Rockin' in the New Year 2008!

Five, four, three, two, one . . .

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Did you all stay up until midnight to ring in the New Year 2008? It was a nice, quiet New Year's Eve for us, with an early dinner and a movie...and then while DH watched football, I spent some time in my craft room watching Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve! I even got to see the eco-friendly ball drop! :)

This rockin' card was created especially for the sketch challenge on MJ Albright's blog, Beauty Lies Within. Her blog is fabulous, plus she's giving away blog candy, so you'll want to rock on over there and check it out! :) Sketch challenges are SO fun and just the creative spark I need at times. Thanks to MJ and to all the super bloggers who create these sketches for us to enjoy!

On to my rockin' monkey card... :) I hope you like it and that it makes you SMILE! Now, for some details... it's a 4-3/4" square with Stampin Up Chocolate Chip for the base. I've layered on designer paper from a K & Company stack... a double-sided paper and I've used both sides of it. When Hobby Lobby had their stamps half price, I picked up this rockin' rubber stamp by Stampendous ~ Changito Pair. The "you rock" sentiment is from a $1 acrylic Studio G set from Michaels. I stamped it with Versafine Vintage Sepia and embossed it with a detail clear embossing powder.

As Dick Clark said... "from the bottom of my heart, I wish you a happy, healthy New Year!

Smiles, Pam :)

Supplies ~

Stamps: Stampendous - H235 Changito Pair, Studio G - you rock

Paper: "Wild Saffron" by K & Company, Stampin Up Chocolate Chip, Wild Wasabi

Ink: Versafine Black Onyx, Versafine Vintage Sepia, Stampendous detail clear embossing powder

Other: brown eyelet & brad, green grograin ribbon, prismacolor pencils, Stampin Up small and large oval punches, stitching with Janome Sew mini

Quote for Today ~

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day." ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Cuddle in Snow!

Doesn't this image just warm your heart?! It's "Cuddle in Snow" by Penny Black and one that I purchased from my favorite eBay seller Michelle at "Stamper's Dream".

What do you think of this color combination? I love this bright flowery snowflake paper from my DCWV Christmas Glitter Stack, but did struggle a little with toning it down so the image was the focal point and not the background. I think I accomplished it by layering on a piece of polka dot coordinating paper and allowing only small portions of the bright flowers showing.

Best of all, I used my new rectangle "Nestibilities" for this card! I love them and the professional layered look you get. I have the ovals and rectangles and now I want the circles and squares too! Oh my, will it ever end?! :)

The image was colored with prismacolor pencils and blended with gamsol. I was going to add diamond glitter Stickles, but forgot to do it before I took the photo. There is some glitter in the background paper so it would nice for the image to have some sparkle too.

Did you check out that cute little flower tag? The sentiment is punched out with a 3/4" circle and I had originally layered it with the 1" circle. It just wasn't quite right and I was checking to see if I had a 7/8" circle when I spotted the flower punch and thought to try it. I really like how it matches the scalloped edge around the image. It was pure luck, I tell ya! :)

Well, now I need to get busy and put away all the Christmas decorations and get the house back in order in time to bring in the New Year! Hopefully, I will be back to stamping later today!

Wishing you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR filled with many reasons to SMILE!

Supplies ~
Stamps: Penny Black - Cuddle in Snow, TAC Tag Tidbits
Paper: DCWV Glittler Christmas Stack, Stampin Up Wild Wasabi, Bashful Blue
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
Other: Stampin Up small flower punch, Wild Wasabi stitched ribbon, prismacolor pencils, gamsol, Spellbinders Nestibilities, stitching with Janome Sew Mini

Quote for Today ~
"Winter is on my mind, but eternal Spring is in my heart." ~ Victor Hugo

Elzybell Winter Girl Thank You Card ~

This sweet little Elzybell "Winter Girl" image was mailed to me by a stampin friend in Minnesota. Thanks Tami! :) Now I keep going to the Elzybells Art Stamps website and wishing I had more of these cute stamps!

When Tami sent the image it had already been punched out with a scallop punch. I have the Marvy Uchida giga scalloped punch and it was just slightly larger than hers. The layers are Stampin Up real red and garden green cardstock. They seem to coordinate best with this patterned paper from my DCWV Christmas Glitter Stack. The card is a traditional 4-1/4 x 5-1/2 folded at the top.

I've noticed many blogs are posting Valentine's or "Springy" cards and I'm anxious to make some myself, but I'm still trying to use all my wintry images. Thank you all for stopping by and stay tuned for some SNOWMAN cards later! Have a warm and wonderful day! Smiles, Pam :)

Supplies ~
Stamps: Elzybell Art Stamps, Ltd - Winter Girl, TAC tag tidbits
Paper: Stampin Up - real red, garden green, DCWV Christmas Glittler Stack
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, detailed embossing powder, SU garden green
Other: Red brads, ribbon, stitching, diamond glitter Stickles, emboss pen, white embossing powder

Quote for Today ~

Take care of the minutes and the hours, and the years will take care of themselves. ~ unknown

Another Winter Song ~

My favorite LSS is hosting an Elzybell card contest and this will be my entry. Please wish me *luck* because the prize is a gift certificate to the store! :)

I love this sweet little image and think it fits perfectly on the mega circle punch. This card is 4.75" square and quite similar to one that I made earlier this month. I used the same layout and changed the paper. Actually, I just found this plaid background paper in my DCWV Christmas stack and noticed it coordinated with the paisley paper.

I've colored the image with prismacolor pencils and highlighted with diamond stickles. It's hard to see in the photo, but I've also white embossed the fur on Elzy's hat and coat.

Thank you dear friends for stopping by my blog today! I appreciate your comments and wish you a warm and wonderful winter day! Smiles, Pam :)

Supplies ~
Stamps: Elzybells Art Stamps - A Winter Song, PapertreyInk-Holiday Treats
Paper: DCWV Glitter Christmas Stack, Stampin Up real red
Ink: Versafine black onyx, SU real red
Other: red/white polka dot ribbon, light blue brad, mini tag-Make it Possible Holiday Wishes Stax, prismacolor pencils, diamond Stickles, Zig Emboss pen, Ranger seafoam white embossing powder, zig-zag stitching with Janome Sew Mini, Marvy Uchida mega circle & giga scalloped punches.

Poem for Today ~

I heard a bird sing

In the dark of December

A magical thing

And sweet to remember.

We are nearer to Spring

Than we were in September,

I heard a bird sing

In the dark of December.

--Oliver Herford

Noble Deer Birthday Wishes!

This card was made for our son's 27th birthday coming up on Jan 7th. Andrew is an avid outdoorsman so this image was perfect for him.
The card is a traditional 4-1/4 x 5-1/2" size, but I have cut 2" off the front flap. The patterned paper is layered with chocolate chip and stitched together. As you can see by the photo, the image overlaps the front flap. The patterned paper on the back flap is only 2" wide so there was plenty of space to stamp the sentiment to the left.

The second photo is of a gift card tin that I found at Hobby Lobby and decorated to coordinate with his birthday card. The screw brads look realistic, as if they are screwed into the tin. Actually, they are only through the cardstock and then it is all fastened to the tin with the red double sided tacky tape.

Supplies ~

Stamps: Stampin Up Noble Deer, Everyday Flexible Phrases, Expressive Flexible Phrases
Paper: Basic Grey Hang 10, SU Chocolate Chip, Kraft
Ink: Versafine Sepia, Clear Embossing Powder
Accessories: twine, brads, eyelets, magic mesh

O Christmas Tree!

This morning I took a photo of my living room Christmas tree so I could show my dear friend Donna in Oregon. She sent me a beautiful ribbon ornament and I wanted her to see how perfectly it coordinated with the colors on my tree. Anyway, I thought you might all like to see it too . . .

Happy Day After Christmas! Are you going out shopping the SALES? I'm staying home and enjoying the day in my craft room. :)

Christmas Trivia for Today ~

O Christmas Tree!
O Christmas Tree is a traditional German Christmas Carol. The author of the lyrics is unknown as is the composer of the lyrics. The tradition of bringing a tree inside at Christmas and decorating it with candy, baubles and bells was started in the nineteenth century and is immortalized in the carol O Christmas Tree lyrics.

Christmas JOY & PEACE ~

Wishing you all a very MERRY Christmas!!!

Today was such a relaxing and enjoyable day spent with our son and daughter in law, Andrew & Jami. They were here bright and early to open gifts and then we spent the day together... eating, playing with our new "toys", eating, watched the movie "Christmas Story", took a little snooze and ate some more! :)

Jami and I both received some AWESOME new papercrafting toys. She got the CRICUT and Cuttlebug and I got some NESTIBILITIES dies!!! :) So we spent the afternoon trying them all out and she showed me how the Cricut works. Can you believe I've never seen one in action?! It's just incredible all the things it can do! This COOL die-cut Christmas card is one she made today and I found it on my keyboard after they had gone home. She (and Andy) wrote a lovely thank you note in it before they left. Isn't that SWEET?! [attached is a photo of them this morning with our 'grandpuppy' Ber. ]

We really missed having our daughter Katie here for Christmas, but did get to talk to her on the phone a couple times and wish her "Mele Kalikimaka". And, guess what?! She bought us tickets to visit her in Hawaii next month!!! :) Insert BIG huge smile! :)

I hope you've all enjoyed this special day as much as I have. Christmas Blessings to you and yours!

A Christmas Prayer ~

Lord Jesus, Wise men travelled for miles to bring you the first Christmas presents. So may we, too, remember with thankful hearts the love that comes with each present we open. We also thank you for the amazing love you have for each of us, and we thank you for the many gifts that you give us. Amen

Wonderful Cards from My Creative Friends!

Thank you to all my dear and special friends who took the time to send me all these incredibly beautiful handcrafted Christmas cards. They are all tremendous works of art and I appreciate them SO very very much!

And to those of you who didn't get cards sent out, let me say "I understand!", because I am with you! I had great intentions, but at this point I can see it just isn't going to happen this year. I'm really hoping now that I'll get Valentines sent out instead! :)

Now to quote one of my favorite Penny Black Christmas sentiment stamps . . .

May this joyous Season fill your home with love, your heart with hope, and our world with peace. God's blessings! ~ Pam :)

My Christmas Wish For You!

My Christmas wish for you, my friend

Is not a simple one

For I wish you hope and joy and peace

Days filled with warmth and sun

I wish you love and friendship too

Throughout the coming year

Lots of laughter and happiness

To fill your world with cheer

May you count your blessings, one by one

And when totaled by the lot

May you find all you've been given

To be more than what you sought

May your journeys be short, your burdens light

May your spirit never grow old

May all your clouds have silver linings

And your rainbows pots of gold

I wish this all and so much more

May all your dreams come true

May you have a Merry Christmas friend

And a happy New Year, too! ~ unknown

Christmas Peace to One and All!

Where has this past week gone?! I'm sure most of you are wondering the same thing. Life is especially busy this time of year and there are never enough hours in the day for everything we want to accomplish.

I haven't stamped all week, other than making a few gift tags. For the first time ever, I applied to a design team and didn't make the cut. It shouldn't bother me, but it did take the wind out of my sails for a few days.

This card I made tonight was super simple and the image speaks for itself. I wasn't sure what colors to use, so settled on basic black and white. Hopefully, the simplicity evokes a peacefulness.

Wishing you all a blessed Christmas filled with love, joy and peace.

Hugs & Smiles, Pam :)

Supplies ~

Stamps: Peace - Penny Black

Paper: Stampin Up Basic Black, White

Ink: Versafine Black Onyx, Stampendous Detail Clear Embossing Powder

Other: white brads, white/black polka dot ribbon

Quote for Today ~

"Peace on earth will come to stay, when we live Christmas every day." - Helen Steiner Rice

Elzybell Sprinkles Snowflakes!

Hi friends! Here is my latest Elzybell creation! I got a late start tonight and it's way past my bedtime now, so I'll post all the details tomorrow night. Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Smiles, Pam :)

Quote for Today ~

"Christmas is not just a day, an event to be observed and speedily forgotten. It is a spirit which should permeate every part of our lives." ~William Parks

Colorful Holiday Cheer!

When I finished this card I showed it to hubby and he said, "Wow, that's colorful!" :) I'm not sure it was a compliment, but I'll just consider it one. ;)

The process I go through to create a card is really rather humorous, and perhaps somewhat entertaining. :) I started off with a completely different patterned paper with wild wasabi and purely pomegranate cardstock. I then selected the rubber stamp, stamped it with wild wasabi and versamark and embossed with clear detail embossing powder. This made the image darker, so then I matted it with garden green instead and changed my mind on the patterned paper too! LoL I'm sure you get the picture...

Have you had a good weekend? I hope so! It went WAY too FAST for me! Yesterday, was such a busy day with the Christmas party and today I slept later than I should have. This afternoon, I went to work to decorate a smiley face tree in my office. I forgot my camera, but will take a photo tomorrow so you can see it. :)

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Holiday Smiles, Pam :)

Supplies ~

Stamps: tree - Inkadinkado, holiday cheer sentiment - PapertreyInk - Holiday Treats set.

Paper: KI Memories - Christmas Simple Stripe, Christmas Petite Pop, Stampin Up - garden green, wild wasabi, purely pomegranate.

Ink: SU wild wasabi, purely pomegranate, Versamark, Stampendious clear detail embossing powder.

Other: misc pink brads, M's ribbon, 1-1/4, 1-3/8, 1-1/2" circle punches, stitching with Janome Sew Mini.

Quote for Today ~

"At Christmas, play and make good cheer, for Christmas comes but once a year!" - Thomas Tusser

Happy Holidays from Mrs Claus!

What a FUN day! I had the pleasure of being "Mrs. Claus" for our company Children's Christmas Party. I've done it for several years and thoroughly enjoy seeing the children's excitement and energy. Usually they get their picture taken with Santa, but this handsome little guy wanted his picture taken with me. Isn't that sweet? :)

There were several hundred in attendance and Santa and I were busy for nearly 3 hours as families stood in line for their photo. Our youngest was a 2 week old baby all the way up to teenagers! Many of them dress up in their fancy Christmas outfits and look so adorable. We had three cute little girls who left a letter with Santa and one gave him a jingle bell. :) As always, there were several small children that screamed and wanted no part of sitting on Santa's lap!

It is really quite a BIG party with games, refreshments and gifts for all the children. I'm happy I can be a part of it as it really puts me in the Holiday Spirit!

Now, I think I'm going to wrap up a few Christmas gifts and clean up my stamping room! I hope to have a new card to post for you tomorrow! Holiday Smiles, Pam :)

Quick Holiday Gift Packaging!

Can you believe it's only 17 days until Christmas?!

Last night after work, I stopped at Target to do a little shopping and found these terrific felt gift bags in the $1 section! Aren't they adorable? And best of all ~ an EASY way to wrap a gift! All I did was stamp the tag, tie it on, and they are ready to go! Well, I suppose I should find something to put in them...although I think they are a gift in themselves!! :)

Now, I better run as I'm helping at our company's children's Christmas party today ~ in full costume as "Mrs. Claus"! :) I've done it for several years and it's such FUN! Maybe I'll post a picture later just for laughs. Have a Happy Weekend! Smiles, Pam :)

Tag Supplies ~

Stamps: PapertreyInk "Holiday Treats"

Paper: Stampin Up white, real red, glorious green

Ink: Stampin Up real red, glorious green

Other: eyelet, 3/4, 1-1/4, 1-3/8 circle punches, scalloped punch, red dmc floss, ribbon

Quote for Today ~

"Let's approach Christmas with an expectant hush, rather than a last-minute rush." - unknown

'Tis The Season!

HO HO HO! 'Tis the season for creating Christmas cards! :)

The JOY image on tonight's card was sent to me sometime ago by my friend Michelle at Stamper's Dream. Isn't it great? This is a Stampendous stamp, called "Doodle Joy". I've colored it in with prismacolor pencils and then used a glaze pen for added shine and dimension. What do you think of my ribbon do-dad? The ribbon just would not cooperate when I tied a bow, so this is what I ended up with. Something a little different anyway! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today. I'm happy you did! Smiles, Pam :)

Supplies ~
Stamps: Stampendous - Doodle Joy
Paper: Stampin Up real read, The Paper Studio - red & green polka dot, tis the season stripe
Ink: Versafine black onyx, clear embossing powder
Other: green brads, polka dot ribbon, Sakura glaze pen, prismacolor pencils, stitching with Janome Sew Mini

Quote for Today ~
A joy that is shared is a joy made double. -John Roy

Sending Holiday Joy!

Happy Monday! :)

I just love these sweet little Elzybell stamps and couldn't resist making another card with "A Winter Song". What do you think of this wild patterned paper and color combination? I was sceptical at first, but do like how it all came together. Can you see the "glistening" snow? :) I used diamond Stickles on the snow and on the light blue brad.

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Smiles!

Pam :)

Supplies ~

Stamps: Elzybells Art Stamps - A Winter Song, PapertreyInk-Holiday Treats

Paper: DCWV Glitter Christmas Stack, Stampin Up bashful blue

Ink: Versafine black onyx

Other: red/white polka dot ribbon, light blue brad, mini tag-Make it Possible Holiday Wishes Stax, prismacolor pencils, diamond Stickles, zig-zag stitching with Janome Sew Mini

Quote for Today ~

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words." - unknown

More Fun with Elzy ~

This is my newest Elzybells Art Stamp ~ "Sprinkle Snowflakes". Isn't it so sweet? When I first saw the Elzy stamps I was surprised how tiny they are (approx 2"), but they are perfect for cardmaking images. Also, I really am amazed at the rubber quality and fabulous detail of these stamps.

Lately, I've created so many BLUE snowflake cards, so today I decided to change it up and went with PINK! This layout didn't end up quite like I had planned. The little tag was supposed to go in the bottom right corner, but as a last finishing touch, I stamped a pink snowflake in the upper right corner and Oops!!! Dang, I messed it up! Has that ever happened to you? I've learned lots of tricks for when this happens, but I really thought this card was doomed. I'm still not sure about the tag floating up there, but it was there or the trash! LoL :) I hope you like it!

Warmest wishes and friendly smiles, Pam :)

Supplies ~
Stamps: Elzybells Art Stamps, Ltd ~ E0012 Sprinkle Snowflakes, PapertreyInk ~ Holiday Treats (sentiment & snowflake)
Paper: Stampin Up pretty in pink, Daisyd's patterned paper
Ink: Versafine black onyx, SU pretty in pink, going grey (to distress edges)
Other: prismacolor pencils, Cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder, stitching with Janome Sew Mini, Sakura glitter pen, SU pink flower brad, pink polka dot sheer ribbon

Winter's Profound Beauty ~

These photos were taken out my front window this morning. I was trying to capture the beauty of it all...everything coated with a layer of ice. Yes, there is a profound beauty in WINTER...

Quote for Today ~

"There is nothing in the world more beautiful than the forest clothed to its very hollows in snow (ice). It is the still ecstasy of nature, wherein every spray, every blade of grass, every spire of reed, every intricacy of twig, is clad with radiance." ~ William Sharp

It's Officially WINTER in Nebraska!

Like it or not, (not!) it's WINTER! We've got freezing rain and it's looking quite treacherous outside. My DH and I had planned to go to Sioux Falls and do some Christmas shopping today, but that isn't going to happen!

Instead, I decided to put on a pot of chili, get cozy in my craft room and make a few wintry cards. This one is somewhat similar to the blue and white one I made last week. All the images are stamped with a SU blue brocade craft pad and embossed with Stampendous detail clear embossing powder. It gives the image some shine and dimension. I hope you like it!

Warm winter wishes to all! Smiles, Pam

Supplies ~
Stamps: Stampin Up Perfect Presentation
Paper: Stampin Up brocade blue, Paper Patch-blue cornflower snowflakes, DCWV glitter Christmas stack
Ink: SU blue brocade craft pad, embossing (see above comments)
Other: blue/silver organdy ribbon, white eyelet, zig-zag stitching with Janome Sew Mini

Quote for Today ~
Winter is nature's way of saying, "Up yours." ~Robert Byrne :) hee hee