Just Give Me Stamps...

Just Give Me Candy (Blog Candy, That Is), Day One!!!

Hello friends!!  I'm back today with the first day of my "Just Give Me Candy" giveaway!!  I have a few "extra" supplies and I thought what better way to start the new year than sharing it with you!?!!  :-)

Pictured above:  Round & Round stamp set by Papertrey Ink (set of 24 2010 Limited Edition), Spiral Binding punch by Stampin' Up!, & Labels Four Nestabilities

All you need to do to be entered to win is leave a comment here on this post before Monday at Midnight (MST)!  Easy peasy!!  I will choose a winner Tuesday, January 4th!

Here a few *teeny tiny* rules...

• Only one comment per person, please!  :-)
• Comments need to be received by Midnight on Monday (January 4th)
• ((OPTIONAL))  Tell me about one of your favorite New Year's Tradition

To start things off, I will share one of my family's New Year's traditions.  To incorporate some of my DH's Swiss heritage, we like to have either a traditional Swiss cheese fondue or a Raclette.  Raclette is a specific cheese (soooooooooooooo yummy!!!) and is cooked in a little electric griddle/oven that sits on the table.  It is served with thinly sliced meats (that can be cooked on the the top grill part ofthe Raclette oven), new potatoes, veggies, and a variety of sauces. 

   

Here's a picture of what a Raclette oven looks like.  Ours is a bit different, but the concept is the same.  :-)  Mmmmm, I'm hungry just thinking about it!

Have a happy & safe New Year!!

Hugs,
Laurie

Rainbow Blessings...

Hi again!  I'm back to share the fun little card I made last week. But first, I wanted to THANK YOU all so much for the really sweet comments you left on my last post!!  You all are soooo sweet!!

A while ago, I received some new buttons (the Bright Collection from Stampin' Up!)I and had them scattered on my desk to see them better.  Immediately I started arranging the pretty bright colors into a rainbow pattern.  I don't know what it is exactly, but I loooooove colors all lined up in rainbow order!!  Happy sigh...  It just makes me so warm and happy inside!  My affection for all things rainbow has even earned me a new nickname!  Julee has taken it upon her self to call me "Rainbow Stamper"!  LOL!  Me thinks I should come up with a nick name for her, too!  Teeheheheee!

  
^{(Click for a closer view)}

I realize that these colors don't follow the "written" rainbow rule so to speak, but I liked it better this way!  :-)

To create my card, I started by stamping the small flower (from the Many Blessings set by Verve) six times.  I used my Copics to color in the leaves.  I didn't color in the flowers, because I knew my buttons would cover them.  A little bit of wavy stitching  grounded my colorful button flowers.  :-)  The sentiment (also from the Many Blessings set) is stamped using Tuxedo Black Memento ink.

Speaking of Verve sets...a LOT of them are on sale!!!  The Many Blessings set I used here is on sale for 50% off!!!  I KNOW!!!  The deals are amazing!!  You can check out the Verve homepage for a list of all the sets that are 50% off, 35% off, & 15% off!

Well, that's all from me today!  I will be back tomorrow with the first of the promised BLOG CANDY!!!  Woohooo!

Have a great day!  ~Laurie (aka the Rainbow Stamper)

Soooo...

What?  Has it been a week already??  Man, time sure flies when you're having fun!!  LOL!!  Actually, there has not been that much fun here lately.  My 7 year old son fell and broke his elbow last Sunday.  Well, actually the doctor said more like "shattered" it.  Sooo, a trip to a bigger hospital, surgery (with 4 pins inserted), a couple more days of recovery, and a whole lot of pain medicine later...and I can say we are finally home!!  Yay! 

Here's my sweet guy resting comfortably after his surgery.  His eyes are still red from the hours and hours of crying he did before his surgery.  The Dr. said this is a very painful break...and it won't go away until it is almost healed.  On a brighter note, he is doing pretty well today!  He even felt up to playing a game of Battleship with DH!  :-)

I'm sure you've probably noticed the photo change to the left and thought "who is that?".  Yes, it is QUITE different than the one before.  The old one was...well, old.  It was taken like 4 years ago or something.  My DD has been bugging me to put up a new photo for a long time now.  A couple of months ago, I got a new hair "do".  In addition to going darker (again, my DD has been trying to get me to do this for a while), I cut off a LOT of my hair!  I figured since my hair grows really fast, it would be a fun thing to try for a while.

Notice the snow falling?  Yeah, we've been getting a lot of that lately!  LOL!  I'm pretty sure Montana actually means "really cold with lots of snow".  LOL!!

Ohhhh, one more thing!!  Starting Friday I will be giving away some VERY fun blog candy!!  You won't want to miss it (it's really good...I promise!!)!!

I will be back tomorrow with a fun little card I made before my son's "elbow reconstruction" adventure!

Hugs,
Laurie

So Amazing...

Hi again!  It feels so good to be posting regularly again!  Yay!!  :-)  So, are you all ready for Christmas?  I can now say that I am!  Phew!  :-)  Gifts are bought/made and wrapped, goodies baked, grocery shopping done, and cards sent (well, some of them LOL)!  Because of some of the challenges we have faced this month (several unexpected Dr. visits), I have not had the time I needed to get all of the Christmas cards out.  Instead of worrying and stressing about it, I've decided to cut myself a break!  LOL!  I still plan on sending cards out, but I thought I would send them throughout the next couple of months...and instead of "Christmas" cards...they will be "Just Because" cards.  That's the plan...  :-)

This is one of the cards I made for the last Verve release.  I used the Amazing Wishes set combined with some "Woolies" from Basic Grey.  A very simple card really...but sometimes simple is good, right?  :-)

Well, that's all from me today!  Hugs, Laurie

Thanks...

Tis' the season to be thankful!!  I don't know about you, my "thank you" card stash gets depleted very quickly this time of year!  LOL!  So, in anticipation of needing more thank you cards I've been busy making more!

 

I combined some Basic Grey patterned paper, a chipboard heart, and a vellum butterfly with Verve's new Amazing Wishes set! 

I've got even more projects ready to share with you, so I will definitely be back tomkorrow!  :-)  Hugs, Laurie

Christmas Stockings...

Hi there!  I know I have not been posting very much.  We've had a LOT going on around here, not to mention being out of town for a while.  :-)  Now that I'm home and have a little bit more time, I thought I would pop in here and share what I've been making!

Does this cute little stocking look familiar?  Claire posted the template for this stocking shaped gift card holder on the Waltzingmouse Stamps site!  (((SWOON)))  I absolutely adore this template!!  So much so that I made four of them!  Teeheehehee!

I used the Compliments of the Season set to emboss tags for the front.

Before I share the rest of them, how about a peek inside where the gift card goes?

This is the one my first grader wrote in for his teacher.  My kiddos attend a "rural" school with only two teachers (and one teacher's aide) for grades K-8.  To say that their teachers are hard working and all around amazing would be a major understatement!  Along with these gift cards, we will be giving them some home baked goodies as well.

I changed up the papers for each of the stockings. 

This is for the sweet lady that drives the bus.  She safely gets our kiddos to and from school daily (and many times in below freezing and hazardous weather)!

Even though the papers are different on each stocking, the embellishments are the same (rhinestones, ribbon, & a jingle bell)!

Speaking of school and my kiddos...I better go and get ready.  They have their Christmas program tonight!  :-)

Hugs,
Laurie

On the 10th Day of Christmas...

 Hi there!  Have you seen all of the amazing gift ideas that the Waltzingmouse designers have been sharing?  All of these projects are for the Waltzingmouse 12 Days of Chrismtas! 

Today, I will be sharing a project (and template) of one of my favorite gifts to give - handmade cards/envelopes in a custom made box! 

 I made three cards (and envelopes) and packaged them in a coordinating gift box.  I embossed the small rose (from the Roses in Bloom set) using clear embossing powder to create the subtle tone on tone background.  I added the "Mom" sentiment because this gift will be for my mom.  :-)

 Here's a close-up of some of the embellishment details I added to the front of the box.

 

Because I wanted the cards to be "all-occasion", I did not add any sentiments.  Just like the box, I embossed the small rose (from the Roses in Bloom set) using clear embossing powder.

How would you like the template for this card box?  Yes?  I just happen to have one handy here...  :-)

  
(Click template to see it larger)

Here are the instructions:

1. Trim cardstock to 11" wide by 7 1/2" long
2. Score cardstock as shown above (black lines)
3. Cut on red lines (as shown above).  Discard grey shaded parts.
4. Add adhesive (see above) and assemble box!

I created this to have a "flap" that closes on the top so no adhesive is needed for the top.  :-)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Make sure to check out what Mona has created for you tomorrow (the 11th Day of Christmas)!  Hugs, Laurie

Verve Winter Project Parade...

Good morning!  I wanted to pop in here quickly and share what I made for the Triple Play Project Parade over on the Verve blog!

I created a quick and easy gift using only my papercrafting supplies and a candle!  :-)  I decorated the custom made box using the Glad Tidings set (from Verve Stamps).

 

For the card, I used a 4" x 4" card base as well as the tag stamp from Glad Tidings as well as the Sweet Scallop Tag die.

For a close-up of the wreath (I added sparkle :-) and more details, check out my post over at the Verve blog!!  ALSO....by leaving some love on all the Triple Play posts, you will be entered to win some shiny new VERVE!!  :-)

Thanks so much for stopping by!  ~Laurie

Text Objects...

Happy Friday!!  Today's the last day of Verve new stamp spotlights...meaning, the new stamps will be available tonight!!  :-)

Today, the Divas are showcasing projects made with the soon to be released Text Objects!

I have been wanting to make a bookmark/pocket card for quite some time now...and when I saw the new Text Objects set, the idea for this project came to me immediately! 

I started by selecting some coordinating papers from the new My Mind's Eye 6 x 6 paper pad (Tickled Pink Collection).  The strip "holding" the glassine bookmark pocket is stamped with one of the background scripts included in the Text Objects set.  The heart (also from the Text Objects set) is stamped onto patterned paper and cut out.

 

For the bookmark, I used the same script background stamp as I did on the front of the card.  I used both the small and the large hearts (stamped directly onto patterned paper), as well as the Vintage Oval Frame stamp and coordinating die!

Just like yesterday, for a chance to win this set just leave a comment on all the participating design team blogs (see the complete list below)!

1. Julee

2. Laurie

3. Susan

4. Tosh

5. Jen d. 

6. Charmaine

7. Jen T.

8. Shannan

9. Lynda

10. Michelle

11. Amy

12. Teresa

13. Jackie

14. Sankari

15. Mercy

Also, don't forget the release party starts TONIGHT at 9 pm Eastern!!

Thanks for stopping by!  ~Laurie

Wordy Birthday Wishes...

 Good morning!  Today I'm excited to share with you a project I made with some shiny new VERVE stamps!!  :-)  That's right, we're only two days away from the next Verve release!!  Yay!!!

We're having a blog hop today showcasing a few of the upcoming sets.  If you leave a comment on each of the DT member's blogs, you will be entered to win all of the sets being previewed today!  (Scroll down for the complete list of DT blog links.)

 This cuuuuuute bird (and sentiment) are part of the soon to be released Wordy Bird set!  {{LOVE}}

I used some new October Afternoon paper, a vellum heart (made with the Sizzix Folk Heart die), and embellishments to compliment these fun new stamps!

Here's a close-up picture of the bird.  You can se the little bit of sparkle I added (using Stardust Stickles) as well as the dimension I gave it.  :-)

1. Julee

2. Mercy

3. Sankari

4. Teresa

5. Amy

6. Michelle

7. Lynda

8. Shannan

9. Charmaine

10. Jen d.

11. Tosh

12. Susan

13. Laurie  (that's me :-)

This Friday (tomorrow) at 9 pm Eastern, we will celebrating and partying it up over at the Verve Forum!  All three brand new sets (and one Plain Jane) will be available after the party!  Woohooo!

Thanks so much for stopping by!!  Don't forget...for your chance to win the sets being previewed today, leave a comment on each of the Divas blogs!  ~Laurie