Just Give Me Stamps...

The Final Day at CHA...

O.k....I'm officially exhausted!!  :-)  Everyone warned me how little sleep you get...but I now know experientially what they mean!  I do have some pictures to share...and let me tell you all this new stuff is gorgeous!!! 

 

Just LOOK at this new paper from K & Co.!!  I looooove it!!

   

I saw this in the K & Co. booth...and you KNOW I had to have a picture!  The calender pages are printed on vellum!!  :-)

 

We stopped by the Craft Lounge booth (doesn't it look fun??!!?) and got to see Cambria and Joy!!!

 

Among some REALLY cute stamps, they have some sparkly fun flock (the martini glass is filled with it) that looks and feels wonderful!!

 

New Tim Holtz stuff!  Need I say more??  :-)

 

O.k...these flowers just blew me away!!!  Seriously, this might be the coolest display I've ever seen!

  

I so enjoyed getting to see the Unity stamps in person!  The backgrounds are definitely some of my favorite!!

 

Ummmm, WOW!!!!!  Just look at these!!!!  They are made from felt/wool and are beyond yummy!!

Maya Road Clear Acrylic albums...how cool are these??!!?

 

Mmmmmm!  What a way to end the day!  We ate at the Rain forest Cafe in Downtown Disney...such a fun place!!

Well, we are headed back to Tosh's tomorrow...then back to Montana!  :-)  I'll be back in a few days to announce the winner of the Goodies!!  ~Laurie

CHA Top Picks for Day 2...

Whew!  What a day!!  I have officially seen morepapercrafting goodies in one day than I have in my whole life!!  :-)  I know...that's a GOOD thing!!  Well, without  further ado...here's the top five picks for day two...

 

There are NEW JustRite goodies coming...WOOHOO!!  Some of my favorite ones aren't even pictured here.  You are going to LOVE them!!

   

This booth was the BOMB!!  I loved every inch of it!!!  Mmmm, mmmmm!!

 

More Graphic 45 goodness....

 

Last one of Graphic 45's booth.  I wanted to wrap it ALL up and take it home!!  LOL!!

 

I fell in LOVE with this fabric lace ribbon from May Arts!!

 

Oh, YEAH!!!  New Cosmo Cricket!!!!

 

Pure gorgeousness, I tell ya!!!

 

So, this isn't exactly "stamping related", but when we saw this sign we were just as excited as any of the other booths!!  ROFLOL!!!

Well...I'm finally off to bed.  I will post some more tomorrow night... ~Laurie

CHA Top 5 Picks For Day One...

CHA is SO fun!!  A whole convention center full of brand new crafting goodness!!  WOOOHOOOOO!!!!  Ok...enough of my banter...you want to see Cowboy Sock Monkey's Top 5 picks, right??!!?  This is in no order whatsoever!!  Believe me, sock monkey is NOT that organized!!! ROFLOL!!  OK...so on to the yummy new stuff...

 

OH YEAH...NEW Spellbinders!!!!  You all saw the new Nestabilities and dies...but check out the new "surprise" called Impressabilities!!  They emboss your paper and come in 4 different styles!!

 

You all are going to LOOOOOOVE the new Basic Grey papers!!!  ***sigh***

 

Check it out!!!  Brand new bling!!!!!  See how happy Sock Monkey is??!!!!!!!

 

 

GASP!!!!!!  Brand NEW My Mind's Eye paper!!!  Their new line Bella Bella is soooooooo pretty!!!

 

Oh...and wait till you see the Penny Lane!!! 

 

And, a picture of a few of the Stamper Dream girls...  (Kim,Tosh, Michelle, and me)

I will be back later tonight with more pictures....   ~Laurie

Cowboy Sock Monkey goes to Hollywood!!!

Well...actually it's CHA in Anaheim!  LOL!  I am having a BLAST...and it's barely started!  I've brought Cowboy Sock Monkey along for the ride...and boy has he been places already!!  So...I will share with you each day Cowboy Sock Monkey's Top 5 picks from CHA (the 5 coolest things he saw that day)! 

Technically CHA doesn't start until tomorrow...but that hasn't stopped Cowboy Sock Monkey from enjoying the local attractions....

 

Cowboy Sock Monkey could NOT believe how warm California is....  It sure beats the snow and ice in Montana!!

   

Here he is riding in Tosh's car...on his way to L.A.!!  (Riding in First Class Cupholder Style no less!!)

 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, CHEESECAKE!!!! 

Does it GET any better than this?? Espresso and cheesecake = true happiness!

   

O.K....TRUE Cowboys do NOT eat Calamari!!!  (Yes, he is holding his nose cuz that stuff stinks, I tell ya!!)

 

What California trip would be complete without a picture with the Bubba Gump Shrimp?? 

Well, we are heading out to the SCS Cupcake Reception!!!  Stay tuned for more CHA goodness....

Just Give Me GOODIES Time!!!

I passed a million hits a while ago (while we were in Seattle) and wanted to give away some goodies!!

 

 

Included is a Spellbinder's Butterflies 2, Heart fasteners, Queen and Co. Felt Fusion, Prima fabric flowers, Cuttlebug embossing strips, Heart Charms from Making Memories, Basic Grey buttons, Silver embellishments, and one of my favorite handmade cards!

 

 

Thank you SO much for all of the kind words and encouragement you've given me!!!  To be entered, just leave a comment (one per person please) on this post before Saturday, January 31st and I will choose one winner using Random.org.

OH...speaking of blog candy...check out the goodies Michelle (owner of Stamper's Dream) is giving away on her blog!!

Celebrating With Taylor...a Whole Year of Cupcake Sketches!!

  Happy Friday!! Taylor is celebrating the one year anniversary of the Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge! Each of the ladies on the Weekly Cupcake Crew has designed their own sketch for the celebration. I'm featuring Vicki Chrisman's sketch challenge. You can check out the sketch on her blog and find out about the prize you can win by participating!

 

When you check out the sketch, you will see that I "may" have moved the sentiment placement (((blush)))!  I was just too excited to get started...my bad!!  I used my favorite image from Taylor's Love is Sweet set (I adore the surprised look!!)!

In this picture, you can see the sparkle all over the patterned paper (from K & Co.'s Valentine collection)...isn't it pretty!!?!  It came that way!!  Wooohoo!  Speaking of uber cool sparkle, check out all those itty bitty rhinestones!  I just got my package of Taylor's Tiny Twinkles (over 400 multi-colored sparkly goodness in a waaay fun container!!) and thought they would be perfect to help make my black scalloped border stand out!  I also added three black Tiny Twinkles to the heart.  :-)

To see more samples using Vicki's sketch, check out what Dawn and Sankari have created!  Don't forget to check out Taylor's blog, the anniversary celebration headquarters, for all of the sketch challenges as well as an awesome grand prize for one random winner who participates in ALL 9 sketch challenges!

I hope you all enjoy your weekend!  ~Laurie

Love Note Gift Set...

I have to tell you...I am SO excited about this project!  It is no secret that I adore Love Notes (basically a 3" square card)...and how I love to package them and give them as gifts!  :-)  Well, a while ago, I was thinking about making another coaster book (I got the directions from Nichole Heady's blog Capture the Moment).  After jotting down my ideas about it...to be completed at a later date (I keep a small journal of ideas I want to try, sketches, or unique color combos), I got sidetracked with the other projects that I've been working on.  Well, while thumbing through my lists of "saved for later" ideas, I came back across the coaster book.  While thinking about how I wanted to make it, I glanced at a sticky note on my desk reminding me to make a little "Love Note" gift set for a friend and the idea struck me to combine the two! 

 

I used one of the verses from the Lift Up Our Hands set (Our Daily Bread Designs) for the front.

 

Because of the added "bulk" of the note cards/envelopes inside, I decided not to add the coasters.  Instead, I used two pieces of Papertrey's Dark Chocolate c.s. (it's a heavy c.s.) as the base.

 

After covering the outside and inside with some Cosmo Cricket patterned paper, I made some pockets to hold the note cards (there are five of them in there).

 

I have no idea why the Dark Chocolate satin ribbon looks so grayish in my photos...but I promise in real life it's sooooo pretty!

 

All of the Love Note cards are simple, with limited embellishments (I wanted them to lay flat in the pocket).

 

Here, I used a sentiment from the Lift Up Our Hands set.

 

I used one of the verses and main focal image from the He Is Risen for this card.

 

 

After I stamped the John 3:16 verse (from He Is Risen), I lightly stamped the flower stamp from the Sing to the Lord set (using a shade of ink just barely darker than the paper).

 

I won't include the recipe as the suppliesare all pretty self-explanatory...and I didn't want to add any more to this already long post!  LOL!  I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!  ~Laurie

Valentine's Day Pencils...and a Template!

Happy Wednesday!!  Today is my turn to post my project for the Verve Stamps Project Parade Challenge!  Jen del Muro issued this month's challenge entitled "A Kid at Heart".  I immediately thought of a Valentine's Day gift (it seems that's all I'm thinking about these days...hehehee) that would be simple enough to mass produce, but still fun!  And...what's funner than new pencils?!!?  I try to make "non-candy" gifts as much as I can for holidays like this, as it seems there is always an over-abundance of goodies always laying around (and I might be forced to help my kids eat them :-)! 

   

I started out by using some patterned paper (by Crate Paper) cut to 3 5/8" x 6 3/8" and embossing the heart (from Hundred Hearts) in Clear e.p. on it in a random pattern. 

   

I then embossed (in Ivory) the "be mine" sentiment (from Hearts on Fire), and then added a bow (I do love my ribbon :-), a Clear Heart Ghost Shape, and a button.  I wanted to keep the design and the embellishments simple do it would be quick (and inexpensive) to mass-produce.

 

I've had a lot of emails recently, asking for the pattern for my pencil box holder I posted a year ago (you can see that post HERE).  Since that posting, I have now learned how to create templates (and sketches WOOHOOO!) in my Photoshop program (a BIG thanks to my friend Jennifer Meyer for helping me out)!  So, I created a template (click to see it larger) for it and thought I would post it here instead of emailing everyone individually.

The instructions are easy...score on the solid black lines, cut on the red lines, and cut out the little gray square!

To play along (and be entered to win some FREE Verve goodies), check out theVerve Stamps blog!

I'll be back in a little bit to share another gift packaging idea with you!  :-)  ~Laurie

Recipe   Stamps: Hundred Hearts, Hearts on Fire (Verve Stamps)   Paper: Crate Paper patterned paper   Ink: Versamark   Other: Clear e.p., Ivory e.p., Scallop border punch, Vanilla taffeta ribbon (Stampin' Up!), Heart Ghost Shape (Heidi Swapp), Button

Soft Mojo Love...

How's that for an interesting title?  :-)  I have to say, that I'm totally lovin' Julee's Mojo Monday sketches!!  When I saw today's sketch, I was inspired to make yet another Valentine's Day card.  :-)  I know, I mentioned the last couple of posts that there would be a template today...and there will be, but I moved the post date until Wednesday.  I've been pretty busy the last few days...and will be, as I'm going to be leaving for CHA later this week!  I can't tell you how excited I am about it!  I've had my plane ticket since September, but with Alison getting sick, I pretty much put the thought of going out of my mind.  About a month ago, my DH started mentioning me going again...and has encouraged me to do so.  Since Ali is doing o.k. on her medication, he thought it would be a good break for me.  How sweet is he??!!!  Anyway, I've got lots of stuff to share with you, I just need to find the time to type it all up!  :-)

   

I used my Claire Alphabet stamps (from Rubber Soul) to create the XOXO background (Oh..I just saw that this alphabet is on sale!!).  I then used the Stitched Heart stamp (also by Rubber Soul) to create the focal point (I stamped the heart in two different colors and adhered them together).  Oh...about the stitching around the circle...I wanted something a little bit different than just a zig-zag stitch, so I thought I'd try my hand at a blanket stitch.  The only problem was, that I'd never actually done a blanket stitch before (I am NO seamstress :-)!  So, I found THESE instructions online.  I know...it's from a "kids" craft site...but hey, I needed easy to follow instructions WITH pictures!!  LOL!!  (My mom is probably laughing very hard right about now...  :-) 

Well, I'm off to put dinner on the table.  Make sure to check back lots this week, as I have a TON of fun stuff to share!!  (Oh, I almost forgot...is anyone having problems getting the Feedblitz email updates?  I've had several emails about it, and thought I'd check it out...)  ~Laurie

Recipe   Stamps:Claire Alphabet, Stitched Heart (Rubber Soul), Sanded (Stampin' Up!)   Paper:Pearlized White, Creamy Caramel, Prism Blush Light, My Mind's Eye patterned paper   Ink:Versamagic Dew Drops, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel   Other:Clear e.p., Nestabilities, Linen Thread, Ribbon, Button, Sewing Machine, Rhinestones

You're On My Mind...

I received some Stapavie images a while ago, and although I've been able to ink up the sweet owls, this stamp (Lily - My Little Friend) has been calling my name!  I just adore the precious look on Lily's face..and that bird is just the sweetest!!

 

I've subscribed (via Google Reader) to the Mojo Monday blog (Julee comes up with such awesome sketches), and after seeing this week's Mojo Sketch I was determined to make time and play!

I stamped the image onto watercolor paper and colored...get this...NOT with my Copics (gasp!!), but with re-inkers and a wet watercolor brush!  Because I was being a good girl and actually following the sketch (well, except my "circle" is actually more oval-ishLOL!!), I didn't have room for a sentiment on the front...so I decorated the inside (in true Denise Marzec style :-)! 

Speaking of sentiments...I was having a hard time deciding what sentiment to use.  I was going to just add a generic friendship one, but kept wishing I had one that said, "You're on My Mind".  (That's what I thought of when I first saw this stamp...you know, with the bird standing on Lily's head and all...LOL!)  That's when it occurred to me that I could make my own sentiments using my JustRite stamps! 

 

I paired the Brayton Font Set (I used 25 pt) with the Harmony Classic Circle Stamper II Ensemble.  After using my circle Nestabilities...and a little stitching, I was done!

 

Aren't those flowers fun?  I just cut a few out form the leftover patterned paper (I used that particular pattern on the front only)!

Well, as you may have noticed, this is not a template as promised earlier!  LOL!  I was working on it earlier but got side tracked by playing with my kiddos!  :-)  Both boys are starting to feel better...and not itch as much!  :-)  I am amazed at how quickly kids heal!  I will, however have the template for you on Monday!  Have a wonderful weekend!  ~Laurie

Recipe   Stamps:  Lily - My Little Friend (Stampavie), Brayton Font Set and Harmony Classic Cirlce II Ensemble (JustRite Stampers)   Paper:  Watercolor paper, Riding Hood Red, Cosmo Cricket patterned paper   Ink:  Versafine Onyx, Antique Linen Distress Ink, Riding Hood Red, Versamark, Various Classic re-inkers for watercoloring   Other:  Clear detail e.p., Nestabilities, Sewing Machine, Vanilla taffeta ribbon, Rhinestones, Buttons, Linen Thread, Photo corner punch