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Go buy some shirts!!! http://www.zazzle.com/vz5dzh*. Hee hee. Good through 7/26.

What I have been up to

Been awhile! My kids have taken up BMX racing. I haven't been doing a lot of stamping lately. Just a few things that I need to take pictures of. My latest creative endeavor has been working on the new designs for MI Mingle Gear. Right now all of the designs that are loaded are non-mingle specific so they are great for any stamper, shopper, or person who chats online. This year we have help with some of the designs. Some of them were done by a mingler's husband. His name is Gus Calandrino and he gave us some really funny stuff. Check them out and tell your friends. The money raised from sales helps fund our MI Mingler gatherings.


create & buy custom products at Zazzle

Green

I don't think I have posted this one. It is very green. I was playing with my copics on it.

Simple Elegance

Isn't it purty?

Nice Bag!

So I am totally on this bag making kick lately. Can you tell? We will be making these bags at our next stamp camp. Same theory as the other bags below, but in an effort to save on sticky strip I put the DSP inside the base instead of putting it on the outside and covering the bottom with the scalloped piece. I also scored the DPS on these so that it fits nicely in the base. This makes them quite boxy though.

A Tisket, A Tasket, A Brown and Yellow Basket

As I was prepping for the big mingle last weekend I decided I wanted to put my secret stamper gift into a handmade bag of some sort. I started playing with the box bags that were so popular a few months back. The first one I made I ended up using as the bag for my handmade door prize. I didn't get a picture before I left, but it is similar to the one below.

For this basket I started with an 8.5 X 11 sheet of cardstock and scored it at 2" on all for four sides. Then I folded it and made the box bottom as you would with the box bags. For the patterned paper I cut a 12 x 12 sheet in half and wrapped the two pieces around my base. Then I added some scalloped trim around the bottom and a handle.

Here is another that I made, but on this one I cut the base down to 6.5 X 9 and then scored at 2" on all four sides. The patterend papers were cut to 6 x 9 instead of 6 x 12. On this one I made a coordinating notepad and pen. I stuck that inside along with some goodies for my co-organizer buddies.

*tap, tap, tap* Is this thing on?

Whoa I disappear for like 2 months and no one even notices. Waaaaaa! But that is ok really. I have been busy. My daughter confiscated my camera card and jump drive thingy so I had lost the pictures I took and then the month of March was just insane. I haven't had a month like this stamping-wise ever. Two workshops, two stamp camps and the Michigan Mingle, which I am a co organizer for. Now that is all over I can get back to normal. I found my camera card in my daughter's coat pocket after I washed it, but luckily it survived. So today I bring you the last swaps I did for Jami. This was a new catty swap I think that was due back in February.



This one features the Thoughts & Prayers stamp set. I love this set! We had to use a new set and one of the color combos from the style watch section of the catalog.

This card is with Garden Greetings. Something kept drawing me to this stamp set. I think it is very versatile. You can stamp the flowers in different colors or you could stamp them in black and color them in. There are also a good variety of sentiments with this set. For this card we had to use a new stamp set with a spring color combo.

For this round we had to use some of the new embellishments. My assignment was the corduroy buttons. They are so YUMMY! I also used the new Cheap Talk set on this card and some of the Good Morning Sunshine DSP.

I've Been Lazy

I did this card a couple of weeks ago and I even took pictures of it back then too. No, it wasn't before Christmas, it was after. But the point is that I have had this sitting on my memory card forever and I have been too lazy to get it out and post it. Sorry.

I don't own this stamp set. I got this image from an image swap. This is a great set though and I wish I would've gotten it. I colored it with my copics. And the berrys are done with Liquid Pearls. Maybe I will send this card out next Christmas.

While I was being lazy I got this award. It came from Ilse. I love finding out people I don't know look at my blog. Thanks Ilse! Ilse has some new goodies and has been playing with them over there so check it out! I am supposed to nominate 10 other blogs, but you know me. I am still being lazy so if you stop by here and see this consider yourself nominated and feel free to pass it on.

You Rock!

This was my valentine for a Jami swap on SCS. I had fun with this one and really like how it turned out. The inside says You Rock! That is my kind of valentine. I don't do well with mushy gushy cards.

Guess what is coming to my house today?

The new Stampin' Up! Spring/Summer Catalog!!! I think the kids are eating McD's for dinner tonight.

In honor of that I thought I would show you a card I made using a new hostess set that is in the new catalog. This one is called Rustic Rooster. I like Roosters. I've got them in my kitchen. I've got fruit too, but I would rather just have roosters.

She's Alive!

I didn't plan to take over a month off from blogging. I just got busy and sidetracked and blogging went to the back burner. But I did manange to make a few cards, mostly in the last week or two. I've got about a weeks worth and then I need to get busy again.

While I was on a blog vacation I spent some time coloring images with copics. This is one that I did. This image doesn't lend itself to a lot of blending, but I still think it turned out cute. I love snowmen. This one I believe is by Penny Black. I got him at Hobby Lobby. The asterisk type images in the background are from a CTMH set.

Some Awards

During my Christmas Cardapalooza I was given some awards and I finally getting around to posting about them.

First off was this Kreativ Blogger Award from my pal Patty at PaperPatty. Patty and I have known each other through SCS for a few years now. We used to do the twisted & demented swaps and then I met her at regionals one year and somehow we ended up as some of the organizers for the SCS Michigan Mingle.

When you get this award you have to follow these rules...
1. put the logo on your blog (if you choose)
2. put a link to the person that sent you the award
3. nominate 5 blogs
4. put links to their blogs
5. leave messages for your nominees

I'm going to nominate some of the people over at 30 something bloggers... so here it goes.

Images by Ashleigh

Greeble Monkey

Cinnamon and Honey

Loralee's Loney Tunes

Fabulously Out There

I also received this award from Dawn Marie. She is another Michigan gal. And she is a sweetie.

This award means that this blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY- nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming.These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends.They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers.

Thanks Dawn Marie!

I've got some other blogging friends that I want to pass this one on to and here they are:

Tales from a Domestic Briefcase

Paper Delightz

Stamp on This

About a Girl

Stampin and More with Crystal

Phew! Now I need to go tell all these people.

Christmas Cardapalooza Day 10

I saved my favorite for last... No, actually I just uploaded them in the order they were on my hard drive. This beauty features To You & Yours again. The colors are Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, and Shimmery White. The designer paper is from the Ski Slope pack. We added some Dazzling Diamonds glitter to the rooftop with a two way glue pen.

Well, that is the last of them. I hope you enjoyed them and if you didn't already have a design picked out for your Christmas cards this year, maybe they inspired you.

Christmas Cardapalooza Day 9

This card uses another set I borrowed from my dear pal Crystal, To You & Yours. The colors are Sahara Sand, Basic Black, and Shimmery White.

Christmas Cardapalooza Day 8

Mr. Twigster is on the scene! We stamped him on Confetti White in Basic Brown and added some color with markers. The colors were taken from the Frosty Day papers, Bashful Blue and Tangerine Tango.

Christmas Cardapalooza Day 7

For this card we used a snow flake from Snow Burst to make a wreath. The colors are Riding Hood Red, Always Artichoke and Kraft. The direct to paper technique was used on the card base for texture and along the edges of the main image.

Happy Turkey Day! Gobble Gobble!!!

Christmas Cardapalooza Day 6

I cased myself for this one. Just switched it up a little. Snow Swirled is the stamp set. Colors this time are Old Olive, Basic Black, and Very Vanilla. The designer paper is from the Ski Slope pack. We added some Dazzling Diamonds glitter with a 2-way glue pen, but it is kind of hard to see here.

Christmas Cardapalooza Day 5

This card is done with the Season of Friendship set that is in the Holiday mini. The colors are Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, and Whisper White.

Christmas Cardapalooza Day 4

This card features the A Flower for All Seasons set that I borrowed from my pal Crystal (thanks Crystal!) and the sentiment was done with Fundamental Phrases. Colors are Certainly Celery, Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip. The image is stamped on the Naturals White cardstock with black stazon and colored with SU! markers. The designer paper is from the Holiday Treasures collection.

Christmas Cardapalooza Day 3

Simple, yet effective. This card has a Kraft card base and the colors are Real Red and Garden Green. The Curly Label punch was used along with the Cute & Curley stamp set.