Happy Friday!

Hello!

As promised, here is a picture of a Christmas card. This one was created for my piano teacher. She loves the colour red, so I used that as the main colour of the card. The ribbon ties on the right side of the card to keep it closed, and it is a gate opening card. You can't really tell from this picture but I sprayed the red cardstock with Pearl Ex powder (remember that stuff?) in some cheap hairspray. It gave the paper a nice golden sparkle. You know me-I'm all about the sparkle! LOL

Anyway, I should go-gotta go to school!

Have a great weekend!

Donna

More Mini Album

Hello!

Well, I am happy to say that I survived exam week! Woo hoo! I think I actually did alright on my exams, but I won't know for sure for three weeks! I don't know how I am going to be able to wait that long...

This past weekend, since I didn't have any homework, I thought I would get a whole lot accomplished for Christmas. Yeah, not so much! I spent Friday lugging a very heavy tree up the stairs (in two parts and it still felt like I was lugging an elephant up the stairs!). Once I got it upstairs, I looked for the stand...and looked, and looked. I finally gave up and started pulling out other Christmas decorations to set up...and I eventually found it in the storage room behind some Christmas totes. So then I set up the stand, and now the two elephants I lugged up the stairs, and I now have to stand them upright and connect them...more struggling! I finally got it put together, and thought I'd plug it in and use the remote to turn on the lights...then I couldn't find the remote! Longer story short-the only thing I accomplished this weekend was the tree! Geesh.

Today I am posting two more pages of the mini album. I have some Christmas card pictures to post, and I should be able to put them up this week, so stay tuned!

These two pages mark the start of my own creativity-I no longer had instructions to work from, so I had to think these up all by myself. Hope you like them!

Have a great day!

Donna

Mini Album Part Two

Hello!

As promised, here are some more pictures of the mini album that I worked on this summer. This album was a part of a kit I bought from SU a couple of years ago. They were selling these kits to raise money for Big Brothers and Big Sisters. They had instructions on how to put together the cover and these pages, but the rest I had to design myself. The kit itself came with a number of die-cut adhesives as well as designer paper and matching textured paper. My goal was to complete the album, and use up as much of everything as I could, to see if there was enough fixin's for an entire album.

Guess what? It worked! I finished the entire album with what they had in the kit. I don't think there was too much left over. So I am posting these four pages today. The next post starts the pages I designed myself. Some are simple, some are a little more involved.

Hope you like it! See you soon!

Donna

Christmas Shopping

Hello!

This past weekend my hubby, girls, and in-laws travelled to Birch Run-Frankenmuth for our annual shopping trip. Usually I manage to get a fair bit of Christmas shopping done on this trip. Last year, as we were driving home, I realized, in a panic, that I hadn't bought a single gift for Christmas, and I would have to do all of my shopping at home! This year, however, I was a woman on a mission-I had to cross more names off the Christmas shopping list than last year! LOL Anyway, I accomplished my mission at the Cracker Barrel where we had lunch on our way to Frankenmuth.

Then we went on to Bronner's Christmas World that night-have you ever been there? It is awesome! If you like Christmas, you'll love Bronner's! It has everything. It's a great way to kick off the Christmas shopping-just walking around the store puts you in the mood for Christmas.

On Saturday we went to the outlet mall at Birch Run, only to realize it was Deer Widow's Weekend. We made the mistake of going to Birch Run on Deer Widow's Weekend about 5 years ago. Oh my gosh...there are women everywhere! You see, the weekend is the same weekend as the start of deer hunting weekend, so all kinds of women are shopping in droves, and it is busy! It usually takes about 7-10 minutes to get to a parking space from our hotel, and this year it took at least a 1/2 hour!

However, being on a mission, I managed to cross off even more names from my list. This weekend was a success! I'm not done, but I have a good start. I'm good with that!

Ok, so speaking of Christmas gifts...

I made this mini album, thinking at some point it might come in handy to give someone as a gift. I didn't finish it for a couple of years, but pulled it out this summer when I was visiting my friend Kim. I am posting it in the hopes it can work as a jump-off point for anyone out there who is considering a mini-album, and who may be like me, and has a hard time trying to figure out page layouts.

Hope you like it!

Donna

Thank You!

Hello and Happy Friday!

Before this September, because I stayed at home, Fridays didn't mean too much out of the ordinary, usually. I just tried to tidy the house so we could have a clean house for the weekend. Now that I'm back in school, Fridays have taken on a whole new meaning, and I am extremely grateful when they come around! It means a little break from school, I get to sleep in, and hopefully I have more time to work on my homework. Hopefully. ;)

So today's card is appropriate not just because I'm thankful for Fridays, but also because I'm thankful to those of you who are hanging in there and still reading my blog, even if I forget to post at the beginning of the week. It means a lot to me that there are those of you who still check in to see what's new with me or my stamping. So with all my heart I say Thank you!

On to the card for today...

To make this card, I dug into (aka dusted off! LOL) some old designer paper, and a technique I hadn't tried in a while! The card (dsp part) started off as a circle, and then I scalloped it by removing the paper guide from the corner rounder (remember that technique?). I carefully tried to line up the scallops, or rounded corners to create a (somewhat) even scallop all around. It's pretty easy, and I like that it's different from my usual quarter-fold card. I made sure to cut the circle to a size that would fit into the usual envelope, just so I wouldn't go crazy trying to find the right-sized envelope in my mountain of unused envelopes. It's best to stay away from there....you know, in case of "avalanche"! LOL

Well that's it for today-have a great weekend! We are going as a family to see Megamind-I'm not sure who's more excited about it, the adults or the girls!

I will be back next week with a mini-scrapbook series!

Bye for now!

Donna

All You Need is....Amour!

Hello!

Just a quick post today before I head upstairs to get ready for school (there's a phrase I never thought I'd be using again!). This week was supposed to be pretty stressful, originally I had 4 things due (2 presentations and 2 tests, all worth huge marks!) but the one presentation was moved to next Tuesday, the other to Monday, which leaves me with two tests. One is on Friday, and the other was yesterday morning-what a great way to start the week! My entire weekend was spent fighting a cold, taking care of my girls (DH was away until Sunday, so I was flying solo for most of it) and trying to study for a test that covered so much material there was no way I could cram it all into my noggin' in a weekend. So yesterday morning I was a little nervous about how I was going to do. I think, in the end, that I did ok. We'll have to wait and see for the mark, but I felt ok coming out of it. Let's hope I do as well (or better!) with Friday's test!

But about the card for today...

This card was a straight case. Of course, I made it so long ago, I can't tell you whose it was. ( If you know, or if it's yours, drop a comment) I liked that this was a different way to use this stamp-most of the time you see it horizontally. I always like to see how people use stamps in a way that most of us don't think to use it (ok, that I don't think to use it! LOL) and this was one of those times. It used some of the new dsp (blueberry crisp? or am I just hungry?) which I was itching to use, and of course, you throw in a little bling, and I'm all over it! LOL

Ok, now I really have to go, have a great day!

Donna

Because I Care...

Hello!

Here is another one of those cards that I liked so much in one colour that I made it in another colour. Mostly because I started using the new In Colour called Pear Pizzazz, and because I bought the In Colour kit, I only had a few sheets of it in the sampler paper pack. So I made a few of these, then switched over to Pacific Point for a more monochromatic look. The dsp on the Pacific Point card is new as well (and of course I can't remember what it's called!). Oh look! I happen to have a catalogue here-let me see...oh there it is, and it's called Blueberry Crisp-so not what I thought it was called, good thing I didn't guess! LOL

Don't these two colours look great together? I think this new Pear Pizzazz goes with everything!

As you know, I've been in school for about a month now. It hasn't been too bad so far, but the homework/test stress vs housework stress can drive a woman to drink! LOL I've been doing ok, but this is only the first term-I've heard that the second term is "tough". And I'm pretty sure it keeps getting harder until the day I finish. August 21st. Yikes. I guess I should just soak up all this "easy" that's happening right now, and enjoy it while it lasts!

Fortunately for me, and a select few, it's that time of year! That's right! Jactopia is right around the corner! Oooh I can hardly wait! In just 13 more sleeps, I'll be headed to Jacqui's house and stampin' to my heart's content, and I am one excited girl! The week leading up to Jactopia is going to be stressful, so it's nice that I have the weekend to look forward to, and to keep me going. I can hardly wait, I seriously miss stamping. I have to get crackin' on my Christmas things, or I won't have any time to get it done. Jactopia is timed perfectly for getting started!

Well, I'm off. I think I hear my girls squabbling downstairs, and I have to get ready for this weekend. It's Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada, so to all my Canadian friends, Happy Turkey Day!

Donna

Hello and Happy Monday!

Hello! Just a quick post tonight as my eyes are starting to burn-I need some sleep!

This card of one of several that I made using this non-SU paper. I have pictures of cards made with the flip side of it, too. I'll have to post one for you soon. I liked this paper a lot! And who doesn't need a card that 's good for men and women? I know I do!

The candles were made with paper that I believe was about 3/4" thick. Then I ran them through the crimper on an angle. The flames were made from the punch with the bird and the branch. I can't remember the name of it-I'm too tired! LOL I then covered the wing/flame with two-way glue and stuck them into Dazzling Diamonds, one half at a time. I raised the flames on Stampin Dimensionals, as well as the Happy Birthday.

Neat idea for the bird's wing, don't you think? I didn't think this up myself (I'll bet you knew that was coming! LOL). I had told my friend Kim about how I'd seen the wing used as a flame, she came up with the card, and I cased it. And now you can case me-isn't it fun how it works? ;)

Ok, I have to go. I am one pooped little girl. Have a great night, and I'll try to come back soon!

Have a great week!

Donna

Hello Stranger!

First of all, I'd just like to apologize for being out of commission so long-I'm sorry! But I think I have a decent excuse. Are ya ready to hear it? I, being a glutton for punishment, have decided to go back to school. (I know it's crazy, and there are 25 other people in my course who are just as "crazy" as I am-LOL No, seriously, they're all very nice peeps!) I am taking paralegal studies, because I find law interesting. Going into it, I find that although I knew I didn't have the best knowledge of law, in all reality, I had no clue compared to what I'll know by the time I'm finished with the course (knock wood). Wow, there's a lot of stuff! LOL And today I have a presentation and my first quiz, so they will be a good indication as to how my ol' brain is doing, jamming all that information into it! Let's hope I don't crack! LOL

In keeping with my news, I thought it only appropriate to post this card, given the sentiment on it seems to apply to me today. My dream for today is to not only survive another day at school, but to do well in both my presentation as well as my quiz. Wish me luck!

The flowers on this card are pretty simple to make. For the larger flower, I used the new large (or is it extra large?) punch flower. I believe I punched out five of them. Then you (or more specifically, I) have to clear a space on your stamping table, lay them out and spray them with water. You'll want to use a fine mist sprayer (did you know they sell those specifically for stamping?). Once they're damp enough to become pliable, then you crumple them up, smooth them out, punch a hole in the center, put a brad in the hole, and then work them by crumpling and/or un-crumpling (is that a word?) until you get the look you want.

These are a slight variation on the flowers I made for my Matchbox Drawers (see here) but there are more flower layers here, and the center is paper, not corduroy brad. The smaller flowers can be made with a smaller punch (ie scallop circle) or one of the dies that SU offers (I think mine is called flower fusion?). One word of note: if you use designer paper to make your flowers (so pretty!) you don't need to spray with water. See how easy that is?

Well, I'm off to study. (gulp!) I will be back again with another card soon. And hopefully the news that I did ok on my quiz and presentation! Bye for now!

Donna

Happy Friday!

Hello and Happy Friday!
For today's post, I had to dig into the archives, as I haven't found the time yet to take pictures of new stuff. I'll be away next week, and I still haven't had any success post dating an entry, so hopefully I can tap into the internet while I'm away. When I get back, I will be meeting with my stampin girls, so I will definitely have a lot of new things to show you!
Last year at about this time, we had Jenntopia. If you forgt what that is, just click here and here for a little reminder. Jenn had flown in from out west, and we met at her mom's house and took it over for the weekend. We stamped until the wee hours of the morning and had a blast. This year, we'll be at our friend Kim's, and I can hardly wait! So I guess I'd better hurry up and show you the "old" projects before the new ones!
Anyway, this picture is of a box that opens from the top-the part with the ribbon and scalloped edge lifts up- and inside are two compartments for cards. I only have time to show you the outside right now, but I will show you more when I can.
In the meantime, have a great weekend!
Donna