Saying Goodbye

Hi everyone,

I have decided that I will be closing down my blog.  I haven't spent much time lately with it and also it has been compromised.  So I will be taking all the pictures off with the explanations and putting them in folders on my desk top so I don't lose all I've done in the past almost 3 years.  Thank you to everyone who has followed this little corner of my world.

May the Lord bless you all and keep you in His precious care.

Thanks for stopping by one more time - Shari

Happy Sweet 16 Hannah!

What fun to have been invited to one of our sweet young ladies in our church to celebrate turning 16.  This card actually went together backwards.  I was under the wire creating this and had absolutely NO idea what I was going to do.  I decided that I wanted to do it in pink and needed to make sure that there would be a nice pocket for the gift card.  So I started on the INSIDE of the card!  I chose Pink Pirouette card stock and inside the package were some pieces that were embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder.  I made the pocket out of the white paper, layered the PP on to and then made a small piece of white to layer on top of that.  It looked blasé, so I added two flowers from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack and I have some pretty pale pink pearls.  Loved how that turned out.  Then I closed the card!  OY!!!!  Where do I go from here.  I knew that I wanted to use the numbers from the Alphabet Simple Numbers set of dies in silver glitter paper.  So I just brought the INSIDE of the card to the OUTSIDE!  I am very pleased with how this card turned out.  Now I have to think of another one for another one of our sweet young ladies who has no idea she is having a party!  She's one of my adopted granddaughters (her mom adopted me as her mom)!  I LOVE IT!!!!!!!  Let's go see. . . . 

What's cookin':

Stamps:  God's Blessings; another one from a set retired

Paper:  White; Pink Pirouette; Silver glitter

Ink:  Rich Razzleberry (stamped off once to lighten)

Accessories:  Perfect Polka Dots DSP; Alphabet Simple Numbers; Itty Bitty Shapes; 3/8" inch Blushing Bride Pleated Satin Ribbon; pink pearls

Miss You Paul!

This is a card that we sent out from our Fellowship Bible Class at church to one of our members who travels a great deal when on business.  He is a super nice gentleman.  We send these cards around our entire class to everyone can leave a little message for the recipient.  Many of these cards go to our shut-ins who really appreciate them.

Thanks for stopping by - Shari

Happy 40th Anniversary Pastor and Mrs. Tomlinson

It has been a wonderful week of creativity for my pastor and his wife.  They celebrated their 40th anniversary on January 29th but they weren't in the states - they were in China.  This was a short-term missions trip for them along with a visit with their daughter and her family.  While there, they met their brand new granddaughter!  Can't wait to hear about their trip and see pictures.  

Our church has the Biblical attitude about our pastor that he deserves double honor and on Sunday we will be celebrating marriage in our Bible classes, morning and evening services.  However, at 5:00 we will be celebrating their wedding anniversary with a dinner consisting of London Broil, mashed potatoes and green beans - their first meal as a married couple after their wedding.  The three cards on the top are as follows:  Top - from my husband's Bible class; second from my Bible class; third from the church as a whole.  The last picture is a box that I made to put the card in as it doesn't fit in an envelope because of the medallion.  I tried a new technique of coloring the silver glitter paper with Cherry Cobbler and it really turned out wonderful.  I used Cherry Cobbler through all the pieces I made including the invitations sent out earlier.  Then . . . I decided to put a heart on the top of the box for them to hang in one of their windows and their color scheme is blue - thus the color change.  

I am totally in love with the new pleated ribbon in the summer mini and have all the colors.  As you can see from my last post that I love using it!  

Thanks for stopping by - Shari

PS:  I forgot to mention that the heart on the box is attached with velcro and I will include another butterfly in the box so that they can hang it in their window.  

Happy 73rd Birthday to My Sweetheart!

Can you guess what day my husband was born on?  Yep Ground Hogs Day!  I wanted to do something TOTALLY different and decided to make this medallion "card".  I had WAY too much fun making this one.  I used a sizzlit set that I'd never used but had lying around for ages called Big Bold Cupcakes.  I used the Scor-Pal to score the lines both on the medallion and the cupcake paper.  I hope that this holds together as I used several strips of Red Sticky Tape to hold the 1 1/4' circles I punched out which are underneath the two decorations.  The ground hog is from a set of animals that SU had YEARS ago.  I could probably get rid of the rest of them as this is the only one I ever use. :)))   Actually everything on David's "card" is retired from SU and I can't remember the names of the sets - :(  I put Dazzling Diamonds on the chocolate frosting but it didn't photograph well.  I also colored the red Basic Rhinestone with a red Sharpie pen.  Let's go see . . . 

What's cookin':

Stamps:  All retired from Stampin' Up!

Paper:  Crispy Creme (can't remember the real name and too lazy to look it up in the book!); Pear Pizzazz Textured (each strip 3" x 12" and I used two); Chocolate Chip for frosting

Ink:  Chocolate Chip

Accessories:  Big Bold Cupcakes Sizzlit; Basic Rhinestones; Red Sharpie Pen; Scor-Pal; Dazzling Diamonds Glitter

Drum Roll - The January 28th Stampin' Brunch Bunch Surprise

Oh my stars (or hearts), I could hardly wait to show the girls the surprise last Saturday.  It took me ALL DAY to design this - wasted more paper and ideas.  But this is the finished project.  Everyone loved them and so did my husband.  Believe it or not, his favorite one is the pastel heart.  I used the largest heart Framelit from a Sizzix set that I bought to make two hearts for each hanging design.  The back is actually Whisper White paper that was dry embossed using the Perfect Details swirly pattern Texturz Plate from Stampin' Up.  The circle was also embossed with the same pattern.  BUT the most fun was putting the pleated ribbon around the circle.  This is the best ribbon!  We've all been putting scrunched ribbons on our cards - well this ribbon took all the guess work out of putting around any shape.  There is a stitched line right down the middle and after you put the Red Sticky Tape on the back you turn it over and actually line the ribbon from the front side along the stitching!  Voile - perfectly aligned!  The pastel design actually has the new Large Pearls from Stampin' Up but colored with a Sharpie pen!  All the rage this season girls! :))))))  Also note that I used tone-on-tone to decorate the butterfly with the Fresh Vintage stamp set that you can earn free by purchasing $50 of product from Stampin' Up! from now until the end of March.  Let's go see . . .

What's cookin':
Stamps:  Fresh Vintage (Sale-a-Bration catalog)
Paper:  Whisper White; Twitterpated DSP; Riding Hood Red; Bashful Bride; Baja Breeze
Ink:  Riding Hood Red; Bashful Bride; Baja Breeze
Accessories:  Heart-shaped Framelit from Sizzix; Beautiful Butterflies Die; 3/8" Pleated Satin Ribbon in Riding Hood Red, Bashful Bride and Baja Breeze; Large Pearl Basic Jewels; Pink Sharpie pen; Perfect Details Texturz Plate; 3" circle die

January, 2012 Stampin' Brunch Bunch Samples

Here are the samples of two of the projects we will be doing this Saturday at the Stampin' Brunch Bunch class .  I am still working on the SURPRISE project! :)

The first sample is a very simple card that was inspired by a thank you note sent to us by my niece and she also suggested we might want to make it!  So I scoured my stash of stamps for a stamp that would resemble the branch of leaves used in the original card and came up with this wonderful stamp.  The two image stamps are from the Baroque Motifs.  I have not used this set in quite a while and it was fun using this old friend.  Also on this card I will be teaching a new technique - coloring rhinestones with Sharpie pens.  Love this!  Now I just have to have clear rhinestones and a set of all the Sharpie colors and away I go.  This technique also works on pearls.  Now if Stampin' Up would only come out with this type of pen with all 50 something colors - I would be in business.

The second project is a design that I am stuck on as you can see from the post just previous to this one.  These are so simple to make and using 1/8" red sticky tape makes them a breeze to put together.  I am showing two new techniques on this one.   I used the new Blossom punch from Stampin' Up! to make my butterfly which is so neat.  However, the most fun comes from using our wonderful corner punches to make designs on the ends of strips of paper.  I saw this somewhere and for the life of me I can't remember where.  The white piece is 1" wide and the Island Indigo piece is 1 1/4" wide.  The corner punch is the Scallop Trim Corner punch.  I am in love with the new Paper Doily Large Sizzlits Die.  For this project I cut one in half and it is layered just below the front of the pocket.

When I saw the new Large Basic Pearls, I knew I had to have them!  and also available in the new Occasions Mini Catalog are the ever popular hat pins.  I have an issue with these as they don't have a cover on the pointed end.  The ones I am using are from another company and they work well for those of us who are clumsy!  Let's go see . . . .

What's cookin':
TOP CARD:
Stamps:  Baroque Motif; Pennant Parade
Paper:  Whisper White
Ink:  Wisteria Wonder; Basic Gray
Accessories:  Basic Rhinestones; purple Sharpie pen; Ticket Corner Punch; Wisteria Wonder 3/8" Ruffled ribbon; sponge

SECOND CARD:
Stamps:  Language of Friendship
Paper:  Whisper White; Island Indigo; Twitterpated DSP
Ink:  Island Indigo
Accessories:  Perfect Details Texturz plate; Petals-a-Plenty EF; Paper Doily Sizzlit; Blossom Punch; Large Basic Pearl; hat pin; Filigree Designer Brad; Island Indigo 3/8" Ruffled ribbon; silver brad; Scallop Trim Corner Punch; 1/8" Red Sticky tape; Sakura Quickie Glue Pen

Tons of Cards!

I can hardly believe that it has been over a month since I've posted.  I have been waiting to post until I get my class cards done as one of them is another design using the same sketch.  But since we are up to our ears in "fun" stuff around here and I am falling farther behind on getting my class samples done (and class is in 4 days!), I think I will just upload the pictures without recipes and minimal discussion.  So here goes!

The second and third cards were sent to people from our Bible class and were made at my friend Jody's house at a class she had earlier this month.  The top one was given to our neighbor who turned 90.  What a fun party that was.  His sons both came here for this special event in their dad's life - one from Germany and the other from Oregon.  But one of the best parts is we live kitty corner from Dan in the same breezeway and his son Allen and I were conspiring for three days and his dad had no idea what was going on - so we surprised him!!!!!  How fun is that

The other three cards are so much fun to make.  I started with the Christmas thank your and just used the same design for the Valentine's brunch that our pastor and his wife has every year for the widows in our church.  THEN - the last one is FOR our pastor and his wife who will be celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary.  Our church is having a surprise banquet for them which includes all of our church and the invitations are going out to those people in the family.  What is really exciting is that they took off yesterday for Hong Kong and China where Pastor will be preaching and Mrs. T. will be speaking to the ladies and the last thing they will be doing is seeing their brand new granddaughter for the first time.  I am so excited for them.

Thanks for stopping by and by the end of the week - there will be more!

Shari

A Very Blessed Christmas To All Who Visit

Please read the following lyrics to a very beautiful song.  May all who visit this blog find inspiration, care and encouragement in your works of heart and I pray that I also encourage you to seek the One who came to save all mankind.  Blessings and love at this Christmastime.  

Where Else Would a Lamb Be Born

No proper place, no regal palace

To receive a royal birth.

God’s gift of love, wrapped in an infant,

Would be his way to reach the earth.

A bed of straw became a cradle, embracing God in human form.

One would expect more than a stable,

But where else would a Lamb be born?

But where else would a Lamb be born?

No stately house, no noble mansion

Where he would reign in majesty.

The path he chose led to an altar

Where he would give his life for me.

A bed of straw became a cradle, embracing God in human form.

One would expect more than a stable,

But where else would a Lamb be born?

But where else would a Lamb be born?

He is the Great I AM, the sacrificial Lamb

Who takes away the sin of the world.

A bed of straw became a cradle, embracing God in human form.

One would expect more than a stable,

But where else would a Lamb be born?

But where else would a Lamb be born?

Written by:  Steve Amerson and Lowell Alexander

Happy Valentine's Day for Our Military

Last Saturday, December 17th, some of my Stampin' Brunch Bunch got together and we made 70 cards to send out to our heroes in the military.  This is one of the cards we made.  I am loving this new set from the Holiday Mini, You Are Loved.  All the paper used on this card was donated by a paper company near where we live.  We still have the Rich Razzleberry-like colored paper left, so more will be coming.  I was happy to see that the Rich Razzleberry ink matched the card stock.  Let's go see . . .

What's cookin':
Stamps:  You are Loved
Paper:  White and raspberry donated
Ink:  Rich Razzleberry
Accessories:  Basic Rhinestones; Perfect Details Texturz plate

Merry Christmas Blessings Sweetheart, December, 2011

Another year and another fun time making Christmas cards for each other.  It is my year to pick out all the supplies - which means David has to use everything I picked to make his card!  I am totally in love with the glitter papers!  This card is 5 1/2" square which means I have to figure out how to make an envelope for this thing!  I have resisted buying the Holiday Happiness set and then - got it free!  This tree so reminds me of our very first Christmas tree - practically no branches.  We were poor as church mice 45 years ago and waited until the last minute to buy a tree hoping we could get it cheap or free.  Can't remember if we paid for it - but it was skinny!  When the new catalog came out last July, I knew that I HAD to have the Snow Much Fun set!  I am in love with snowmen - hate snow though!  Don't these look so cute together!  I tore the Silver Glitter paper to make the snow and used an old retired snowflake stamp.  After I put the red ball in the snowman's hand I thought - you dummy, it should have been silver so it looks like he's about to throw it!  Oh well!  Let's go see . . . .

What's cookin':
Stamps:  Holiday Happiness; Snow Much Fun; Posh Impressions Greeting; The Sounding Joy (inside message)
Paper:  White; Frostwood Lodge DSP; Silver Glitter Paper; Red Glitter Paper
Ink:  Pool Party; Garden Green
Accessories:  Itty Bitty Shapes; Small Heart Punch;Stampin' Write Markers - Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Night of Navy, Bliss Blue, Cajun Craze, Cobbler Cherry; Basic Rhinestones


Thought I would end this with pictures of what the room looked like while making David's card:

Thanks for stopping by - Shari

Christmas Cookies for 2011

It has been YEARS since I've made Christmas cookies - or any cookie for that matter!  My upline and dear friend, Jody Nakashima, surprised me with a birthday gift of these fun Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps.  I also used a recipe for Snickerdoodles from one of the other demonstrators (and I can't remember who).  These turned out YUMMY!  I found it!  Mac computers are so great.  The recipe was put on www.DOstampingwithdawn.com and following is the recipe:

BEST EVER SNICKERDOODLES  from Missy Shipman

1 cup butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2-3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
sugar and cinnamon mixed to taste

Preheat oven to 400F
Mix butter and sugar together until smooth.  Add eggs, cream of tartar and baking soda and mix.  Stir in flour until well mixed.  Roll dough into balls about 1" in diameter, then roll in sugar and cinnamon mix to coat.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet.  At this point using the cookie thingie, impress the design if you are using either the snowflake or the heart.  Bake 8-10 minutes.  If you are using the pumpkin press, flatten slight with a spoon and bake and right away after removing from oven impress with the pumpkin stamp.  I would actually have made the cookies a bit bigger as the entire cookie design didn't stamp.

David and I did these together and he did all the stamping!  Oh the memories of days gone by when we would make 6-8 different kinds of cookies and at least 6 different kinds of candy.  Thanks Stampin' Up and Dawn Olchefske for the memory!

Don't you love the tree?!  We have this little tree right in the corner of our kitchen and this year Mike, a young student staying with us, decorated it for us.  That was another fun day - decorating the house for Christmas.  Let's go see what . . . .

Was cookin':
Snickerdoodle recipe; Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps, Holidays;

Merry Christmas to Stampin' Brunch Bunch Ladies from David

Last year my husband started his own tradition for the ladies who attend my classes with a small hand crafted easel to display cards or pictures.  This year he made what he calls "bow maker jig" which is wood worker talk!  The two posts below this one have bows that I made using one of his jigs.  I am so proud of him - he did everything himself including making the boxes from scratch - measuring, designing, cutting, scoring and sticking together!  He also made all the bows himself.  A huge shout out for my man! :)))))))  He designed the bow maker to be able to store the pegs on one side.  The picture shows one of the pegs peaking out and the sliding closure slightly open.  I love these because everything is so compact and you don't lose the pegs in the drawer somewhere!

The bow makers are 5" x 4 1/4" x 3/4" for which he made a box when completed is 5 1/2" x 4 3/4" x 1".  I will now attempt to give instructions on how he made this box:

Base:  12" x 8 1/2"
Score along 12" side at 1/2"; 1 1/2"; 7"; and 8"
Score along 8 1/2" side at 1"; 5 3/4" 6 3/4" and 11 1/2"

The next step is to make the cuts:  Place your paper with the 1" score to the left; cut up to the 1 1/2" score line both on the top and on the bottom (these will be your tabs).  Move to the center of the paper and cut on the 5 3/4" and 6 3/4" score lines on both the top and bottom up to the 1 1/2" score line (these will be your center tabs); then turn the paper and cut from the edge of the paper up to the 6 3/4" score line on both sides.  This will be your top.  Proceed to do all your folds and stick it together.

Above is a picture of the pattern.  Please disregard the "cut" with the solid line in the middle of the top and the awful picture!   Hope that this is an inspiration for you.  Let's go see . . .

What's cookin':
Paper:  Bazill purple
Accessories:  Maple wood; Dowels; Drill; Whisper White satin ribbon; Corner Rounder; 1 1/4" circle punch; Houndstooth Embossing Folder; Red Sticky Tape

Christmas Cards For Stampin' Brunch Bunch, 2011

Here is the card that I made for the ladies who come to my Stampin' Brunch Bunch class.  Oh how I love these ladies.  I so look forward to 2012 as we get together to create and have fun.  Let's go see . . .

What's cookin':
Stamps:  Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper:  White; Real Red; DSP from last Christmas (retired); Silver Glitter Paper; Red pearls; Basic Pearls; Real Red Satin Ribbon; Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine; Oval Scallop Frame die; Stocking Builder Punch; Modern Label Punch; Movers and Shapers; Ticket Corner Punch

Thanks for Stopping by - Shari

Happy Chaunkah for 2011

I have had so much fun this holiday season making my greeting cards.  My dear husband helped me with most of the CHRISTmas cards, but these I did myself.  The top card is the one I sent to all of my Jewish friends, including one to Israel (how neat is that - Love you Amy).  The bottom card was made especially for Tobi who is a dear friend and one of my students.  Every year I make special cards for those who attend my classes.  Both of the stars were embossed and the one on the bottom was cut out.  I used Versamark on the stamp first and then inked up with Night of Navy so that the embossing powder would stick.  This is such a versatile way to heat emboss as it gives one a plethora of colors and you don't have to have gazillions of embossing powders!  Let's go see . . . 

What's cookin':

Stamps:  Teeny Tiny Wishes; Shalom (a single stamp from the 2011-2012 Stampin' Up! catalog)

Paper:  White; Night of Navy; Brilliant Blue (retired) :(  ; Silver Glitter Paper

Ink:  Versamark; Night of Navy; Brilliant Blue (retired)

Accessories:  Paper Snips; Movers and Shapers; Modern Label Punch; Oval Scallop Frame die; Night of Navy Satin ribbon; other blue ribbon (unknown source); Whisper White Organza Ribbon; Basic Rhinestones

Thanks for stopping by - Shari