) are thank yous for Christmas gifts from special people I can use the "Christmas theme" for the cards and get by with it!!! There are a lot of cute pictures in the tags I bought and I'll be making more this coming weekend. I'll be sure to post them so you can see cute the tags are.

The pattern for this card can be found at Kwerner Design in her tutorials section. It's called "Circle Window with Frame." It's a very fun and easy card to make once you see how it's done.





Merry Christmas,
Wanda

Santa Notebook

I had bought some Santa stationary to write our yearly Christmas letter on. I just couldn't resist the face on this stationary. Isn't he just sweet. I thought I'd take a piece of the paper and cut it to fit a notebook. I have one that is for notes and the other is a photo album. I want to have somewhere to put this years Christmas pictures. I will add the year to the front of the cover. Isn't he just adorable??? I'm going to have to keep my eye out for some Christmas/Holiday stationary on clearance when I go out shopping. Oh, I don't make a point to go out bargain hunting. I go out shopping when I have/need to. I don't like the crowds and sometimes people are rude when they are hustling to get those fabulous bargains. I like to keep that part of the holiday away from me. I like it to be as positive as it can. SO when I go out shopping and if I happen to find some stationary that will work on notebooks I'll be buying it. I do recall getting this stationary on sale at Walgreens. They have some pretty cute stuff there!!! I will be stopping at CVS Pharmacy sometime after Christmas too and I'll take a look there. That is where I got these cute to and from tags last year. I will post what I did with them tomorrow.

Merry Christmas,
Wanda

Time is Running Out! Chocolate Sucker Tutorial

I've got TONS more Christmas ideas to do but the days are counting down. I will have to box them up and do them next Christmas. I did finish up the milk chocolate Santa pops for the kiddies! I just made an elongated matchbook and added the image to the top.

The pops are about 2-1/2" long. The red card stock measures 5-15/16" x 1-1/2" You will need to score it on the following inch marks: 3/4". 1", 3-1/2" and 3-3/4". You will need to punch a 1/16" hole for the stick. This hole is punched in between the 3/4" and 1" scores. Try to center the hole as best as you can. I just eyed it because there is enough room on either side to hide any difference. If you can no find these exact pops, just measure yours and adjust the pattern accordingly. Once I finished scoring I folded the score lines in. For the cover of mine I used the stocking from the soon to be retiring set "Holiday Tag Team." I measure my stamp (the wooden part) and cut the pieces accordingly. I then cut the black layer just 1/8" bigger. I just wanted a sliver of black showing and I wanted to make sure there was enough red showing. Had my red background been bigger I may have cut the black to 1/4" instead.

I inserted the pop in the hole. I folded the matchbook shut. I didn't tape it, instead I taped the upper 3/4 part of the stocking piece in place and the remainder hung over the bottom part of the matchbook to hold it shut. It opens easy and to close it you just shut the flap of the matchbook and make sure the layered piece is on top.

I think the kiddies will like these. And I'm so glad I was able to get them done in time for Christmas eve.

I am not sure if I will be posting anything on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. That is still up in the air. It all depends on how much work I have to do on Christmas eve. If I am unable to post before Wednesday I'd like to wish you all a VERY Merry Christmas. I hope all of your Christmas wishes come true.

Thank you all for stopping by,
Wanda

I've Been Tagged

I've been tagged by Sheri from Crazy Crafter
I am to share 7 random and/or weird facts about myself and then tag 7 random people at the end of my post with links to their blogs.

WOW, 7 random things about myself, hmmm.

1. I use to do cross stitch and I've had 7 designs purchased and 5 published
2. As a child, I use to collect caterpillars and put them in my jacket pockets! Now all I can think of is the poop that must have been in my pockets from them. YUCK!!! LOL
3. I LOVE to go fishing but I will NOT bait my hook or take the fish of when I catch one and believe me, I ALWAYS catch fish!!!
4. Salad is my favorite thing to have when we go out to eat.
5. I have never been in an airplane. Makes it hard to go on that Alaskan cruise I want to go on someday.
6. I have a self-published cookbook.
7. I LOVE cartoons and my favorite ones are Bugs Bunny.

Now to tag 7 others. They are as follows:
Sara from Sara's Studio
Jennifer from Sampin' Crazy
Nikki from Military Wife Stamping Spot
Kelly from Diaries of a Stamper
Melissa at Simply Pink
Melissa at Melissa's Musings
Jan at Paper Tango

From Rubber to Clay

Inspiration can come from SO many places. I was looking at my snowman and snow kitty and remembered the snow kitty rubber stamp. I found the stamp and had to make a card with it using some papers I had gotten at Archivers. Sometimes I wonder why I buy those papers. For one thing they are a little expensive and most importantly it's VERY difficult to match them with card stock. I LOVE Stampin' Up! card stock because not only do the papers all match but there's inks, markers, chalks, colored pencils and watercolor crayons. EVERYTHING matches.

I found that the Blue Bayou went the best with the color of this decorative paper. The kitty stamp is called "Snow Kitty" and it's by Stampendous! The words are from the Stampin' Up! set "All Holidays." I stamped the image on watercolor paper and used the watercolor crayons to color it all in. I sponged the edges and added some layers. I used the Bayou Blue stitched ribbon to fill in that bare area in the middle section. It was a quick card.

Now onto the figurine. I made this a couple of years ago. You all know how much I LOVE snowmen and of course kitties!!! What's better than an adorable snow kitty??? I remember the day I saw that Snow Kitty stamp. I couldn't get home fast enough to play with it. Then I got the idea to make one out of clay. I love to play with Polymer Clay and making something you love really does make it "play!" Once polymer clay is baked it becomes rock hard, somewhat porcelain like. It will break if you drop it on a hard surface. It's a fun medium to work with and you can rubber stamp right on top of it too. I have often made little decorative buttons with it for my cards. They're very easy to make, fun and SO cute!!!

I woke up this morning to a Winter Wonderland!!! We got snow. In our area we got a bit of rain first then it turned over to snow. So under the snow it's VERY slick. The sad part is that it's not snowman snow. I keep my hopes up though. One of these snowfalls I'll get my snowman snow. I'm still not over my cold, I didn't have much of a voice this morning so it was probably a good thing I wasn't able to go play in the snow. I'll wait patiently!!!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Last Minute Stocking Stuffers

I was making some last minute stocking stuffers today. These are post it note holders. Aren't they sweet? They have such an elegant look to them. Then you open it up to find just the regular yellow post it's inside!!!!

These are VERY easy to make too. You will need a post it pad and some card stock. An ink pad and a stamp of your choice.

The card stock measures 6-1/4" long by 3-1/8" wide. Score the card stock at 3-1/8" and turn it around and score again at 3-1/8". Doing this makes it so both the front and back are the same size. Now you just stamp and layer and affix the post it on the inside and you're done!!! How simple is that??? Don't you just love those little gifts that look SO pretty and take so little time to do?? I like to make a bunch at one time. I mean, you've already got the supplies out so why not?? Then you have some on had too for a quick little gift. Oh and by the way, they do sell well at craft fairs too so make a bunch!!!! I made a few extra with "thank you" on them. Most of them I just use the wording "notes." I got a free stamp (you pay for shipping) at Vista Print. They have a lot of free stuff there. I like the stamps. They are a self-inking stamp and you do have to put it together. Which is a good thing because the words come around a rectangle frame. I just cut the frame off and affix the rubber to the stamp. Then I can just stamp away!!! I have several of these stamps. As long as they keep offering them for free, why not??? I also have three other stamps, they are "Remember, Friends and Things To Do." I have a list going of other words I want.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

The Best Christmas Present!!!

Something wonderful happened to me (us) last Saturday. We had gone to Perkins for dinner and we were seated in a large booth in the corner. My son looked at the guy in the booth next to us and said, "He looks like Louie Anderson." I look over there and sure enough it was!!! I have always loved his humor and I REALLY just wanted to jump over our booth and slip right into theirs and visit with them!!! LOL But I remained calm and tried not to look over there too much. It was difficult to do. The manager was chatting with him several times. I thought that was unfair but then again I wasn't the manager. The last time the manager went over to talk to him he said to us, "Is this guy bugging you?" And I said, "No but the lady there is in the way and I can't see him very well." We got to chat with Louie Anderson for a few minutes and then he said, "Come on, let's get a picture." My son had is photo phone with him and we got our picture taken with him. How cool is that??? Isn't that just the best Christmas present??? I just LOVED it and I was SO thrilled. I couldn't wait to see how the photo turned out. Wishing I had my camera with me. But the cell phone took a pretty good picture. And let me tell you, Louie Anderson is the nicest, sweetest person you'll ever meet. I would have loved to have been able to sit there and have coffee and chat with him for a while. I did ask him what brought him to our neck of the woods. We're about 30 miles north of Minneapolis. Blaine is not known for it's celebrities!!! Well, other than me!!! LOL Still laughing at that one!!! LOL He said he was here visiting relatives. We were at the right place at the right time. How often does that happen??? Not very often in my life. SO I thought I'd make a couple of 6"x 6" scrapbook pages with the photo. Now on the ones I'm putting in my book I have another photo of Louie that I got off the Internet Movie Data Base (if you've got hours to spend go there and check it out. One thing leads to another on that site and the next thing you know the sun is coming up!!! LOL It's a fun website). Anyway, I printed of a picture on there and added it to my page but since it wasn't my picture I didn't feel that I could legally post it with it on my page so I put "Louie Anderson" in the square where the photo goes.

I love these "side by side" scrapbook pages. They allow you to smoothly go from one page to another and in keeping the same theme you know you're still looking at something from the same event. Plus it is very appealing to the eye to have them both compliment each other. If you click on the photo you can see a closer view. Don't look too close though, I HATE having my picture taken.

So there you have it, our very fun adventure last Saturday. Oh and I'm suppose to give my son the credit for this since it was his idea to go to Perkins. I was happy with going to Subway, as long as I didn't have to cook anything I'm happy!!! LOL

Are you all ready for Christmas? I did finish wrapping the gifts. I'm done shopping and I'm also done baking. And even if I weren't "done" baking I am DONE baking. My fingers don't hurt so bad now but they do feel like leather and the look of and orange rind with the little dents in it. NOT pretty but at least I don't have the pain anymore. I do have about 5 or 6 more Christmas cards to get out and then cleaning the house and I'm ready. That is not like me to be ready this early!!! I haven't been this organized with the Christmas in years!!! Maybe it's a sign of things to come!!! One can only hope. Now if I could get my workroom cleaned up and organized I'd be one happy camper!!! I don't think I would know what it's like to find the things I need or am looking for!!! LOL

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Wednesday Sketch Challenge at SplitCoastStampers

I missed the Sketch Challenge last week. I just ran out of time to work on it. I was able to work on this weeks because I need to do some laundry!!! UGH! So while the loads are washing and drying I'm playing with stamps! And I caught this horrible cold somewhere along the way too. Let's see how creative I can be with a head cold!!!! This should be an interesting week!! LOL

This is the card I submitted for the Wednesday Sketch Challenge (SC155) today. It was a fun challenge but I wasn't very creative. It's pretty simple looking. I may try another one later in the week. Hopefully when my head clears up some.

I used the new "Ginger Blossom" designer paper by Stampin' Up! and I used the "Happy Heart Day" set. I used the "Thank You" from the "Artfully Asian" set. It was just the perfect size for the space that was provided for us.

If you have the time and are looking for different layouts go over to SplitCoastStampers and scroll down. On the right is a column that reads "Weekly Challenges." Wednesday is the Sketch Challenge. That is the only one I've tried yet. The others look interesting but I've got too many things going on to venture into those yet. I'm sure in time I'll be doing those too. Once in a while it's great to try something new! I may give the "Technique" one a try. It's the Monday challenge. Boy oh boy, Monday's are challenging enough but I'll give it a try soon!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Pretty Paper, Pretty Ribbons of Green???

I just love that song sung by Roy Orbison, with blues, not green!!!

I am hoping SO much that this Christmas when we open gifts that I don't look at wrapping paper and want to make cards with it. I REALLY don't want to be asking anyone to open their package carefully so I can have the paper. How oh how can I keep myself from asking??? Let's just hope my family uses ugly paper. LOL Today while I was at the grocery store I saw they had wrapping paper on sale for $1 a roll. Well, I just HAD to buy some. Not because it was only a dollar but because I will need some for next year. I'm always on the look out for snowman paper!!! But I found this really pretty holly and berries paper and I knew the color of the berries would match the Purely Pomegranate paper. I find it ironic how I can remember exactly what a color is and match it in a store but I can't remember where I left my keys!!! Anyways, I had to buy this paper and make a card using the tree from the "Jolliest Time of the Year" set by Stampin' Up! I wanted a quick and simple card and that is exactly what I got.

Wrapping paper is a little tricky to work with since it is so thin. It shifts in the paper cutter and at times the snail tape will rip it. Plus once you set it on top of your card stock there is no moving it. Just turn over the card stock and start again!!! Been there, done that!!! LOL

This is a nice size roll and it will surely make a LOT of cards. I'll have to keep that in mind for next years Christmas cards. It would help keep the card under one ounce!!! Though the pomegranate card stock won't be available next fall. But on the brighter side Stampin' Up! always comes out with something even better! I'll have to wait it out. But for now I'll just make a few of these but make them as holiday "Thank You" cards. I need about a dozen of them and these are pretty easy and quick to whip up.

I used watercolor paper for the tree and the wording I did on the computer because I wanted the "Merry Christmas" to fit in the small Stampin' Up! oval punch. There's not much more to say about this card, it's pretty simple to figure out! Next time I'll make one that is a bit more challenging!!! Maybe!! LOL

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

SO Soft and SO Fun! Tutorial

Here's an oldie but goodie for gift giving. Have you ever done the stamping on velvet? It's very fun and very easy. The results are SO elegant too! I (of course) wanted to do a snowman but I only had green velvet. SO I took the tree from the "Jolliest Time of the Year" set by Stampin' Up! for this project.

Here is what you need:

A canning jar
Velvet
Stamp, image of your choice
Iron
Spray bottle
Ribbon
Ironing board or mat

Cut your piece of velvet about 4" x 4". You can iron it on low to get any wrinkles out of it.

Set your piece of velvet on top of the rubber stamp, velvet side down (backing facing you). Have the rubber stamp on your ironing surface with the rubber side up. Mist the fabric 3 times. With your iron set to medium heat, set the iron on top of the fabric for three seconds. Shut the iron off.

Remove the velvet from the stamp, turn it over and see the beautiful impression!

















Place a couple of cotton makeup pads on top of the jar lid.

Place the ring on top of that and work the raw edges to get it centered. Now you can do either one of two things here. You can hold the pieces together and work in some hot glue to hold the velvet to the lid. I have held the pieces with my thumb under the lid and my forefinger on the velvet. Tilt it back and the ring will slide off a bit to allow you to hot glue the velvet. Then trim the edges around the ring. Or you can just tuck the excess velvet under the lid and pet it on the jar and screw it in place. I have done both. The gluing one is the more professional looking one. The second option is quicker and you are less likely to get burnt. Tonight I did the tuck one because my fingers are not happy near any heat right now. I have blisters on the last two fingers and the others look like I have severly dried skin. Not pretty but it could have been worse.

Add a bow and it's all ready for gift giving!

Have fun making these!!! You can really impress a lot of people with this gift item!!

I like to buy my jars right away in July when they come out on the shelves. They have some really pretty ones out at that time. By the time you are ready for canning all they have are the plain ugly ones out. I believe it is Ball that has the really pretty cut glass ones. I did buy some pretty "Elite Collection" ones, they are short and squatty. I didn't use them for this. This tree didn't have a short squatty look to it. It really needed a taller jar to do it justice. The jar used here is almost 4" tall.

These would be wonderful gifts for a teacher, Sunday School teachers, my mail carrier would LOVE this! This would make a wonderful Stamp Camp project. And it could be a Craft Fair item too!!! Add it to your Hostess Gifts list or Customer Appreciation Gift list. And don't forget, it could be a fabulous Make N Take!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Pop, Pop It and a Movie!!! Tutorial

Looking for that perfect little gift to give the babysitter, paper carrier, mail carrier, the kids, etc? Well then it's a good thing you came by here today!!

My friend Peggy made these adorable cover for Jiffy Pop popcorn.

Here is what you need:

Card stock to go with whatever design you decide to do (it doesn't have to be Christmas, whatever colors you need for your occasion/season.

Jiffy Pop

2 Liter Bottle Pop

Movie Gift Certificate

Cut two 6-3/4" circles. You don't have to be perfect on the edges since they are hidden under the edge of the foil pan. For the one pictured here the dark card stock was used for the base so the circle is a full one. The light blue circle was cut in half and layered on top. Only affix it to the dark blue on the edges. You want the center part open for a pocket to place the gift card.

Decorate the top as you'd like. When you are finished take the handle of the Jiffy Pop and bend it at the rounded end. You will be bending it just enough to fit over the top of the pop bottle. You are bending it so it doesn't stick straight out so you'll need to work with it a bit until you get the right bend in it. Add the gift card to the pocket you created and you have a wonderful fun gift. Perfect for teenagers too!!!

Peggy said she got the Jiffy Pop at Target. I can't say I've seen it other places, I don't shop for it to know who has it, sorry. Isn't this just the cutest idea? Thank you Peggy. Your project came at a great time. I burned all the fingers on my right hand today baking cookies and they are too sensitive to work on any projects right now. I was barely able to get the rest of the cookies baked. I had just taken the pan out of the oven and set it on the counter. I was shuffling other pans around and grabbed that one with my bare hand and it went directly onto the floor. What a mess. And the pain. Burns are SO painful. It's slow typing with one hand too!!! Right now each finger (and thumb) is bandaged because the compression of the bandage helps it from burning so much. Touching cold things feels good until the finger warms up again and then it starts to burn all over again so I try to stay away from cold things too.

Not that I'm glad this happened but I'm glad I was able to get this project on the blog before Christmas for those of you who find it just too darn cute and want to make some for those special people on your list. I just think it's a fabulous little gift. It just has a certain kind of "warmth" to it. Curl up on the couch with your pop, popcorn and a movie you picked out with your movie place gift certificate. How sweet is that??? Sounds very inviting to me.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Oh no, Not Something New!!!

I'm really not ready for the new stamps yet. While I've got Christmas carols ringing in my head I saw at Joann's Valentine's Day stuff already out. I wasn't ready to purchase any pink stuff yet. I'm still looking at the reds and greens of Christmas. The blinking lights, the Christmas movies and tunes of the season!

But I do need thank you cards and I wasn't sure if I wanted them to have a Christmas theme so I thought I'd take out one of the new sets that arrived on Thursday evening. The poor UPS driver was delivering overtime!

I chose the elephant stamp in the "Happy Heart Day" set by Stampin' Up! because it could be used for Valentine's Day or a Thank You card. The words around the elephant's head read: "To an unforgettable friend." It sounds like it could work for either occasion to me!!!

SO I got out the new decorative papers too and cut away! I actually used them but as I'm cutting the sheet I'm thinking the whole time to be careful with the cutting, making sure it's totally accurate so I can have some left. Left for what??? To hoard??? Yup, that's exactly it!!! LOL I am going to try my hardest to use up every sheet in these packages.

I think this is a cute Thank You card and I'm sure my friend will just love it.

I have a SUPER fun project to show you tomorrow!!! I showed it to some of the gals who came here to stamp last week and they all just LOVED it.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

How to Wrap up a Snowman!

Ok, now as busy as I am this holiday season I get an email from a friend (and yes, she still is my friend, even after this!!! Right Cathy???) LOL and in the email was the most adorable snowmen cookies I'd ever seen. Simple ingredients too. SO of course I had to make some. Like I had nothing better to do than mess with cookies. But not your every day ordinary cookies, they were SNOWMEN cookies!!! Some people's eyes light up at the very thought of the word diamonds, mine light up the same when I hear or see snowmen!! LOL Simple things/simple minds!!! LOL

Here is the link to the cookies. I am giving a couple of them as a gift with a bunch of other gifts, including the Reindeer Pie!!! LOL But I wanted the packaging to be nice. I got some cake slice boxes. These are really nice boxes and you can find them in the cake decorating section at Michael's or you can get them at a cake decorating shop. Mine came from Michael's and I used a coupon!!! I used Blue Staz On to put these cute snowflakes on from the "Holiday Tag Team" set by Stampin' Up! I was able to do them pretty fast because I didn't have to reink the stamp every time. I wanted some dark and light colored snowflakes so I just kept stamping until the snowflake was getting light and then I hit it on the ink pad again. I did wrap the snowman up in Saran Wrap and I had to add a little bit of tissue paper because the box was a bit too big. I didn't measure the cookies before I went shopping for the box. I mean seriously, how many people measure cookies??? LOL

The little adorable snowman is all wrapped up in the box waiting for my friend to open it. The box looks so sweet with the blue organza ribbon on it. So you can tie in some stamping with your treats. It's a wonderful presentation that really doesn't take all that long to do. Oh my, I felt like Martha Stewart for a minute there!!! LOL

I did a couple things different with my cookies. I'll just recap the adventure for you.

I melted the white bark in a large bowl in my microwave. I dipped a cookie in it to cover and placed the cookie on parchment paper. I'm sure waxed paper will work well too but I usually use parchment. Then I took two mini chocolate chips and set them in place for the eyes. I turned them over because they looked a bit creepy with the curly thing sticking up. I then added the scarf. I bought a package of 4 icing colors. Not frosting, it won't set up, you want icing. I had to mix some red and yellow together to make orange for the nose. You get red, yellow, green and blue in the package. Then I broke the pretzel in half and dipped it in the bark and set them in place. I added the mini M & M buttons and for the smile I melted some of the mini chocolate chips and used a tooth pick and just dotted them in. The photo doesn't show a mouth on the snowman but we all know they have them!!! And that was it. They set up in about a half hour. I left them for a couple of hours and they were all set up and ready to wrap up. It was fun but it did take a while because it was a lot of steps for each one and you pretty much had to do them individually. And get this. Not a single cookie was broken in my package so I got to play a lot longer than I wanted!!! LOL I don't do cutout sugar cookies so these little guys will more than make up for that!!!

I think they will be a BIG hit this Christmas!

I'll take a break from the food stuff and go back to a couple cards and maybe a couple more last minute gift ideas!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Oh No, Not Reindeer Pie!!!!!!!!!

I ran across this cute poem and just had to make some reindeer pies and wrap them up for some very special people. I used the reindeer from the Stampin' Up! "Festive Favorites" set and stamped the image on the card stock after I had printed out the words on the computer. These are VERY fun and easy to make.

Here's the recipe for the "pie"

1 bag Milk Chocolate Chips
1-1/2 cups Salted Peanuts
1/2 cup Chowmein Noodles (crush after measuring)

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave and pour over the nuts and noodles. Drop by spoonfuls onto parchment paper and allow to set up. Once set place them in bags that are meant for foods. Seal them up and add the header. SO cute!!!

The poem goes as follows:

Santa checked his list,
then checked it twice.
You came up naughty
instead of nice.
Maybe you cheated or told a big lie:
So all you get is reindeer pie!!!

Isn't that just the funniest??? Not everyone will appreciate my sick humor but there are a few victims out there that will be recipients of it!!! LOL

Thanks SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Blog Candy "Who Dunit" Winner!

Poor Boo!!! As busy and nosey as she is, it wasn't her. Not to say that she hasn't stuck her nose in the camera a time or two. And K.C. has never stuck his nose in the camera. He so laid back and easy going. He just glances at the camera from afar. It was Millie. I can not tell you how many pictures I have of her nose. Do you think in another life she was a model?? And did you know she could read??? LOL She liked to watch the cursor flash on the screen and screen saver was set on marque and she'd watch it go by and then look in the back of the screen to see where it went. SO I figured if she'd watch the flashing cursor I could take advantage of this and have some fun and I did!!! Though she did lunge at the screen a couple of times trying to get the flashing cursor. Such a silly cat. If she was half as nice as she is pretty she'd be a FABULOUS cat!!!

And on to the winner. The lucky winner of the blog candy is: Monica-FC and here is her guess:

"I think it is Boo. Millie is to scared to be around anything so I think a camera flash would make her hide also. Plus as you said KC was sick with an infection and I know mostly they like to lay down when they are sick. Boo has to be it as he is most friendly and will look into everything. He isn't afraid of nothing."

Your guess was a good one but wrong cat!!! Poor Boo got a lot of blame (this time!!!) She's already been famous on my blog. She's the one that ripped the insides out of the toy mouse and left it on the floor. At first glance I thought one of the cats had pooped on the floor UGH!!! But it was the insides to the toy and I actually picked it up with my hands!!! LOL

SO Monica, please email me as soon as possible so I can get the blog candy mailed off to you. If I don't hear from you by Sunday December 16th I will hold a second chance drawing.

Thank you all for playing. I have more blog candy to be given away soon.

Wanda

Rudolph Pin Tutorial

I'm still making some gifts for Christmas. I got this pin from taking apart a flashing pin from St. Patrick's Day. It's one of those that blinks when you latch the clasp. It blinks pretty fast too. Kind of annoying if you're facing it!!! It's probably best you wear it!! LOL

The finished picture was difficult to get because I had trouble getting my camera to take the picture on the red blink. I even set it to continue to click and that was how I was able to catch the blink! Too funny!!!

Now, for this pin I stamped the Reindeer image

from the "Festive Favorites" set by Stampin' Up! I used black Staz On ink and Whisper White card stock. I prefer the Staz On ink when I'm using a blender pen. I can be assured the black will stay on the paper and not get on my pen.

I colored it in with markers and a blender pen.

After I colored it I used the Tag punch and punched out the image. I then used a tiny hole punch and punched out the nose. I punched out 3 more tags and marked the hole where the nose was and punched out that area. I glued them all together putting the reindeer image on top. I also made sure the nose hole was open. I set it under something heavy to set up and dry so it wouldn't warp.

Once it was dry enough I set the image on top of my Versa Mark pad and pressed down. I dropped the image in clear embossing powder and heated it up. While it was still hot I put it back in the embossing powder and heated another layer. I did this a total of four times. I could have added more but I was happy with the thickness and coverage so I stopped.

I placed the little plastic light bulb part of the pin in the hole and had to turn it on to see what it looked like. I was just too excited to wait!! LOL You should see me at Christmas!!! LOL The colored picture looks better than the embossed one. The embossing powder didn't change the image it just didn't allow me to photograph it as well. In the photo of the electronic part you see the two big silver things? They are the batteries. Above that on the left is a big black blob of "don't ask me!" And above that is the pin back and in the center of that pin back is the bulb which protrudes out the other side. So there you have it, the anatomy of the electronic part!! LOL

I added the electronic light pin with Crystal Effects. That stuff is the absolute BEST stuff and I use it for many projects. I just can't seem to say enough about it. I set the pin on a spool of ribbon so the nose part was in the hole. I wanted the electronic pin part to stay flat on the card stock. Once it dried the pin was ready to wear. I was SO thrilled with this project. I'm going to have to keep my eyes out for more of these next St. Patrick's Day.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Socks for Christmas??

Yup, that's right. Someone is getting socks for Christmas. But presented in a way I bet you never though of!!!

I turned the sock half way inside out (the toe part). It's the ribbing that is part of the hat. I just didn't have the heart to cut off the sock and just make a hat out of it. I mean, after all it does have snowflakes all over it. Sheeesh!!! SO I turned the toe part inside and then wrapped the other sock around that and wadded it up. I then slid it over the lid of the jar. This jar lid is around 2-1/2" in diameter. I did not glue the sock in place. Remember, it's got snowflakes on it!!!! That would be a crime!!! LOL The ribbing was tight enough to hold it in place. I gathered a little of the sock at the top and tied a bow on.

Now what does this have to do with stamping??? Well . . . it's the rub ons!!! They work SO well on glass and when I saw this snowman face at Michael's I just had to have it and I knew just what I wanted to do with it. I was there on Monday and saw that they have a snowman and snow woman rub ons too. But alas, I didn't purchase them. DH will be glad to hear that!!! LOL But her face was just TOO cute!!! Anyway, after getting the face on the jar I filled it with bath salts. The recipe can be found here. Oh and I did rip the rub on a little but I stopped peeling the paper back and rubbed some more and it all came off and you can't see the rip. Then I added the hat and tied the bow. I still need to add an ingredients label and the use label and it's ready to go!!

The jar was from some of those tiny corn on the cob things for stir fry. Baby corns?? I'm not really sure what they are called. I got them at Aldi's. I pretty much save every jar that doesn't come with the company's imprinted name on the glass. You never know when you're going to need one or ten!!!

This is a very easy and inexpensive gift to make and give. The socks were from that dreaded Dollar Tree and bath salts go a long way so I'd have to say this gift was around $2.00. I wonder if they'd sell well at craft fairs?? Then again if you're in it for the money part of it you may want to just cut that sock off (wow, I almost passed out there from those shocking words!!! LOL) and you will get two caps out of it. If you're REALLY good at sewing you could sew the remainder of the sock and use it like Peds!!! Personally I just couldn't bear seeing them cut up so I'd have to just toss that part. LOL Have fun making these!!

Thank you SO much for stopping by!
Wanda

Look What a Dollar Will Buy!

I'm still making some little gifts for Christmas. I like to have some little things on hand. You never know when you need to throw a gift together and these come in handy to toss in a stocking, bag or box along with other "stuff."

I got this adorable ribbon at the Dollar Tree and just couldn't pass it up. After all it was only a dollar!!! If I had a dollar for every time I said that at the Dollar Tree!!! LOL I don't know how long the ribbon is, it didn't say on the package but I'm guessing it's about 2 yards. It's a wired edge silky type ribbon. I cut the circle out and taped it in place it on top of a 1-7/8" white card stock circle. I added a 1-5/8" black card stock ring on top of that. You could use a black circle and then add the ribbon circle on top of that. I didn't want to go that route because I was afraid the ribbon would fray.

I thought it would look SO cute on those little 2-1/2" x 2-1/2" notebooks I make. The background on the notebook could use a little finesse but I'm going to leave it like it is since I already wrapped them in cellophane. I can sure make a lot of these little notebooks for my dollar!!! Kind of wish I would have spent two dollars and got two spools of ribbon!!! LOL Then again you can probably ask me next year at this time if I finished up that roll of snowman ribbon and I will tell you no!!! LOL SO it's probably a good thing I didn't buy two!

This just shows you that you really don't need to have stamp everything!!! A little punches go a long way too!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Saying Goodbye to Flakey Friends

I REALLY like this "Flakey Friends" set. I'm going to be hanging on to mine for a while yet. I figure as long as I can still make money with my old sets I'm going to hang on to them for a bit longer. Or if it should ever happen, that I have absolutely no room for one more new set I'll have to consider letting it go then. But for the time being I still have room!!!

This is a Christmas Card Record book to keep track of who you send and receive Christmas cards. I have not made one in many years. I'm SO frugal with mine. I don't put an "X" in the box. I just put a half an "X" when I send the card out and then finish the "X" if I receive a card from that address. That way my 5 year record book lasted 10 years. The last time I did my record book I also printed out an extra set of mailing labels so I didn't have to write any names in the book either. I just slapped a label on the lines and was good to go!!! Is it frugal or lazy???? Sometimes it's a fine line there!!! LOL

I have to apologize here. I can not find the PDF file for the inside of the book. It's been a few years since I've used it. The last time I had pages copied I had a master copy and took it to a printer. Probably because I couldn't find the PDF file way back then. It's on my "to do" list.

I used the Rubi Coil punch machine to make this book. It measures 5-1/2" x 8". You don't need a Rubi Coil to make this book. You can use the Hemp Bound notebook tutorial for this. Just click on that link and it will take you to the page with the instructions. You can make your own lines using your word processor or just add labels on your pages and write the years in next to them. There's lots of ways you can make your own book. I know you're creative!!!

So now I have a new Christmas card record book to use if and when I get those Christmas cards done!!!!!! I'm hoping to do that by Wednesday!!! Then I can move on to the baking and then that dreaded house cleaning. I have a million projects going on all at the same time. It would be nice if they could all come together at the same time and be done!!! I can dream, can't I??? LOL

And do you think in 10 years when I need another record book that I will still own the Flakey Friends set???? Who knows?? LOL

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Blog Candy Who Dunit?? Merry Christmas!!!

In the spirit of giving during this time of year I thought I would put up a stamp set for you to wish you a Merry Christmas.

Remember the picture in the last blog candy??? It turned out to be my cat's nose. Just click here to be directed to that post and scroll down just a little to see the blurry cat's nose. Study that nose because to be entered in the drawing to win this blog candy you will need to tell me which cat's nose you think it is!!!

Just in case the photos don't go with the wording on here I'll describe the cats to you. Millie is the white prissy cat. She is a BEAUTIFUL medium hair cat that is SO touchy. You only pet her when she wants to be petted. She hides when the doorbell rings and rarely comes out to see anyone. I got her in December of 1999. She's my millennium cat, hence the name Millie.

Then there's K.C. the light grey striped tabby. The one who has been sick. He had a bladder infection which is being treated with antibiotics. Boy is that fun giving it to him!!! NOT!!! LOL He's a mild mannered cat. He let the vet insert a needle in his bladder 4 times and he didn't even cry, fuss or bite. He's such a nice kitty. I got him on Christmas eve at my husband's nieces farm in 2001. He was an outdoor cat. It was SO cold that Christmas eve and all the little kitties (born in July) were just tiny balls of fur with stick tails. Their fur was drawn so tight to their bodies to keep them warm. And being outdoor cats they didn't smell all that nice either. There is another picture of K.C. found here on my blog. It's a close up so you can see his muzzle better. Don't you just love this picture? Such a rough life. And I bet the tv was on too!!! LOL


And then we have Boo. I got her close to Halloween in 2004. She smelled too but she was not from a farm she was from a pet shop where the only place to sit is in the litter box. I didn't want a typical striped cat and all the other cats in there just didn't appeal to me. I was ready to leave and she looked up at me. Well, that's all it took. I brought her home and the next day she was so sick we didn't think she'd survive. But I nursed her back to health and K.C. let her cuddle with him for warmth (they are such buds now) and she's all better. She's full of the dickens but yet she will cuddle. She's a very tiny cat and we think her illness stunted her growth. She's a LOT of fun.

SO there you have it. The three cats. Now you get to tell me which one you think stuck it's nose in my camera when I was trying to take a picture of something else and why you think it's that cat. It is not really that easy since all three of them have white muzzles and clay colored noses. You don't have to have the correct answer to win but give it your best guess. I will randomly draw a name on Thursday night, December 13th.

Good luck to you!
Wanda

Friends Who Share!

At the last month's Stamp Till You Cramp, Tracy brought a couple of her own stamps with her. She brought this most adorable snowman from Stampabilities. And you ALL know how much I LOVE snowmen!!!! I asked her if I could make a couple images of it while she was here and being the sweet person she is she said I could!!! I colored one that night but set it aside to work on other projects (including those Christmas cards!!!!!).

Ok, now I can't say my Christmas cards are done but I am finished with the making of them part. I have them put together and I just have to put the inside piece in and they are ready to go into envelopes, have the labels put on, the return address, the stamp and to be sealed. My there's a lot of steps just to send out a card, isn't there? Most of it we don't think about until we do a mass mailing!!! Fortunately that only happens at Christmas time. Well, there's weddings too but I don't have that on any of my lists yet!!!

I used the snowflake background stamp from the "Festive Favorites" set. And I used the "Flannel Plaid" background stamp for the foreground. I stamped the image on watercolor paper using black Staz On. I blended the colors in and then layered the card. I used the SplitCoastStampers Challenge Sketch #153. It was this weeks layout and I really liked it. Plus the snowman was the perfect size for that sketch!!!

I added some silver cording in the middle of the card and I added some plastic snowflakes. They came in a fairly large package, including snowflake buttons. I got them at Michael's, with my coupon of course. They are found with all the other decorative buttons and they are there year round! I purchased these this past summer but they still have them, I just saw them last week when I was there.

This was a fun and quick card to make. Plus this guy is SO cute!!! Again I thank you Tracy for letting me use your stamp!!!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Gingerbread Card and More!

As I was looking at this card I was thinking that this would be SO cute on top of a stack of recipe cards. Don't you think so? Instead of the "Merry Christmas" wording it could read "Holiday Recipes." Hmmm, it's got me thinking now. I just may have to give that a try.

For this card I used Real Red and whisper White card stock. I used the retired "Gingerbread man" wheel and the dotted stamp from the "Itty Bitty Backgrounds" set by Stampin' Up! I used watercolor crayons ot color in the gingerbread boys and hearts. And I used the Real Red ink pad for the dotted background. The "Merry Christmas" is from the "All Holidays" set and I used black Staz On ink.

As you can see I'm SO good with the wheels!!! LOL I can't even begin to tell you how I wish that were true. I practiced on some scratch paper. I drew a line and I followed that line perfectly. I did this 3 times and all 3 I got it SO straight. SO I set my card stock down and off to the left I go!!! EVERY time!!! GRRRRR!!! Maybe I should have drawn a light pencil line on my card stock and it would have went straight!!! LOL It's close but it's still off. And I know, it's like I tell my stampers, "it's handmade after all!!!!!" Do we ever listen to the advice we give out???

I tied a raffia bow and added a little wooden rolling pin I got at Michael's a few years ago. But I did order some more at Create for Less. They are the exact same ones I bought a few years ago. I painted the handles first and set them aside to dry and by the time I was ready to assemble the card they were dry and ready to go!!

This was another fun and quick card. Again this one would require extra postage to mail. But I'm REALLY leaning towards that recipe card thing!!! I'll make one (hopefully this weekend) and post it here when I do.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda