Merry Christmas?

I've been loving the Easel Cards that have been popping up all around blog land, and I've had this one created since the MFT launch earlier this month, and hadn't shared it yet.

This is seriously how I feel already about Christmas. As a kid, I never got it, but finally I now know.. As a Mom, I want all the details to be perfect for my boys, and make sure to have all those special things they're hoping are under the tree.

I've already started picking up a few things here and there, and I've got a long list of ideas for them. I'm so thankful for my "fun Fridays" this year, I should be able to get lot of shopping and wrapping accomplished while they're both at school.

I spied a neighbor today already hanging up all her outdoor decorations. Oh my goodness, as I type this, I looked over my shoulder and sure enough, they already have their lights on.... Um, check me on this...did I already miss Thanksgiving???

I'll admit that while I always have the inside decorated, its really hard to tend to outside lights, and such with the kidlets. Maybe this year... we'll see.

Usually these cards are propped open with an embellishment or a button to keep the card from flopping flat. I used my apron lace punch and folded the scallops up to hold the easel in place.

This sentiment just makes me giggle. This set is currently My Favorite Things "Triple Scoop." have you heard of the triple scoop? If not, see HERE how you can earn Merry Christmas for free during the month of November!

I must say, I'm hoping that by starting early this year, we'll be able to relax and enjoy the joy of the season a little. I'm looking forward to admiring that decorated tree at night...

Giant Bows... Giant Appletinis... Yes Please!

Was I ever SO excited when I saw that Cards Magazine Blog has a challenge this week to use Big Bows. I mean **come on** that's only one of my very favorite adornments for a card.

And imagine that, I just *happen* to have a new card to share with you using the most recent release from The Cat's Pajamas featuring nothing other than, a big old bow!

You may have noticed, I'm having a serious love affair with this Mistletoe paper from Making Memories!

If you ever receive a card from me in the mail, you'll often find a hand written note which says "Please floof the bow!" Because, it always kills me that they get crushed in the mailing, so I save them for people that know how to preen them back to life after mailing. *giggle*

My friend Poochie is hanging out next to a larger than life appletini - which is just about what the doctor ordered after the week that I've had. My good pal, Tuxedo Poochie is part of the adorable and fun set "Make Merry"

As I write this, my sweet hubby is landing at the airport and should be home in the next hour or so. I'm off for the last spin around the house to put away laundry, empty trash bins and set something tasty on the table. After a week in a shoebox sized hotel room, I like to have the house all beautiful for him (instead of having it look like a tornado came through here all week....)

Have a *wonderful* weekend everyone!!

SuperBella to my rescue!!

For sure it has been a crazy crazy week at my house. Hubby has been travelling all week, and I've been entertaining two sad boys who miss their dad.

Thanks to everyone that asked, yes I successfully completed my daycare re-licensure on Monday - sweet!!

Then I ended up with a sick kid at home (always happens when dad travels...) So, I spent the rest of the week playing both nursemaid and housekeeper. Washed more laundry than imaginable... disinfected surfaces, toys etc.

After missing nearly a week of school, I've now picked up all the work that he's missed, so the dining room is also serving as a little bit of a school room too.

Seriously, where is MY cape?!?!

In all seriousness though, this card is headed off to my son's teacher. She's really my superhero, after attending a field trip with the class last week! I was beat tired after just a half a day! I've had Super-Bella in my "collection" for far too long for that girl not to have had a good inking. I paired her up with some papers from October Afternoon and Cosmo Cricket for a little school house charm.

Please be sure to stop on over today to see all the creations for this week's Bellariffic Friday. The theme this week is BELLA! I can't wait to see all the original Bella's coming out to play, did you get a chance to play along? I hope so.. I'm off to check! Be sure to leave a comment on Emily's blog for a chance to win some Bella bucks!

A Flurry of Pure Innocence

Many of you fell in LOVE with the sweetness of the Pure Innocence line from My Favorite Things at the most recent release. I just *knew* they'd be a big hit. The great news is that the stamps that sold out at the release are now back in inventory!

This week, I took the boys over to AC Moore to pick up some new stickers - they were bummed out about their dad travelling, and they are often occupied with arts and crafts while I cook dinner, so it works out for both of us. Um....okay....it also allows me to tuck my head into the paper aisle. *giggle*

I found this adorable K&Co paper pack marked 50% off! Christmas paper that is pink, green and light blue?? How PERFECT for me! and on 50% off, love that.

I grabbed my light pink gingham ribbon from the MFT Perfect Plaid Ribbons assortment - if you hadn't noticed them yet, they are a gorgeous width, and tie quite nicely into a buttony bow!

Her little hat and boots are given a tuft of fluff with Liquid Applique and snow has been added to the scene with my chunky glass glitter. I'm okay with snow, so long as it is on my cards, and not in my yard!

Have a GREAT day and thanks for stopping by today!

MFT VIP Kit Returns! Available Today Only!

If you've been hopping along today then surely you've seen the big news,

My Favorite Things is bringing back the VIP Kit! And now, it will be made available to you TWO WEEKS ahead of its launch as a single stamp set.

If you've just stumbled into our little hop tonight, you'll want to to start up at Kim's blog so that you are sure to find all the eye candy tonight.

Today several of us on the Design Team have samples made using this adorable new stamp set. And you'll want to get shopping right away because there are only 45 VIP kits available, today (Wednesday only!!) and then you won't be able

to get your hands on it till the official stamp release in December!!

I would love to be just sittin' bloggin and enjoying an adult beverage while hubster took care of the cleaning. What a DREAM!

But since my sweetie is travelling on business this week, instead I spent the night sipping a glass of vino and stamping this card! I had so much fun (although my house... um is sort of a mess!)

I paper pieced the chair and ottoman and worked up a layout that gave me room for two kinds of ribbon and two trims too! But then, of course, I'd so loaded the outside of the card, that I had to add my sentiment to the inside of the card.

When you use a dark cardstock like MFT's Hot Fudge for your card base, you want to be especially sure to line the inside so that the inside of your card is ready either for your sentiment, personal message, or both!

It takes a few extra seconds to finish off the inside of your card, and I really think it gives such a nice finished touch!

You won't want to miss out on all the samples from the girls tonight. I'm SO excited that I get to link over to one of my best stampin' buddies Jody. How lucky am I to have one of my stamping idols now one of my closest friends?? I'll race you over to her blog to check out her project, if I know one thing, its that it will ROCK!

Peace on Earth with The Cat's Pajamas

Its TCP Tuesday today and this week's Hostess is Toni! Be sure to hop by to visit her for the full details on this week's inspiration challenge, and how YOU can participate for your chance to be named the TCP Swanky stamper and earn a little shopping spree!!

Toni also has some fun news to share, she's just completed her Bachelors Degree! YEAH TONI!!! Go give that girl some love okay?

I'm actually posting a card that I'd created for the launch of the The Cat's Pajamas Penguin Christmas from our most recent release instead of playing along with the challenge....

My hubster is travelling, and I'm a bit crazed trying to keep up with the boys all on my own this week. Oh, and I've GOT to get my act in gear for hostessing next week for Thanksgiving! YIKES!

I hope that you have a little more free time than me this week, and that you'll be able to play along in this week's challenge. I'm sure that lots of girls on the team will have eye candy for you based off of Toni's fun inspiration piece. Be sure to check out the Cat Pack (located on my sidebar over there ----> for links.)

My cool dude

I've got another Lollipop to share with you today... this little guy "Dylan" reminds me exactly of my seven year old, except, my little guy doesn't stand still with his ipod on, he dances, and sings, and is always be-boppin. Last year for Christmas, Santa brough him one of those teeny ipods and it is loaded up with his favorite music. It is a LIFESAVER in the car and he loves listening to it after lights out at night (it plugs into his clock radio.)

Little man has been so sweet to me while my husband is travelling this week. I got out of the shower this morning to find that he'd made my bed for me. Awww. He's also trying really hard to not fight with his little brother, which for me, is the greatest thing ever.

When he gets home from school, he's going to find this little dude waiting for him, with a little iTunes gift card tucked inside (I made a quick little pocket by stitching a piece of patterned paper on three sides.

You can find all of Lori Boyd's Lollipops HERE at Stamping Bella.

Have a wonderful day!

Lollipops in class

"Lollipop Lollipop, Oh Lolly-LollyLolly."

I can't help it, I sing it every time I stamp with them. I sing it every time I *think* about them.

If you han't noticed, I'm loving the Lollipops from Stamping Bella. So, I was super glad that this week's Bellariffic Challenge was a wild card so that I could continue to stamp with these cuties!

(Oops oh by the way, if you came here looking for my Friends With Flair Friday post - its just below. I've been busy this morning!!)

This little sweetie pie is Averie, and I just loved her adorable little tutu. I grabbed this fun piece of paper from Bella Boulevarde. I was HOOKED on this paper this spring, used it relentlessly, and was happy to run across another piece in my stash. Try as I might, I just couldn't cover it up with anything else. So, instead I stitched it. Around twice with the "drunk stitch" (that's what I call the intentionally crazy one...crooked on purpose... which if you know me and my OCD tendancies with just this sort of thing, is hard for me to do....)

As I was coloring in Miss Avery, I decided that not only was she tutu wearing, but that she was actually, AT ballet class. So I freehanded a ballet barre. But um, as I'm no illustrator, its not perfect, but you get the idea no?

I added some little freckles to her rosy cheeks too. Um, I love those Lollies, and I'm off to add a few that I didn't pick up last week into my cart. What was I thinking not scoffing up those baby bug ones too?

I'm pleased that my kid birthday stash is growing. And, of course, that in the meantime, these sweet babies are keeping me company.

Be sure to pop on by Blogabella today. Emily will have samples from all the Babes, as well as all the amazing samples you all contributed! You did play right? Because if you didn't.... you're missing out on the chance at free loot my friends!!

Friends with Flair Friday - Getting Ornamental

Happy Friday everyone!! Today I'm a chaperone for my son's first grade field trip to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. We're off to see a new exhibit about Mummies, on Friday the 13th EEKS!! How spooky!

I totally love playing along in Unity's Friends with Flair Fridays! Be sure to check the Unity Blog a little later this morning for the full list of stampers who are participating today...

I'm so lucky to have an LSS that caries Unity; Right at Home Scrapbooking, and on a recent excursion for some new ribbon, didn't this sweet paper from Crate Paper jump right into my shopping basket along with Unity's "Embellished Season."

The ornaments are all mix and match, so that you can stamp the ornament and then stamp the hanger. I inked up my ornaments and trimmed them out. The inked the hangers with Versamark and embossed with gold embossing powder for a little extra shine. They are "tied" onto my project with some jute twine and then given lots of shine with my Sakura Stardust pen. The sentiment was stamped to an ivory nestie diecut, and then sponged all around the edges.

But, I hadn't had enough fun yet, so I had to go for another one. For my second card, I stamped the polka dotted ornament to patterned paper, then added lots of glitter to each dot on the ornament.

I actually have several ornaments on my tree that look just like this! Although, admittedly, I hang my ornaments very securely on the tree with those hangery things. With the amount of kids in my house, hanging them from ribbons would **not** be advisable!

Thanks for stopping in today! Have a wonderful weekend!

A rough start, deserves a sweet card

I had high hopes for today being a nice, low key sort of day. Then I fell in the front door on my way back from the bus stop.

Luckily, the baby in my arms made a graceful landing on her bottom on the floor.

Me? I twisted my leg pretty badly, and it was stuck outside the house with the door closed on it.

Too bad it is still WAY too many hours early to enjoy a delicious pom-tini like my little penguin friend here.

Even still, this card makes me smile. Has some of my favorite elements - polka dots, sparkle, ruffled ribbon (YUM) stitched ribbon (any time I can use BOTH these ribbons on a card I'm a happy girl) and these SWEET new penguins from The Cat's Pajamas.

Have a great day, well at least a better day than me! *giggle*

He loves me....and so he stamped.....

I've been meaning to post this card for days... and its been crazy around here. My sweet husband planned a fancy dinner out with my parents, my brother and his girlfriend my sister and my brother in law. He booked the babysitter, too (that's become his thing, is to call the sitter and line it up, for some reason, it seems to cause me undue stress and anxiety... why? I have no idea, but yes, it does....)

So, at dinner, he presented me with a card, that he stamped himself.

Apparently, after I'd gone to bed, he sifted through my cabinets, and my desktop for supplies and stamped. Just look at all that he did to put together a card for me...this image on the front is an SU set, that I seriously don't know where he found... he must have been hard at work.

now, lets notice the details....

• There are many layers.
• He used dimensionals.
• He stamped both inside and outside the card.
• He went to what I call "the scary side" where I keep things like envelopes, and alterables to find an envelope to match, and then stamped it.
• He stamped my name on the outside of the envelope - and you'll note that since there is only one "n" in an alpha set, and two in my name, he had to double stamp!
• He inked up a cuttlebug folder, and used it as a stamp because he wanted a border, and couldn't find a border stamp. (ROTFL)
• He got to use brand new stamps from MFT and TCP before they were even released.
• He was careful not to use my Copic Markers - because he knows he's not certified (what's funny is that he knows that some people are, and he's always teasing me that I'm NOT!)
• He didn't break anything in the process. (like my big shot, he apparently stayed away from it, as he wasn't exactly sure what it does...)

Oh, I seriously love this man. Is this the sweetest thing?

Hop The Night Away - Celebrate the Holidays with TCP

I hope you've been having a great time hopping around through all the blogs on tonight's Holiday Hop for The Cat's Pajamas tonight - and that you're getting inspired for the holidays and seeing all the new releases! I've really enjoyed playing along with the newest stamp sets there are FIVE of them!!

If you've just jumped over here from Meredith's blog, then you're in the right place. If not, be sure to stop up by Susan's place so that you don't miss a THING along the way.

As it luck would have it...Meri, (who's blog you just came from...) is one of my oldest and dearest friends. We lived right next to each other in college, and now she lives just in the next town over.

She also, happens to be sickly addicted to paper, ink, and ribbon just like me!!!! Over the last few years, we've bemoaned the lack of Chanukah stamp sets available for her holiday cards. So, you can imagine how excited I was when I saw the beautiful designs that Alma came up with to fill just this need! This set "Shine Bright" is just so elegant, and I was thrilled to get to put together a card to celebrate its release!

As I was playing around with my TCP holiday stamp sets, I kept coming back to the image of the Menorah and the sentiment Shine Bright.

I kept wishing I had some silver cardstock to go with it, and then remembered, that I had this gorgeous German Glass Glitter "Glitzy" which is also being released this month. I took my diecut and ran it through my Xyron sticker machine. Then poured on the Glitzy. Aaaack, you can't even believe how sparkly it is in real life.

And since there are FIVE stamp sets being previewed this evening, how could I share only one? I have another sample with "Give A Little" a sweet Christmas set.

So... who's ready for a little Christmas Poochie? I seriously wish elves were delivering the presents under the tree. My four year old has a pretty extensive, and ahem, expensive list going on already, and its only early November. I'm dooooomed.

I am sure that no matter what holiday you celebrate, you'll find something fantastic in this month's release from The Cat's Pajamas.

You're almost to the end of the hop! The last stop on tonight's Holiday Hop is the sweet boss lady of us crazy cats herself ALMA!

A-choo!

I think by now, we've all got the basics down. Wash your hands, carry hand sanitizer...don't go to work if you're sick (duh!!??)

My boys have had their immunizations, I'm still on the hunt for an H1N1 shot for myself (like all the rest of you!)

In fact, I laughed because saw my son cough into your "elbow sleeve" in his sleep the other night. Wow. At mass, they've disbanded the handshake for the sign of peace. Its getting creepy, like something out of the movies no?

Each month, I send a packet of cards to my Aunt, and I thought this month, she could probably use some get well cards in her stash. I had Lisa Johnson's "On my Couch" set on my list at CHA this summer, but it sold out! So, when I shopped at the most recent release, of course, the sweet couch set just *had* to be mine.

I stamped the new Text Style 2 sentiment in white pigment ink to Pure Poppy cardstock, and finished the card off with some Spring Moss Bitty Boxes patterned paper. This is such a fun stamp set to work with, and sadly, I forsee needing a few of these this cold and flu season...

Have a great day, and pass the hand sanitizer....

A little morning "Apple For You"

Good morning! I can't believe that at 8:30 in the morning, I have something NEW to share that I made this morning. The boys woke up too early... way too early. But its okay, because now I've got a little cuteness to show for it!

I didn't get a chance last week to play with this adorable little Pure Innocence Image titled "Apple For You" from My Favorite Things. I'd pulled the reinkers for this project a few days ago, and they were patiently waiting on my table. As it turns out, a little water-coloring is a fun way to spend the morning while the boys watched cartoons.

I'm debating about adding a video tutorial for water-coloring, it all depends on if YOU girls are interested. If you happen to be interested in a tutorial please add a comment to this post so that I can gauge interest.

Between a sweet birthday present from a friend, and now a prize package I won on Moxie Fab, I happen to have several pieces of October Afternoon paper on my desktop. Which, is handy because I L-O-V-E the new collections. *grins*

Wishing you all a wonderful day! The boys have been up so long, that they're already hungry again, so I'm off to fill those hungry bellies! See you tomorrow!!

Cartoons and Lollypops

Saturday mornings mean one thing at my house, cartoons for the boys and stamping for me. This morning, it was Super Hero Rescue Squad for them and Lollypops for me!

My new order from Stamping Bella arrived yesterday, so I had my desk all cleaned for the occasion. I wanted to get STRAIGHT to playing this morning! I grabbed Gracie and Ethan for my first go.

I think that these stamps are going to make fab-u-lous birthday cards for my stash, I can always use more in my basket for the school age crowd.

Of course, my new Nook and Pantry paper from Basic Grey was also part of my order from Bella, so I couldn't wait to put it to good use!

Gracie was stamped to Bella's Bestest Paper with Memento ink then colored with Copics. I followed along with Linda's tutorial for coloring a Lollypop face, and was thrilled with the new markers she'd selected for me! **grins** thanks Linda!!

I used pretty much the same layout for my friend Ethan the skater boy, save for the ribbon. Instead, I opted for lots of distress ink to give him a rugged feel. You know, skater boys, and ribbon...umm. Not. So. Much.

My little guys love orange, so its always a go to color for me for any cards for their little friends. They haven't spied this little dude (I dare not call him a cutie, he might get offended... eh?) yet, so I might be able to surprise one of them with him! For my buddy Ethan, I used some My Minds Eye Oh

If you haven't yet spied the Lollypops, they are a new line of stamps illustrated by Lori Boyd for Stamping Bella and can be found HERE.

I'm off to set up bowl, spoons and juice glasses with the hopes that I might be able to squeeeeze in a quick project tomorrow morning too!