Christmas Cards!

So, as I told you I am making Christmas and Holiday cards for the Paper Pretties card swap. I was at Michael's two weeks ago where I picked up two wonderful paper packs of Holiday Prints. I bought the Provo Craft Holiday Slab V and The Christmas Stack with 1/2 Glitter! I love both of these paper pads, and I got them on sale when they were being offered at a discount. So far I have only cut into one sheet of paper, as you can see, but I plan on using much more. I began using the Penny Black stamps that just arrived, I really love these stamps, they are just so cute!
More Christmas and Holiday cards to come. I love doing things for others, don't you! I hope to make at least 15 different cards to send in depending on the coming weeks and how busy I become. I will try to update as I go with images of what I have been making. Plus, this weekend Bellaholics is hosting their stamping challenges so more cards are on the way! After a long stamping break I am back and better than ever!
Stamps: Penny Black 'Christmas Critters'; You Make Me Blush
Paper: Certainly Celery, Real Red, Whisper White, Holiday Slab V
Ink: Real Red, Garden Green, Creamy Caramel, Regal Rose
Prismacolor Pencils: light green, tan, red, silver, yellow

Embellishments: Celery Brads (Heidi's Eyelet Bulk Buy), 1/8 Green Organdy ribbon (also from Heidi's Bulk Buy)

New things!

I have been buying away over here....in fact I need to slow down but there are so many wonderful things to buy out there! I recently received two packages with some stamping goodies. First I ordered a Clip-It Up from the Bulk Buy Yahoo group I belong to. I love it! I have so many things that I never see because they are all stacked away somewhere but my new Clip-It Up has revealed to me the wonderful goodies I have. As of now I have organized my Clip-It Up to hold all of my acrylic sets (besides PaperTrey-they are in CD cases)from MFT, Penny Black, A*Muse, Stampendous, and Autumn Leaves; my Cuttlebug Embossing Folders, my SU! paper samples ring, my Bella baggies, sentiments, and invoices as well as all sorts of goodies I found laying around.

I love how this one simple devise helped me organize my desk, I still have many more messes to clean up, but one mess at a time!The other package I wanted to talk to you about is the stamps I received from HM Stamps! Have you ever visited the HM Stamps website? Dick is a wonderful guy who is nice enough to offer House Mouse, Happy Hoppers, and now Penny Black stamps at amazing prices. I ordered and pre-ordered stamps from the Penny Black line and I love them all! I have already begun stamping with the new Christmas stamps and I could not be happier with the new Penny Black designs. You will be seeing some of these cards most likely this weekend, so keep watching.

I am making cards for the Paper Pretties hosted swap to benefit Ronald MacDonald House and I am loving taking the time to make cards for others, if you have thought about joining and have stopped for some reason go forward and enjoy making cards for others!

Jody's New Share!

Have you visited Confessions of a Ribbon Addict today? If you haven't what is taking you so long? Jody has posted her newest share and this one is wonderful! Is it ribbon you ask? Nope, not this time. She is mixing it up with some sparkle. This share is all about GLITTER! GLITTER! and more GLITTER! She is offering two different types of glitter shares, each glitter comes in 1/4 ounce pots full of wonderful colors at great prices.

I highly recommend any share that Jody hosts, she is great at the turn around on every share she hosts and she keeps you up to date on everything. So go and visit...you may end up with some sparkle!

EDIT: I have updated the link, her blog link is also on under the 'Stamping Ladies' side bar under Jody (texasjodylynn). Sorry about the bad link!

They're at it again!

Paper Pretties is doing two wonderful things this month that I think need some mention. The card above is the monthly card for the August Box....isn't Veggieabella wonderful! First, Paper Pretties is celebrating National Card Making day on October 6th by gathering cards made by us to send to the Indianapolis Ronald MacDonald House. Here is Paper Pretties says about it:

We're at it Again!

National Card Making day is October 6th and since card making is all about using your Time, Talent and Thoughtfulness to bless others, Paper Pretties is holding a 3T swap. This is how it works. You send in 5 cards WITH ENVELOPES and you receive 1 card back made by the Paper Pretties design team. The 5 cards you send in will be donated to the Indianapolis Ronald MacDonald House.

In additon to this great idea and way to help a great cause, Paper Pretties with My Favorite Things is releasing a special limited edition Paper Pretties box! Here is all the information:

My Favorite Things in cooperation with Paper Pretties are very very excited to announce My Favorite Things' Minis on a Mission Think Pink Limited Edition Paper Pretties' Package. Kim and myself feel very strongly that it is so important to give back to our communities so 5.00 from the sale of each Paper Pretties Think Pink Limited Edition Package will be donated to support Breast Cancer Initiatives. We are so excited to have this opportunity for women to give back to women.

Breast cancer affects us all. Whether is a family member, a friend, a co-worker of even ourselves, we are not strangers to this disease that has claimed so many lives. We are also very excited at the leaps and bounds the health care industry has made toward finding a cure and celebrate with so many women around the world who have won the battle against Breast Cancer.

We are delighted to begin taking orders for these boxes immediately. They will be filled with wonderful goodies to make cards all with a, woman to woman theme and will begin shipping October 5th - NATIONAL BREAST CANCER AWARENESS DAY.

You can go to this link: http://littlepinkflowers.typepad.com/photos/limited_ed_extra_paper_pr/img_3093w.html to purchase the box. The box is 45.95 plus shipping and handling. Please note that the picture shown is not representative of the box you will receive it is only an example of what it may contain.

As well, we are giving you the opportunity to send a box to one of your friends FREE of charge. My Favorite Things and Paper Pretties will be sending out two boxes to two lucky recipients. Here's how you can enter someone special. We want you to leave a comment here nominating someone who has made a difference in your community. Please give us their name and tell us why you think they should receive this box. We will choose our two winners on October 5th and send their boxes out right after that!

Thank you so much for supporting us in our effort to make a difference in the lives of so many!

So go and support some great causes through some excellent companies!

Paper Pretties!

I received my Paper Pretties box just the other day! I have only begun playing with the goodies, and I do not have a card example to show you yet, but I am working on it! Hopefully this weekend I will get a chance to complete the card I started. I think that these boxes are getting better! Look at all that lovely Basic Grey paper and ribbons! Plus, Christie has even included some amazing charms for these cute cards. I keep seeing them everywhere, but I have yet to play with them myself. I will let you know the verdict on the charms after I play!

Next month I will also be receiving the My Favorite Things Petite Package, and I will let you know if I am as pleased with that offered size as I am with the Premium Package. This past weekend Paper Pretties also hosted Stamping In My Jammies, which was a huge success. I did not get to partake this time, but the cards that were created in three hours were remarkable! I can't wait for the next one....I plan on clearing my calendar and stamping the night away!

Bulk Buys!

I am such a sucker for Bulk Buys! I have two ladies who I always buy things from. Last week I received some awesome ribbon from Jody at Confessions of a Ribbon Addict. She hosts ribbon shares at least once a month, I highly recommend anything that she offers! The products are always high quality and at such great prices....who can resist when she makes a post about her next share. To make matters even better she is one of the nicest people I have met while stamping via the Internet. Jody will not steer you wrong when it comes to anything, make sure to stop by her blog if you haven't had the chance yet.
This is how the ribbon comes when you receive a package from Jody, each ribbon type is bundled together.....how can anyone turn down the opportunity to get their hands on this ribbon!

This is how I store my ribbon. I use doll pins and straight pins for easy storage and access. I have many photo boxes and I keep them organized by where I got the ribbon from and the type of print. Doesn't that ribbon look yummy!

Today I also receive some custom eyelets from the share the Heidi was offering through both SCS and her blog Hedgehog Ink. I know there are still spots left in her eyelet share, plus she is offering a brad share. I love these eyelets and I am sure the brads will be wonderful as well, so stop by if you can!

This is the storage solution I am using for the eyelets I received. The container was about $8.50 and is used for bead storage, they are carried at the A.C. Moore's near me as well as WalMart. I have also used the tic-tac storage type containers, either options are great and super simple!

London!

So I know I have been saying that images of my trip will be posted....but I have been so busy that I haven't had the chance to share everything with you! So today is the day, here are a bunch of images I took while in London in July. I loved the trip and I hope to go back one day, enjoy the pictures!

Gina K. Stamps!

Have you ever visited Gina K's stamping blog or her wonderful site? If you have yet to hear about Gina K. Designs I am here to tell you! Gina has all sorts of fun stamp to pick from, and many of them are interchangeable. Recently Gina revealed her Stamping For a Cause stamp set for the Make a Wish Foundation called "Make a Wish". For every stamp set that is purchased a donation will be made of $7 to Make a Wish Foundation. How wonderful is that! Awesome stamps and you help someone, how can you ask for more!?!
At her first reveal Gina's Stamping For a Cause set benefited Autism Speaks through the "Love you to pieces" set. It had 8 wonderful stamps with all sorts of puzzle pieces and wonderful words. I myself love that set to pieces! And now I have a new set to play with it! This weekend I created a few cards for the August Wish RAK card contest, one of which uses one of Gina's newest sentiments, and last night I made a 'Wishing you Well' card that I love (pictured above). So....do you know what that means? Sharing time!

If you haven't stopped by Gina's site, I would recommend at least looking at these wonderful stamps, you will not regret it! I know I don't!

More Paper Pretties!

I know I posted earlier this week with the June box and a card I made with it, so now it is time for the July box! PMSabella is in the house and she is munching down on some yummy goodies! Each box from Paper Pretties seems to use a different color combination and various goodies to match and coordinate wonderfully.

In fact, Christie has recently named a group of designers to help show case the versatility of the boxes that are being created. If you are unsure as to if you would like the box, I would recommend one of Christie's newest things....the Limited Edition Box! This is where you receive a Paper Pretties box (the full blown one) that will showcase one of the stamps Paper Pretties offers. I think of it as a test drive if you will, a is this a good investment trial. When you think about the cost of the SU! boxes these are far better. Newer supplies, larger variations, paper crafting tools, everything needed to make 6 cards, and fun fresh stamps! Where can a girlie go wrong?

Plus each package is designed to create the same card 6 time over, or you can spice it up by mixing and matching everything! Above is the card that the kit was crafted to create 6 of. Look at those colors! Do you want to know my favorite part to this card? Its the 'flock'! Have you heard of 'flock'? I love this stuff, it adds dimension and texture to the card simply! All I did was use the roller ball glue pen that came with the box and sprinkle some 'flock'. I am thinking about buying some in more colors from the Paper Pretties Corner Store!

The second card is what I came up with from the remaining supplies. I kept it simple, without flock this time, but I think it looks clean. Everything seen on these cards came in the box, besides the markers used to color in the images.

I also want to say that this is how I feel about these boxes, I honestly can not get enough of them! If you decide you have any questions or concerns about the boxes offered, please just ask! I would love to help anyone out in anyway I can. If you do sign up and you heard about Paper Pretties through my blog, please let Christie know that I sent you!

Have a great weekend! I plan on doing some stamping, so you should see another post soon!

Paper Pretties!

I know I have said very little about Paper Pretties recently, but that was because I had not gotten my June box yet. But wonderful news! I not only received my June box but also my July box and the August box is going to be shipped to me soon! I am in a Paper Pretties Party! I know that you may have heard things both good and bad recently about Christie and her new company Paper Pretties, but I would like to clear up a few things and show you my June box. There was a shipping issue with some of the products that were ordered for the June box, which caused the delay. To be honest my box has been here for at least 2 weeks, possibly longer but I have been to busy to post about it. Even with some product issues Christie has out done herself with these boxes! I swear these boxes get better and better as I receive them! I love her boxes so much that I also signed up for the My Favorite Things 'Petite Box'. My first month with a 'Petite Box' will be September and I am thrilled! So without further ado...her is what the June box included:Doesn't all those goodies look yummy! I love the new products I get with these boxes. For June I got some glitter, some jewels, and some diamond glaze! I love each and every thing...and the papers....YUMMMMY! She also includes such fun ribbon that coordinates beautifully with everything included in the box.

I made the card as directed for the box, designed by Christie:

Isn't that card adorabella! I love my new Cruisabella! You can't really see it here, but the entire card is all glittered out....pimping Bellas ride with bling and sparkle! Here is my own creation from the June Box goodies:

I will post about the July box later this week, I also made the example and my own creation. I love these boxes. To be honest one thing I love the most about Paper Pretties is how Christie handles things. Her customer service is wonderful, I have been lucky enough to get some wonderful products from her store, I have won a few give-a-ways, and I have been able to chat with Christie. She is a marvelous person, I would recommend her and her company, yes there are a few bumps in the road to greatness, but it makes life worth living!

I also plan on posting pictures from my trip and a few reviews of some stamping companies out there who are also giving their customers wonderful service!

Fun Finds!

Hello Ladies! I know I have been absent from my blog, but I have been experiencing some 'issues' with my laptop. On the bright side my computer is under warrenty and HP is a wonderful company....on the down side I received my computer back yesterday and there is something wrong with my USB ports so I have to ship it out to them again! Not fun at all, but they will fix it and I will have a working computer.

I discovered the problem only about 2 hours ago (this problem not last months problem) when I tried to upload some pictures onto my computer from my camera. I know I have not been keeping you posted on what I have been up to so I wanted to post about my shopping finds today! Listen to what I have found recently!

Last Sunday while waiting for my Dad and Brother my Mom and I walked to the Rag Shop next to our favorite Diner. It turns out that my Rag Shop is closing and everything was on sale, including fixtures! So I did what any reasonable stamper/scrapper would do....I bought something! I was able to purchase 2 12x12 paper racks! My mom and I picked them up last night and one is all ready set up and organizing my paper. I LOVE it! I have another one, that will fit on top, but I don't want to block my windows, so I am unsure what to do with it at this time.

Doesn't it look wonderful! Such a great use for space and my paper will not warp on me any more. So Happy about that!

Now onto today's find.....a fiskars rotary paper cutter! The best part is that it was only $7 and it has been used only a few times. What a wonderful shopping day that was!

I haven't been posting a lot but I hope to fix that, I will be posting with pictures of both my Paper Pretties boxes (June & July) later today as well some of the packages I have received.

YAY!

I am home again! Did you all miss me? I know I missed chatting with some of you wonderful ladies! I arrived home on Sunday but I am still tired. I know I have yet to post any pictures but they are coming! I am currently having issues with my computer, but ones those are resolved I will be posting some stunning images that I took while on my trip. I visited London and all different places in Scotland. I also stood in line for the Harry Potter final book while in Edinburgh...yes it took me about 8 hours or so to complete it....I loved it! Of course I had issues with a few things, as most avid readers do, but it was a wonderful ending to a very complex tale. If you have yet to read the Harry Potter series I highly recommend it...it was such a wonderful tale!

Now on to bigger and better things! I have decided to host a Prima Share! Are you ready for it?

These are the new Prima Spite #2s and I think they are wonderful! I will be selling them in two different ways:

Full Package:

One package of each color shown above

$48.oo plus shipping

Half Package:

One half of each color shown above

$24.00 plus shipping

I think the shipping will be $6.50 for the full and $4.10 for the half, that will be priority shipping for both. Please let me know if you are interested. I can and will only take orders until the 2nd as this order needs to go out on the 3rd. I can be e-mailed at babitoons@gmail.com and my paypal account is babitoons@aol.com , please leave a detailed description of what you want if you paypal me directly. Thank you! Have a wonderful day ladies!

More Weekly WInners!

Can you believe it is time for more weekly winners at A*Muse-A-Palooza! These ladies are super lucky...are you them?

And now, more random registration winners!
Prize 1: A Muse Simple Wishes Clear Stamp Set
Congratulations Prize 1 winner.....
Erin Bassett
....................................................................
Prize 2: Marvy Extra Jumbo Scallop Heart punch & Colorbox Queue Chalk Ink – Sand Dunes
Congratulations Prize 2 winner.....
Rachel Benjamin

Last Challenge!

The last challenge for A*Muse-A-Palooza was announced! I hope I have enough time to enter this one, it sounds like a blast!

We've reached week ten in our countdown to A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA!! Your design challenge this week is to create anything but a card. Some ideas include name frames, scrapbook pages, ATCs, bookmarks, altered notebooks, paint cans, clipboards, and wine tags! You may use your choice of ink, papers, colors, stamps (please use at least one A Muse stamp if possible), & embellishments.
Leave a comment on this post (one comment per project) and include a blog or gallery page link to a photo of your new original creation by midnight Pacific time Sunday, July 8th. (Projects must be new creations not previously posted or submitted to any A Muse contest.) Then we'll draw a random winner on Monday!
This week, the winner will receive a "Happy Camper Kit" from A Muse including 7 wood-mounted stamps!
You may submit more than one entry for this challenge - the more you create, the more chances you have to win!

More Classes

I wish I lived in an area that hosted some of the wonderfully instructed classes. A*Muse has posted where another instructor will be:

Join A Muse Instructor, Michelle White for "Make & Takes" at Stamp Diego in El Cajon, CA featuring brand new A Muse stamps! She will have some great A Muse goodies to give away, as well as a limited number of goodies bags from A Muse. There will also be yummy treats to eat! Check out her blog for details!

Random Winner

I am loving how A*Muse runs their festivities! Another randomly selected winner was picked for some goodies. "We picked another random winner from the Ambassador registrations! This week the winner will receive: "So classic" kit including Black Argyle Band notes and Class Dress stamp!
Congratulations.....MJ WESTON !"

Challenge #9 Winner!

Have you seen any of the updates on the A*Muse blog recently? Did you see who won? Heather P won for submitting a wonderful ribbon card! I just love ribbon....don't you!

Happy Day!

Happy 4th of July everyone! I hope you get to take a break from the daily grind and get to play with either your stamps or your family. Have a wonderful day all! Here is one of the cards I made for the Wish RAK birthday celebration a few weeks ago. I have to get back to stamping...don't you think!

Also, just so you know I will be going on vacation for 10 days in July. I leave for London on the 12th so I may go missing, but I do plan on posting some pictures of my trip when I get the chance. Have a wonderful 4th!

Ribbon and Gifts!

As I posted yesterday I received some amazingly gorgeous ribbon from Jody on Wednesday! I took part in her June Mays Arts ribbon share. I ordered the Polka-Dot Grosgrain and the Variegated Stripped Ribbon....I love, love, LOVE it all! I honestly took it out of the box(it comes all nicely bundled) and stretched it around me. This ribbon is amazing! I only wish I took the time to order more. Jody's shares are always worth it and I look forward to the next one! If you have never visited her blog I think you should check it out Confessions of a Ribbon Addict for her next share....I know she must have something up her sleeve for July!

Not only did I receive the ribbon I ordered, but Jody took the time to make me a stunning card(this picture does not do it justice!) and send me some yummy Pink Grapefruit Shimmer Lotion from Bath & Body Works! I was not expecting anything of the sort and I am ever so thankful for the thought and kindness! There are some people who are wonderful to get to know and Jody is by far one of those individuals. Jody, once again thank you for taking the time to think about me, it really made my day!

Post before Bed!

I just realized (at midnight!) that I never posted the goodies I got from my $20 SGF from Heather's swap on SCS. I received all sorts of fibers, pads, a wonderful SU! background stamp, Jelly Belly Jelly Beans, Stampingbella, StazOn Opaque, and millions of Fluffle stickers! So here they are! I got so many goodies that I don't know how to contain myself :) Plus the ribbon I ordered from Jody showed up yesterday with a little something extra. I will post all about that tomorrow...but for now, enjoy all my goodies!