DJ's Sundries

K. Andrew Designs Stamp Release and Other News

2012-03-05T12:10:00.001-07:00

Good Morning Everyone. I am getting ready to start day 4 of my long work weekend. For those of you who don't know, I work 3, 12-hour shifts in an ER per week. So every other weekend, I work 4 days straight and the other days are worked throughout the weeks. I really like this schedule (since some weekends aren't an option), but it does limit my time on those weekends I work. I did just want to update you on a few things going on right now.

1. K. Andrew Designs has a stamp release coming up pretty soon. I can't tell you what it is right now, but I have seen the set being released and can't wait to get my preview set! Some of you will love it! Keep checking back here or go to kandrewdesigns.com to watch for the release date of these fabulous stamps.

2. Soon, I will be starting a new weekly feature on the blog. It is not so much "craft" related as it is "life" related. Be checking back for info on this. I'm hoping it will be an encouraging feature for you.

3. There is a new challenge going on over at Shawn's blog that is a lot of fun. To check it out click here.

4. Don't forget the current Simply Sunday Challenge at Getting Cricky. You still have a few days to enter. Click here to find out all the info.

5. Later in the month, I am getting together with some friends for a full day of scrappy goodness. I really hope to have some great stuff to show you from that day near the end of the month. There will hopefully be some scrapbook layouts and maybe a new product or two :).

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope to be back soon with some more projects.

2012-03-03T12:05:00.001-07:00

Good Morning!! A couple of nights ago I was reading my fellow Design Team Sister's post Kristan at Babycakes and saw that she awarded me the Green Blend Award.

Here are the terms under which this “Green Blend Award” are to be given:
1. This award is for any co-blogging friend who has helped you develop your blog in any and all ways.
2. This award is for any co-blogging friend who has cheered you along in your blog building, craft advancing career.
3. This award is for any co-blogging friend who always stops by and is kind to you. You can count on them to always be one of the great comments at the end of your post.
4. This award is to be given to 3 to 5 Blends whom you feel meet the listed requirements.
5. Create a post with the terms of use and publish your Blends of choice.
6. Blend of choice may copy the award from your blog and proudly post it on theirs.
7. Blend of choice may continue the kindness by issuing this award to keep the circle forever growing.

Kristan and I are Bloggie Friends who have never met in real life, but I think we would get along great. She is a woman of faith and courage and I am honored that she chose me for this award.

OK with that said here are the ladies I will be giving it to:

The first person I'm giving this to is Kristal at Getting Cricky. Kristal is such a kind and giving person. As part of her Design Team, I have learned so much. This has helped me to take time to craft at a time in my life that I really would have pushed it to the back burner. Thanks Kristal for being so great!

The next person that I'm passing this on to is Erin at Scrappyhour09. Erin is my cousin. Now I have to tell you that I have a VERY LARGE family and an even LARGER extended family. We are spread all over the country and rarely connect. Facebook has been great for keeping up with each other. Erin was posting videos on YouTube and linking them and her blog to her Facebook page. I thought You Tube was for music videos and blogs for people who wanted to get their opinions on things out there. I was quite surprised to discover that people did CRAFTS on YouTube and blogs! Thanks Cousin for opening a whole new world for me.

The next 2 ladies that I am going to give this to have each received it. That's because they both deserve it! They have both been so helpful in my blogging. Amy from Love to Crop has been so helpful with technical issues. I have to tell you that she also has a very quirky sense of humor and her posts are fun to read. They make me smile and even laugh. And talk about CREATIVITY! Amy creates some of the best projects out there!

Lisa at A Mermaid's Crafts is also great to answer techy questions. There have been times when I had no idea how to achieve something I wanted to do on my blog and Lisa has known the answer (and she can put it in terms that I can understand). She is always quick with a kind comment. I can't begin to describe how great her blog posts and projects are. She makes some beautiful items.

Now I don't know if I'm breaking any rules here or not, but I am definitely giving this back to Kristan. Kristan and I found each other around the time of the last Design Team Call at K. Andrew Designs. She encouraged me to apply. She is a strong woman who loves the Lord. She is one of the best "encouragers" with sweet and thoughtful comments. Thank you Kristan for your sweet spirit. Visit Kristan's blog at Babycakes.

Wedding Card

2012-03-02T01:39:00.000-07:00

I know it's been awhile since I posted a card, but I finally felt well enough to spend a little time in the craft room. This card is for my Card Exchange Club and I think its gorgeous!

I used the "It's Valentines" stamp set from K. Andrew Designs. Remember that Kristal's stamps are made here in the USA and that a portion of the proceeds from each set is donated to charity. You can purchase this great set of stamps by clicking on the image below.

Now on to the video. One thing that I forgot to mention on the video is that I used "Dusty Concord" distress ink from Tim Holtz to ink around the edges of the inside mat before adhering it to the base. Also in the video, I discuss a lesson I learned about my homemade glitter sprays. You DON'T want to miss this if you plan on making your own glitter spray sometime!

Finally, I am linking this project to the ODBD Challenge at the Operation Write Home blog. You can find this by clicking here. I stumbled across this organization a month or two before Christmas. Volunteers make cards to send to service men and women that they can send back to their families and loved ones. It is a simple way to show appreciation to someone who is working to help me remain free. I plan to begin making cards as I am able and sending them in. To find out more about Operation Write Home click here. Now I won't be sending these cards to Operation Write Home, but I will send others later.

Here's a final look at today's card.

Thanks for stopping by today.

2012-03-02T00:56:00.000-07:00

I feel so blessed. Jessie at Sugarlips Sassy Surprises has given me my very first blog award! Thanks so much Jessie! You are supercalifragilisticexpealidocious!

"Liebster" is German for "Dearest". The award is a "Share the love arrangement", given to inspirational bloggers with less that 200 followers.

Here's the to do list for any of the Liebster Blog Award recipients.

1. Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog.
2. Link back to the blogger who presented you the award .
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Present the Liebster Blog Award to 5 bloggers with less than 200 followers.
5. Let them know they have been chosen by leaving a comment on their blog.

I am choosing 5 special ladies to pass this award on to. They are:

Misty at ...sevens...

Mandi at Proverbs for Life

Pam at Boomer Back - Beat

Kristan at Babycakes

Erin at Scrappy Hour 09

Now I really need to tell you about each of these special ladies:

Misty is a relatively new blogger and her blog has a variety of interesting ideas, including "Freebe Friday". She has been a blessing to me, even watching my son one day as a help to our family.

I have known Mandi since she was a little girl and her dad was my Pastor. Several years later, her dad became my Pastor again when my husband accepted a teaching position. Mandi has been blogging for a while. Her newest blog focuses on the book of Proverbs in the Bible. It is such a blessing. I'm so proud of you Mandi.

Speaking of the second time Mandi's dad was my Pastor, it was in that same church that I met and became friends with Pam. She and her husband Pete hold a special place in our hearts. Pam has an inspirational blog where she reaches out from her heart.

Kristan is the only person that I'm giving this award to that I don't know personally. However, we seemed to connect soon after we discovered each others blogs. She has been a source of encouragement to me on more than one occasion.

Erin, I have known you your whole life - literally. You see, the night Erin was born her sibling stayed with my aunt where I was also visiting. I would imagine I saw you sometime soon thereafter (though I don't remember that). I know you are closer to my younger sister in age, but it has been such a blessing to connect with you through crafting. Love you cousin!

Please check out each of these ladies' blogs. You're in for a treat!

"Jesus Loves Me"

2012-02-29T23:37:00.001-07:00

Hello friends. I have been sick for several days and not had the energy to post or do much crafting. Found out tonight that it was probably the flu. The fact that I got my flu shot last fall probably helped keep the fever and body aches that normally accompany the flu at bay. God is good!

While going through Facebook tonight, I ran across the following story posted by one of my Getting Cricky Teammates profiles. Thanks Christel from Scrappin' Sista for posting.

Now I don't know if this is a real story. I also don't know who wrote the words to the Senior Edition of "Jesus Loves Me". Doing a search was no help either, so I will assume these words are Public Domain. If you know otherwise, please let me know and I will be happy to give credit where it is due.

92 YEAR OLD PREACHER
While watching a little TV on Sunday instead of going to church, I watched a church in Atlanta honoring one of its senior pastors who had been retired many years. He was 92 at that time and I wondered why the church even
bothered to ask the old gentleman to preach at that age.

After a warm welcome, introduction of this speaker, and as the applause quieted down, he rose from his high back chair and walked slowly, with great effort and a sliding
gait to the podium. Without a note or written paper of any kind he placed both hands on the pulpit to steady himself and then quietly and slowly he began to speak....

"When I was asked to come here today and talk to you, your pastor asked me to tell you what was the greatest lesson ever learned in my 50-odd years of preaching. I thought about it for a few days and boiled it down to just
one thing that made the most difference in my life and sustained me through all my trials.. The one thing that I could always rely on when tears and heartbreak and pain and fear and sorrow paralyzed me... The only thing that would comfort was this verse.........

"Jesus loves me this I know.
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong,
We are weak but He is strong.....
Yes, Jesus loves me....
The Bible tells me so."

The old pastor stated, "I always noticed that it was the adults who chose the children's hymn 'Jesus Loves Me' (for the children of course) during a hymn sing, and it was the adults who sang the loudest because I could see they knew it the best."

"Here for you now is a Senior version of Jesus Loves Me":
JESUS LOVES ME

Jesus loves me, this I know,
Though my hair is white as snow
Though my sight is growing dim,
Still He bids me trust in Him.
(CHORUS)
YES, JESUS LOVES ME.. YES, JESUS LOVES ME..
YES, JESUS LOVES ME, FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO.
Though my steps are oh, so slow,
With my hand in His I'll go
On through life, let come what may,
He'll be there to lead the way.
(CHORUS)
When the nights are dark and long,
In my heart He puts a song..
Telling me in words so clear,
"Have no fear, for I am near."
(CHORUS)
When my work on earth is done,
And life's victories have been won.
He will take me home above,
Then I'll understand His love.
(CHORUS)
I love Jesus, does He know?
Have I ever told Him so?
Jesus loves to hear me say,
That I love Him every day.
(CHORUS)

Argh Matey - Getting Cricky Simply Sunday Challenge

2012-02-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

Ahoy Mates! Welcome to Getting Cricky's Simply Sunday Challenge. This week's challenge is to make anything with a pirate/fishy theme. How can I talk about pirates without mentioning my favorite one? So I will digress from the crafts for a minute and introduce you to him.

Patch the Pirate has been my favorite pirate since elementary school. His stories have taught me so many valuable lessons and I have passed these to my children. They can't remember a time in their lives when his tapes (later cd's) weren't available to listen to. You can learn more about Patch the Pirate by clicking here.

Now back to this week's challenge - This week I made a card for my nephew whose birthday is coming up in March. I ended up using 3 different stamp sets from K. Andrew Designs. These stamps are so versatile that its easy to mix the different sets on one card. Remember that Kristal donates a portion of the proceeds from her stamps to charity. You can purchase any of the sets that I used today by clicking on the pictures.

To create this card, I also pulled out my Create-a-Critter cartridge and paper from the K & Co Hopscotch collection. I also pulled some black cardstock from my stash and my black excelsior ink.

The blue/green plaid paper was cut at 11" X 4 1/4" and scored in the middle at 5 1/2". I then cut a piece of of the rainbow paper at 3" X 4 1/4" followed by a piece of blue paper at 1/2" X 4 1/4". I used a scrap from my stash for the blue in the octopus and another for his pink cheeks. He and his accessories were cut at 3". I used glossy accents to highlight his eyes and mouth.

To finish off the inside, I cute a mat out of blue at 5 1/4" X 4" and a little strip out of paper from the card base. You may notice the polka dots under the mat. The paper from K & CO is double sided, so this adds an extra dimension to the project.

Now wouldn't you love to play along? You can! Simply click on the K. Andrew Design Blinkie below to go to the blog. Find the Simply Sunday Challenge and link up your favorite Pirate/ Fish themed project.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to check out Patch the Pirate!

"Getting Cricky With It" Surprise Blog Hop

2012-02-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome the “GettingCricky With It” Surprise Blog Hop for Kristal!!!

Today the Design Team isbringing you some very special projects created for our wonderful and amazingleader Kristal! Our term is almost over and we wanted to show her just how muchwe appreciate ALL that she has done for us this term. The projects that we willbe sharing with you will also be sent to Kristal. We encourage ALL of her fansto join in on the fun as well! Be sure to add your card/project to the linkbelow and then be sure to mail it off to her!

Ifyou've hopped along from Charlotte then you are in the right place!! If you are justjoining me from your dashboard, or reading this via email, please be sure to CLICK HERE to start at the beginning with Kristal's blog (you'll want to catch up on all the FUN!!)...

Each of Kristal's stamp sets benefit charity. At least $1 per stamp set goes tobenefit the charity noted on the stamp set package. Kristal is donating to thefollowing charities: Cancer Angels, Storefront Shelter for Homeless Children,Intrepid & Fallen Heroes, E. Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation,Doorways Shelter for Women & Children (Domestic Violence), Wayside Housefor Women, Camp Good Days & Special Times, Adopt a Classroom, and AutismResearch Institute. Kristal will donate $1 for every stamp set sold, retail orwholesale to the charity noted; and over time believes this will add up to somewonderful miracles for these special people. So you can feel good that eachtime you purchase a K Andrew Designs art stamp set, someone around the countryis receiving some good help!

K Andrew's stamps are all made and assembled here in the USA, which is veryimportant to Kristal. This ensures all product materials are safe and that jobsare being provided and maintained here in America. You can learn evenmore about Kristal's stamps (and pick some up for yourself) by visiting her onlinestore: K AndrewDesigns:

Today, I made two items to send to Kristal. I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed being a part of this great team. Kristal's two favorite colors are pink and green. She also is a HUGE fan of owls. I decided to combine these 2 "favorites" of hers to make a card and a mini journal.

Here is the video with the instructions for the card and the mini journal.

I used a few stamp sets to create these projects. You can click on any of the pictures to purchase these great stamps.

Now you can dance on overto your next stop:

Linda

Here is the line up incase you get lost along the way:

1. Kristal

2. RhoLynda

3. Charlotte

4. Cheri

5. Linda

6. Amanda

7. Debbie

8. Vero

9. Lisa

10. Jennie

11. Kristan

12. Jamie

13. Christel

14. Jana

15. Patti

16. Heather

17. Miranda

18. Ildi

19. Jessie

20. JoAnn

21. Letillia

22. Larelyn

23. Anita

24. Laura

25. Sherry

26. Shawn

27. Faith

28. Amy

Getting Cricky/ Country Life Pre-Hop Giveaway Winner

2012-02-22T01:32:00.001-07:00

The winner of the "Splashtastic Summer" stamp set from K. Andrew Designs is :

Jenscrapstoo

Way to go Jen! Contact me through your inbox and I'll get this sent to you.

Getting Cricky "Cabin Fever" Blog Hop

2012-02-17T12:02:00.001-07:00

Due to a family emergency, I am not able to participate in tonight's blog hop. I still plan on giving away my candy from this week. To earn an extra entry, go through the Design Team posts and leave me a comment telling me about at least 5 projects. Submissions will close at 11:59 pm on Monday. Have a great weekend.

Getting Cricky "Choose a Cartridge" Pre-Hop Day 5

2012-02-16T01:45:00.001-07:00

Hasn't this week of projects been fun? Some of the projects I've seen have really inspired me to pull out some of those cartridges I haven't used in a while. Nate' ABC's is probably at the top of the list. Everyone has done such a great job. The stamps from K. Andrew Designs are so versatile. There have been so many creative pairings of sentiments with cartridges this week!

The stamp set I chose to use on today's card is Food for Thought. You can click on the picture to order this and other stamps from K. Andrew Designs.

I wanted to give a little background for this card. My daughter has been having some health issues over the last few weeks. In an attempt to discover what is causing this, we eliminated dairy products from her diet. Saturday will be the end of the 2 week period and the day that she is able to re-introduce dairy. It's been a tough 2 weeks. You never realize how much dairy you eat until you attempt to eliminate it from your diet. At this point, it doesn't appear that dairy is the problem, but we are going to finish the 2 weeks anyway. To commemorate the re-introduction of dairy, I made this card for her. It was so fun and I hope she loves it.

Recipe:
1. All the paper for this card is from my stash of scraps. The printed papers are all double sided cardstock from K&Company. I'm not sure which collections they were from since they were scraps. I cut the green at 5 1/2" X 8 1/2" and scored it down the middle. The 2 rectangle mats are actually from the same piece of paper, you just see each side this way. They were each cut at 4 3/4" X 3 1/2". All the other papers were also scraps from my stash.
2. Walnut Stain Distress Ink - Used to distress the edges of the papers and mouse and to stamp sentiments.
3. Harvest Orange ribbon from 3 Girl Jam
4. 2" circle punch for the sentiment
5. Cricut Country Life cartridge - the mouse and it's layers were cut at 3 1/2"
6. K. Andrew Design stamps "Food for Thought"
7. Distress tool - Used on the sentiment circle as well as the mat on the inside of the card.
8. Foam tape for the sentiment circle and the mouse

The inside of the card has a tan mat cut at 4" X 5 1/4". Two more strips were cut from the printed paper. The first was at 2 1/4" X 4" and the second at 1 1/4" X 4". The 1 1/4" strip was attached to the larger strip and both adhered about 1/4" from the bottom of the tan mat. The edges of the mat were distressed with the tool, followed by the Walnut Stain distress ink. The sentiment was then stamped to the mat.

How about that CANDY?

To receive today's entries, please leave a comment below stating which set of K.Andrew stamps is on your wish list. Easy!

Getting Cricky "Choose a Cartridge" Pre-Hop Day 4

2012-02-15T22:45:00.000-07:00

I'm really sorry to be so late with this post. It's been a long day and I've not made it to write this post. Today, I made a bookmark to go in my "new" guestbook. It was a pretty simple project and I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Let's Get Started -
I used a left-over piece of the cardstock from to guestbook to form the base of the bookmark. This was cut to be 9"X4" and was from "penny's Playground - Quick Quotes Paper". I then cut a piece of smooth Coordination cardstock in purple at 8"X3 1/2". I pulled a piece of cream colored cardstock from my scrap stash by "Recollections" and cut it at 7 1/2"X3". I then rounded the right hand corners of all three pieces using the 3/8" side of my corner chomper. I inked around the edges of all 3 pieces with "Dusty Concord" Distress Ink. Holes were placed in the left hand side of the bookmark with the Bind-It-All and then the edges trimmed out so that I can place the bookmark inside my guestbook.

Using the Cricut Country Life cartridge page 60, I cut the flower pitcher at 2" using scraps of paper from my stash that coordinated. I cut the banner from the same page using both layers at 1". The Lilac twine from the Twinery was perfect as well. I love the way it all coordinates with my new guest book.

Remember I told you that I was going to use "Sympathetic Sayings" from K. Andrew Designs today? You can view this stamp set by clicking on the image below.

I really liked the saying that I stamped on this bookmark. I love to remember the friends and family that have come to visit me. I think that this is a perfect stamped image to express my thoughts of these special people.

Doesn't it go great in my new book? It is the perfect way for me to keep track on where I want my guests to sign. Hopefully, I won't find any more pages with several blank lines.

Now for the CANDY!

Remember that I am giving away "Splashtastic Summer" as part of this hop. I want someone to enjoy this great set. To gain an entry today, all you have to do is be a follower of my blog and make a comment. I feel like it should be an "easy entry" day. Have a great day!

Getting Cricky Tuesday Tutorial and "Choose a Cartridge" Pre-hop Day 3

2012-02-14T02:10:00.001-07:00

Good morning everyone and welcome to the Tuesday Tutorial at Getting Cricky. Today I am combining the Tuesday Tutorial with the "Choose a Cartridge" pre-hop challenge that is going on. I really hope you have been following the fun. If not, you might be a bit confused. Several Getting Cricky Design Team Members are challenging themselves to use one Cricut Cartridge all week. The extra challenge is that we are using a cartridge that we haven't used in at least 3 months! To add to the fun, we get to use any stamp from K. Andrew Designs that we wish. It is challenging and a great way to think outside of the box.

The fun doesn't stop there. Anyone can play along. All you need to do is link a project using a cartridge that you haven't used in 3 or months. You will also need to use stamps from K. Andrew Designs. I hope you join in the fun.

Today, I am showing you a guest book that I altered. No, I'm not getting married. I have used this guest book for over 20 years in my home. After moving many times and going through 2 kids, this book was literally falling apart. I decided to alter it and make it beautiful again. The best part was remembering some of the wonderful guests who have been in our home. I know that there is at least one person who is in the book is now with Jesus. I also found some "signings" by one of my children as well as places my daughter (who is now nearly 17) signed when she was quite small. Such precious memories needed to be preserved.

Please enjoy the video, but don't forget to check out the rest of the post as there is information on the stamp set I used as well as on my current giveaway. Thanks so much for watching and have a great day!

Today, I used Pirate Tales and Fish Scales which is featured below. You can just click on the picture to be taken immediately to the page.

Giveaway!

Please check Days 1 & 2 to see the many ways you can earn entries to my current giveaway for the "Splashtastic Summer" stamp set. Also be sure to visit my blog for more great projects. Thanks!

Getting Cricky "Choose a Cartridge" Pre-Hop #2

2012-02-13T02:10:00.000-07:00

Welcome to day 2 of Getting Cricky Fun. If you missed day one of this fun series, you will want to go back and see that post. In it, I explain all about the fun going on at Getting Cricky and I also post a preview of the stamp set that I will be giving away. Today's entry chances are listed at the bottom of this post. Today I made this fun Valentine Card for you to view. I used the "It's Valentines" stamp set from K. Andrew Designs.

So now on to today's project. The heart has a homemade wiggle wire. I learned to make this from one of my Getting Cricky Design Teammates. You can see this great tutorial by Amy at Love to Crop by clicking here. This is probably the last Valentine I will post this year. I hope you enjoy it as well as the video tutorial. Thanks for watching and have a great day!

Blog Candy Entries

1. Be a follower of my blog and leave a comment below stating that you are one.
2. Pin today's project at Pinterest and leave me a comment with the location.
3. Leave a post on Facebook telling about the giveaway going on and leave a comment telling me you did.

Getting Cricky "Choose a Cartridge" Pre- Hop #1

2012-02-12T03:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome to day one of Getting Cricky Fun. This week those of the Design Team playing along have chosen to use only 1 Cricut Cartridge or SVG set to create each day's projects. The week will conclude on Friday with the "Cabin Fever" blog hop. Our goal is to show you just how versatile Kristal's stamps are and also to get out those Cricut cartridges we have never used or at least not used much. But the fun doesn't stop there. You will also be able to link up your projects using a cartridge you haven't used in awhile. To link a project you need to:

1. Choose a cartridge you haven't used in a while

2. Use K. Andrew Design Stamps in that project

I have chosen to use Country Life. I believe that I have only used it 1 time and it was time to explore this great cartridge. I think its going to be a bit of a challenge, but I think I'm up for it. There are some interesting ideas racing through my brain. You should find something that you will enjoy this week. Of course, I will have some candy, so stick around until the end of the post to see how you can receive entries.

In addition to Country Life, I have chosen to use the "It's Valentines" and "I Heart You" stamp sets for today's project. To purchase these stamps, simply click on the picture of the stamps set below. If you are new to K. Andrew Design stamps, there are a few things you should know about these fabulous stamps.
1. Kristal donates a portion of the proceeds from each stamp set to charity.
2. These stamps are made in the USA. When you purchase stamps from K. Andrew Designs, you'll not only receive high quality stamps, but you'll also be helping others out.

Now on to today's project. I created 4 different Valentines using Country Life and the stamps above. For cut sizes and other information, please view the video.

What big week would be complete without some CANDY? Each day throughout the week, I will be giving you several ways to receive entries for this week's candy. Next Tuesday (February 21) I will post the winner of "Splashtastic Summer". There will be several opportunities each day to receive entries. Some options will stay the same and others may change. Today, you will have the opportunity to receive 4 entries.

1. Be a follower of my blog and leave a comment below stating that you are one.
2. Pin today's project at Pinterest and leave me a comment with the location.
3. Leave a post on Facebook telling about the giveaway going on and leave a comment telling me you did.
4. After viewing the different cartridges used by the Design Team this week, leave me a comment below telling me which cartridge you are most excited to see demonstrated and why you are excited for that one.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

No Cricut? No Stamps? No Problem!

2012-02-12T02:10:00.000-07:00

Here's the scenario: You really want to make your own Valentines but you don't have a Cricut, you don't have a stamp that will work, and you don't have much money to buy more.

No Problem!

This video shows you a set of Valentines I made this year without using stamps or a Cricut. Thanks for watching and have a great day!

3 Valentines

2012-02-11T12:01:00.000-07:00

Valentines Day is quickly approaching and I really need to get some Valentines done. Unfortunately, this has been a very busy week and there hasn't been much time or energy for crafting. I needed some cute Valentines that I could make quickly. I need to make around 40 of them and I don't have much time. I used these 3 designs to make about half of them.

Of course, what project would be complete without stamps from K. Andrew Designs? I used the following 3 sets in today's projects. If you are interested in purchasing them, please click on the pictures and they will take you straight to the K. Andrew Designs store. Since these fabulous stamps are made in the USA and a portion of the proceeds from each stamp set is donated to charity, you are helping others out when you purchase them.

Now lets get on to making some Valentines! Most of the cards that I am making this year are going to be 3"X3".

Tools:
K. Andrew Designs "It's Valentines", "Owly Hoo", and "I Heart You" stamp sets.
Cricut Cartridges: Heritage and Create-a-Critter
Paper trimmer
Martha Stewart Score Board
Fiskars stamp press
ATG
Xyron 150

Supplies:
Ribbon: Pink from my stash; Black from a roll of mixed ribbon from Target's $1 spot; Red and White from a roll from Target's $1 spot
Paper: K&Co Valentines paper; Pink from Recollections "Soda Pop" collection; Red from Provo Craft; multiple scraps from my scrap stash (white, pink, red, yellow, black, grey, brown)
Ink - Black Excelsior
Zig Glue Pen

Let's Get Started:
To start, all of the bases are cut 3"X6". I used as many scraps as I could before reaching for the solids mentioned above to make my bases. All of the white mats were then cut at 2 3/4"X2 3/4". Now about the ribbon - Except for the pink ribbon, the ribbon was from $ spools from target. There are a few different prints on each spool, but each different piece is pretty short. This is why I didn't make bows with them. Each different ribbon had enough ribbon to adhere to the front of the mat and tuck under the back on 5 cards (if you were careful). They are probably a good deal if you are looking for a variety of ribbon to make one-of-a-kind cards, but not as helpful if you mass produce.

This first card was an idea from one of my Getting Cricky Design Teammates - Shawn Mosch- who suggested this typewriter and stamp. You should check out her blog by clicking here. Creativity just oozes from this girl! I cut the typewriter and its layer at 2" using the Heritage Cricut cartridge and black and grey scraps. You can find this on page 53 of the manual. I adhered the layers together and then adhered them to the card using little foam squares. The stamp is a stamp from the "I heart you" stamp set. I was having a bit of trouble with getting clean images with my camera for some reason so the image is a bit blurred. However, despite all the little whirls in this stamp, the image stamped crisp and clean straight out of the package!

The second card is a bit more girly because I went with all the pinks. I cut the moon from Create-a-Critter (page 71) at 2". I had to break down and pull a sheet from the K&Co Valentines stack to get the heart hat. The hat layer ended up being cut twice - once in the print and once in pink because this layer was for the hat and the cheeks. I cut the base layer from brown. I didn't cut the final layer which was the hat decorations because it was already decorated by the paper. I also used foam squares to pop this image off the paper. I stamped the inside of this card because there wasn't room for the image and the stamp on the outside of a 3X3" card. This sentiment is one stamp from the "It's Valentines" stamp set.

The final card today is one that I think Kristal from K. Andrew Designs would like because she loves owls. In fact, she loves them so much that she designed 3 sets of stamps with an owly theme. To make the sentiment for the inside of the card, I combined 5 stamps from the "Owly hoo" stamp set and set them up using my Fiskars stamp press. The owl is cut from Create-a-Critter at 2" and can be found on page 25 of the manual.

I hope you enjoyed these projects. Remember to come back tomorrow for the start of our "Choose a Cartridge" week at Getting Cricky. There's still time for you to guess which cartridge I will be using for extra entries to win the "Splashtastic Summer" stamp set. I'm hoping my camera issues will be resolved before then. Have a great day.

Coming Events and a Give-Away

2012-02-09T12:13:00.000-07:00

It feels like I have been MIA for a long time. Sorry about that. Between a very long work weekend last weekend and dealing with some family health problems, I've had a lot of catching up to do! There are some great things coming up though and I can't wait to share them with you. Ready?

Fun with the Getting Cricky Design Team starts on Sunday with not one, but TWO events. The first one is the Simply Sunday Challenge. Projects this week will feature wedding/ engagement/ anniversary themes. This sounds like fun to me and I have a project in mind that I hope to get done to link to this one!

In preparation for next week's Blog Hop (more on that one later), the design team is also doing a pre-hop week similar to the one we did last month. This time we are featuring a specific cartridge and using that one ALL week long. The challenge is to choose one that you own and haven't ever used or at least not for a long time. I think that I've only used mine once. We can't wait for you to see how versatile the stamps from K. Andrew Designs are and this will be one great way to showcase it. This will also start on Sunday.

The pre-hop week will culminate with this month's blog hop. The theme is Cabin Fever and will feature things for kids to do. Sound like fun? I think it will be, but I must admit that I am nervous about this one. Why? Because the other catch is that those of us participating in the pre-hop will be using the same cartridge we used all week in the kid's projects. Let's just say it will be a challenge!

Oh yes, I mentioned a GIVE-AWAY. Just like last month, I plan on giving away a stamp set from K. Andrew Designs. I chose "Splashtastic Summer" because before long, we will be starting on our summertime projects. All week you will be given ways to enter the drawing for this stamp set. To kick it off, you can start earning entries today. There's 3 ways to receive those today and remember that the more times you enter throughout the week, the more chances you receive!

1. Can you guess which cartridge I will be using? Every correct guess will receive 1 entry. To narrow it down, I will post 10 cartridges to choose from (each that I own) below. Leave a comment below telling me your guess. This entry chance will close on Sunday when the first post goes live.

2. Create a Facebook post linking it back to this post telling about the week of fun. Leave a comment telling me you did and you will earn an extra entry.

3. Have a blog? Create a blog post and link it to this post telling your followers about the give-away and the week of fun. Be sure to let me know in a comment below and you will receive an extra entry.

10 Cartridges

Best of Pixar

Toy Story

Camp- Out

Country Life

Nate's ABC's

Heritage

Home Decor

Cursive 101

Everyday Paperdolls

Elegant Edges

Heart Anniversary Card

2012-02-03T00:59:00.000-07:00


Outside of the Card

I went to my craft space to start making Valentines earlier this evening. However, when I got started I ended up making an anniversary card instead. I used the "Wild Card" Cricut cartridge and papers from Recollections and K & Company. Best of all I was able to use my newest set of stamps from K. Andrew Designs. You can click on the image below to purchase this great set of stamps.

I can tell that I will be using this one a lot! Remember that all of these stamps are made in the USA and that at least $1 from each set is donated to charity. They are so versatile. I have found it is fun to mix and match the sayings. There are soooo many things you could make from this one simple set!

Now on to the project. I really like the way this one turned out.


Inside of the card

I hope you enjoy the video to see the steps I took to make this cute card. Thanks for watching and have a great day!

My Cut Search

2012-02-02T21:50:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow Cricut users! I just wanted to spotlight a special website for you today. It is called MyCutSearch.com and you can get there by clicking on the button below.

I discovered this site through one of my Getting Cricky Design Teammates - Shawn Mosch. It is now my go to site when I am looking for a particular Cricut image. It is so easy to use. Simply type what you are looking for in the search box and the cartridges that contain that image will appear. Easy peasy! Shawn, thanks for this great tool. It has saved me so much time!

"You Make My Heart Sing" Birthday Card

2012-02-02T14:44:00.001-07:00

Today I am going to show you a card that I made for my husband's birthday. However, by using different stamps and paper, this could be easily used for a Valentine or encouragement card. This is the first time that I have used the Wild Card cartridge. I think I need to practice with this one a little more to make sure I have it figured out, but it was fun to use.

I also used Coffee & Tea fro You & Me from K. Andrew Designs. You can view and purchase these by clicking on the image below. Remember that these stamps are made in the USA and that at least $1 from each set is donated to charity. They are so easy to use. If fact, I masked words from one of these for the sentiment on my envelope, but more on that later.

Let's get started:

Tools:
K. Andrew Designs stamps "Coffee & Tea for You & Me"
Cricut - Wild Card Cartridge - Page 50 "Wave" card and envelope
Martha Stewart Scoreboard
Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Faded Jeans
ATG & Xyron 150

Supplies:
Blue card stock from Recollections, "Jewel" pack
Small orange piece of cardstock from my scrap stash
Orange plaid paper from my stash {Provo Craft?}
White gel pen

Instructions:

Using the Wild Card Cartridge, I cut the wave from blue cardstock and the wave envelope from the orange plaid paper. I also cut the envelope liner from the blue cardstock. All the cuts were at 5 1/2". I then scored along the tick marks and adhered across the bottom and sides of the envelope piece to form an envelope.

Using the plain orange cardstock, I then cut my phrase at 5 1/2" and adhered it to the inside of the card using my Xyron 150.

Using a piece of the leftover plaid paper, I made the orange plaid wave and adhered it to the front of the card using my ATG. The white pen marks were then added to add interest and detail.

I cut the frame for the front of the envelope twice, once in blue and once in orange. Using the negative space on the orange frame. I stamped "your" by masking off the "on" from "on your" using the Coffee & Tea for You & Me stamp set. I also stamped "birthday" from the same set. Tim Holtz "Faded Jeans" distress ink was a great match for this. The frame was completed by adding the blue frame around the orange.

This is a picture of the card inside the envelope. This was a pretty simple card, once I figured out how the pieces went together. However, like I said earlier, I need more practice with this cartridge.

Thanks for stopping by today and have a great day.

Baby Boy Birth Announcements

2012-02-01T01:00:00.001-07:00

This announcement was made for my nephew. I love the way the Teresa Collins Baby Boutique Imagine cartridge was designed. Though my baby days are long gone, I just knew there would be lots of things I could make with it in the future. Now I had some trouble with my Imagine when I initially started this project. On the video I share this trouble with you. Hopefully it will save someone the same heartache in the future! I also include the recipe in the video.

Thanks for watching and have a great day!

Getting Cricky "U R So Sweet" Blog Hop and Preview Week Giveaway Winner

2012-01-29T22:01:00.001-07:00

The winner of the Coffee & Tea for You & Me Tag-a-Long set is:

MARGE0006

Congratulations! Please send me an email through my profile with your name and address and I'll get that sent out.

If you didn't win, this set of stamps can be purchased by going to K. Andrew Designs. Just click on the picture above. Thanks for playing along everyone!

Real Life VS Chocolate - Getting Cricky Simply Sunday "Fantasy Land" Challenge

2012-01-29T09:50:00.002-07:00

It's time for another Simply Sunday Challenge over at Getting Cricky. The theme for today is "Fantasy Land". I actually mixed and matched words from 5 different stamp sets to get the sayings for this card. The versatility of these stamps is so great to allow me to do this. Remember that Kristal donates a portion from the sale of EVERY stamp set to charity and that they are made in the USA. Isn't that great? You can click on the images below to view and purchase any of the sets that I used today.

Now I must admit that I struggled a bit with this week's theme. I had a difficult time thinking in "Fantasy Land", but think that the recipient of this card will really like it. Some of he detail of the kisses and ribbon get lost in the photo, but it really looks neat in real life. Let's get started.

Here's a video that explains how I made this one. I trust you will enjoy it.

Thanks for watching and have a great day!

UR So Sweet Blog Hop Giveaway - I need Your Help

2012-01-26T17:30:00.000-07:00

Something unforeseen came up and I am not able to access those who purchased stamps during last week's blog hop using the code "cherifreeship". If you purchased a set, please comment to this post and I will include it in the entries for last week's giveaway. If you wish to keep that information private, just mention it in the post and I'll not publish it publicly. I trust you guys to be "on your honor" for this one. I will leave this post up until Sunday, at 7:00pm MST. After that, I will randomly pick a winner for the stamp set from all the entries that you all earned. I'm really sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused.

Winner to be Announced

2012-01-25T01:19:00.001-07:00

I'm sorry that I've been MIA for a couple of days. It was a long and busy work weekend. I just wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten to announce the winner of last week's Getting Cricky preview week and Blog hop. I need to get the names from K. Andrew Designs before I can draw a winner. Keep watching. I hope to post a new project over the next few days.

"U R So Sweet" Blog Hop

2012-01-20T19:00:00.005-07:00

Welcome to the "U R SO SWEET" Getting Cricky Blog Hop!!

We're so happy you could join us for this month's Getting Cricky Design Team Blog Hop!! We have an EXTRA SPECIAL hop for you this month -- All week long, the Design Team has been featuring many of Kristal's stamp sets in anticipation of the hop... If you've missed out on any of the week, be sure to check out our previous posts for MORE THAN 100 CREATIVE IDEAS and PROJECTS using Kristal's stamps as well as giveaways, promotions, tips, and tutorials!!

If you've hopped along from Letillia - Diva of 5 then you are in the right place!! If you are just joining me from your dashboard, or reading this via email, please be sure to CLICK HERE to start at the beginning with Kristal's blog (you'll want to catch up on all the FUN!!)...

Each of Kristal's stamp sets benefit charity. At least $1 per stamp set goes to benefit the charity noted on the stamp set package. Kristal is donating to the following charities: Cancer Angels, Storefront Shelter for Homeless Children, Intrepid & Fallen Heroes, E. Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Doorways Shelter for Women & Children (Domestic Violence), Wayside House for Women, Camp Good Days & Special Times, Adopt a Classroom, and Autism Research Institute. Kristal will donate $1 for every stamp set sold, retail or wholesale to the charity noted; and over time believes this will add up to some wonderful miracles for these special people. So you can feel good that each time you purchase a K Andrew Designs art stamp set, someone around the country is receiving some good help!

K Andrew's stamps are all made and assembled here in the USA, which is very important to Kristal. This ensures all product materials are safe and that jobs are being provided and maintained here in America. You can learn even more about Kristal's stamps (and pick some up for yourself) by visiting her online store: K Andrew Designs:

Kristal's stamp sets are perfect for cards, layouts, and so much more...
For my project, I'm using Coffee & Tea for You & Me

For more details or to make this set YOURS, please click on the preview above/

Now for my project - As mention in the video, I chose to use non-traditional Valentines colors. I wanted to fit the card to the person who would be receiving it.

I made a shaped card using the Cricut Design Studio and the "Love Ya a Latte" cartridge. For more information on how I did it and the paper I used, please see the video. It was so much fun making this card and I'm sure that the person receiving it will love it as well.

Kristal has just released some new stamps in her store and you really should check them out. She has new sets for Valentines. Plus, if you buy $25, get the Mini Heart Bonus Set for FREE!!

Not only that , but if you enter the code "cherifreeship" you will receive FREE SHIPPING and an EXTRA ENTRY to win my BLOG CANDY.

What? You mean there's BLOG CANDY too? Absolutely. I have a few ways you can enter to win this fun set of stamps. I want to make as many ways available as possible so I decided to add a few things that you can do. Each thing that you do will give you a separate entry. I haven't counted it up, but let's just say that you can earn a LOT of entries! I will close the entry process on Sunday, January 22 at 11:59 pm and announce a winner on Monday or Tuesday.

1. Post my Blinkie on your side bar and let me know in the comment section that you did so that I can go and see it on your blog.

2. Be a follower of my blog and let me know that you are in the comment section.

3. Create a post on your blog and/or Facebook page telling about this Blog Hop and Candy and leave me a comment telling me that you did so.

4. Any purchase you make at K. Andrew Designs between today and Sunday will give you one more entry. Use the code "cherifreeship" and you will not only receive FREE SHIPPING on your order, but Kristal will let me know that you are eligible for an extra entry.

5. Visit as many of the Design Team's blogs as you can. When you are finished, comment on today's post telling me at least 5 of the blogs you visited and tell me the name of today's project from their posts.

Now you can hop on over to your next stop: Debbie at DD's Crafts ......

Blog Hop Tonight and New Stamp Releases

2012-01-20T00:52:00.002-07:00

It's been such a fun week with all the pre-blog hop projects that have been posted. Can you believe that the Getting Cricky Design Team has posted over 100 projects this week? Every one of them have featured stamps by K. Andrew Designs! With each of us focusing on one set of stamps, there has been quite a bit of thinking outside of the box. I hope you have seen how versatile these stamps are.

Tonight we end this great week with a Blog Hop! There will be more than 20 projects and all of them will feature love and/or Valentines. Sound fun? It will be. Just click on the link above to start at the very beginning at 9:00pm EST. You will find some great inspiration for your Valentine's projects and maybe even some gift giving ideas. I've previewed some of those projects and you're in for a treat - A SWEET TREAT! There's even a bit of CANDY along the way.

How about a peek into the new stamp sets being released?

Click on one of the images above if you would like to purchase a set. If you use the code "cherifreeship" you will receive free shipping. If you place an order between now and Sunday night, Kristal will notify me and you will receive an extra entry in my current Giveaway - A Coffee & Tea for You & Me tag-a-long set! Kristal is also giving away a free mini stamp set with every $25 purchase.There are some great images and sentiments here. I hope you have a chance to check them out. Thanks for stopping by.

Day 5 of Getting Cricky Fun - "You're Just Tea-riffic!"

2012-01-19T00:45:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe that today is the last day of Pre-Hop fun. I've had so much fun working with my chosen set this week and the ideas are still coming! It's always fun to reach outside of the box and see what you can make with just a few stamps. Be sure and check out the Blog Candy at the bottom of the post to see how you can win a set of these great stamps. I changed #5 for today.

For today's project, I decided to make a Valentine card for my Grandma. I know it will be safe to show now because she doesn't have the internet and doesn't like computers -lol. My Grandma collects teapots and likes the color red. Grandma doesn't really want anymore teapots and has so many trinkets and decorations that she really doesn't want anything like that either. She's always kind of difficult to get get a gift for. I think I will just give her this little card.

Let's Get Started
Tools:
K. Andrew Design Stamps - "Coffee & Tea for You & Me" and "Coffee & Tea for You & Me" Image set
Cricut and the "Love You a Latte" Cricut cartridge
ATG Adhesive

Supplies:
Paper from my stash (every bit of the paper for this card came from my scraps - even the base)
Tim Holtz "Vintage Photo" Distress ink
Versamark Ink
3 Girl Jam ribbon - "Merlot"

Instructions:
Cut the teapot and it's layers at 2 3/4" using the "Love Ya a Latte" Cricut cartridge. Cut a piece of red cardstock to 11" X 4 1/4". Score and fold at 5 1/2". Cut a piece of tan cardstock to 4 1/8" X 5 3/8" for the outside of the card and one 3 1/2 X 4 3/4" for the inside. I used Vintage Photo distress ink to ink around the teapot and mats as well as to stamp my sentiments and images. The ribbon was tied around the mat before it was adhered to the front of the card.

To finish off the inside of the card, I took a Versamark ink pad and repeated the sentiment from the front of the card all over the inside, creating my own background. I then adhered the new mat over the background paper. I think my Grandma will like it.

A portion of the proceeds from each of Kristal's stamp sets is donated to charity. The stamps are also manufactured in the US and that's really important to Kristal. I think they are fabulous stamps and I love the versatility they provide. You can click on each image below to purchase these stamps.

Aren't these stamps great? Hop on over to check them out for your self. Special Promo: Every order that totals $25 will include a free mini set of stamps. You can also use the code "cherifreeship" to receive free shipping. This is such a super promotion!
.

How about some CANDY? I have some for you this week.

I have a few ways you can enter to win this fun set of stamps. I want to make as many ways available as possible so I decided to add a few things that you can do. Each thing that you do will give you a separate entry. I haven't counted it up, but let's just say that you can earn a LOT of entries! I will close the entry process on Sunday, January 22 at 11:59 pm and announce a winner on Monday or Tuesday.

1. Post my Blinkie on your side bar and let me know in the comment section of one the daily posts that you did so that I can go and see it on your blog.

2. Be a follower of my blog and let me know that you are in one of the daily posts.

3. Create a post on your blog and/or Facebook page telling about this week of posts and the giveaway. Comment each day that you do this on that day's post and you will receive 1 entry per day. Yes that means if you do this each day throughout this week on Facebook and your blog, you will receive 12 entries!

5. Now that you have seen so many ideas on my blog as well as the blogs of the other Getting Cricky Design Team Members, what would you say is your very favorite set of stamps? Leave a comment on today's post telling me your favorite set for an extra entry.

Day 4 of Getting Cricky Fun - "The Perfect Blend" Card

2012-01-18T03:27:00.008-07:00

So it's confession time. I was in a huge hurry when I made this card earlier today. I realized that I hadn't stamped my image clearly. That's what happens when you get in a hurry. Krista's stamps are very high quality and stamp very cleanly. The flaws in this card are totally my fault and not the stamps. I decided to add a way to earn an extra entry for the FREE stamp set today. Check the list at the bottom of the page to find out more about it.

I plan on making more of these cards because I love the way they turned out! Thanks for stopping in today. I hope you enjoy the video.

A portion of the proceeds from each of Kristal's stamp sets is donated to charity. The stamps are also manufactured in the US and that's really important to Kristal. I think they are fabulous stamps and I love the versatility they provide. You can click on each image below to purchase these stamps.

How about some CANDY? I have some for you this week.

1. Post my Blinkie on your side bar and let me know in the comment section of one the daily posts that you did so that I can go and see it on your blog.

2. Be a follower of my blog and let me know that you are in one of the daily posts.

I am also entering this card in Little Scrap Pieces - Anything Goes Challenge

Day 3 of Getting Cricky Fun - Bookmarks

2012-01-17T02:29:00.003-07:00

Day 3 is going to be a little different. There won't be a video today, just 2 fun and quick bookmarks. When I was planning my posts for the week, I had planned to do bookmarks. After going through the Simply Sunday Challenge projects over at Getting Cricky, I decided to stretch myself a bit. You can see these projects and link up your own projects by clicking here. I changed one of the bookmarks to a "snow project" to fit into that challenge. Remember that I am using the Coffee & Tea for You & Me in all the projects that I post this week. Guess what, I managed to come up with a coffee-less/ tea-less bookmark using these sets. Aren't these stamps versatile?

Bookmark #1 - Hey There Sweet Thing

Recipe -
K. Andrew Designs - Coffee & Tea for You & Me Tag-a-long set
Cricut Cartridges - Create-A-Critter and Tag's Bags Boxes and More (TBB&M)
Cuttlebug and Snowflakes embossing folder
Iced Spruce Distress Ink
Creative Charms Gradient Gems - 2 small black
White, blue, yellow, red, and black cardstock
White ribbon from my stash
Glossy Accents

Cut 2 tags using TBB&M pg. 88 at 4 1/2 inches - one in blue and one in white. Run the white one through the embossing folder and then adhere them together. This finishes the back nicely. I cut the penguin and igloo with layers at 1" using Create - a- Critter and adhered it to the front. I used glossy accents to shine up the penguins black hair and popped on 2 charms for the eyes. I cut a piece of white cardstock into a square (1.5" ?) and stamped my sentiment using Iced Spruce Distress ink. I also inked around the square and both sides of the tag. I used my xyron to adhere the images to the front of the bookmark and tied a bow at the top.

Bookmark #2

Expresso Yourself

Recipe:
K. Andrew Designs Coffee & Tea for You & Me Tag-A-Long set and Image Set
Cricut TBB&M
Versamark, Vintage Photo distress ink, and Color-cox Chianti pigment ink
Clear embossing powder
Merlot Ribbon - 3 Girl Jam
Craft and printed card stock (from my stash)

Cut 1 tag from Craft and 1 from your printed cardstock using TBB&M pg 89 at 4 1/2". Adhere together. Stamp the espresso cup all over the front of the tag on the Craft side using versamark. Apply clear embossing powder and set with your heat tool. Cut a small strip of craft cardstock (I used 1" tall and cut the ends by visualization of the fit on the tag. Stamp your sentiment using chianti color box ink. Ink around the edges of your sentiment strip with the chianti ink. Ink around the edges of the tag on both sides with Vintage Photo distress ink. Bring the ribbon through the holes and tie into a bow.

A portion of the proceeds from each of Kristal's stamp sets is donated to charity. The stamps are also manufactured in the US and that's really important to Kristal. I think they are fabulous stamps and I love the versatility they provide. You can click on each image below to purchase these stamps.

How about some CANDY? I have some for you this week.

1. Post my Blinkie on your side bar and let me know in the comment section of one the daily posts that you did so that I can go and see it on your blog.

2. Be a follower of my blog and let me know that you are in one of the daily posts.

New Stamps for Pre-Order

2012-01-17T02:09:00.003-07:00

Hello everyone. Kristal has several new stamp sets available for pre-order. I am waiting for some of my own. They are so great. Click on one of the images below if you would like to purchase a set. If you use the code "cherifreeship" you will receive free shipping. If you place an order between now and Sunday night, Kristal will notify me and you will receive an extra entry in my current Giveaway - A Coffee & Tea for You & Me tag-a-long set! Kristal is also giving away a free mini stamp set with every $25 purchase.

Now on to the new stamps-

There are some great images and sentiments here. I hope you have a chance to check them out. Thanks for stopping by.

Day 2 of Getting Cricky Fun - Sweet Treat

2012-01-16T02:19:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone. Are you ready to plunge into Day 2 of the Getting Cricky Highlight week. I am really excited about today's project. I love the way it turned out. Remember that I am using the Coffee & Tea for You & Me in all the projects that I post this week. Over at Getting Cricky, we really want you to see how great Kristal's stamps work and how versatile they are.

Aren't these stamps great? Hop on over to check them out for your self. Special Promo: Every order that totals $25 will include a free mini set of stamps. You can also use the code "cherifreeship" to receive free shipping. This is such a super promotion!

Now on to today's project: Sweet Treat gift bag and tag. I love the little sparkle that the glitter glue gave the finished project. Thanks for watching.

How about some CANDY? I have some for you this week.

1. Post my Blinkie on your side bar and let me know in the comment section of one the daily posts that you did so that I can go and see it on your blog.

2. Be a follower of my blog and let me know that you are in one of the daily posts.

Day one of Getting Cricky Fun - Everything's Better...

2012-01-15T00:01:00.064-07:00

Welcome to Day 1 of the special week of projects. What's up with that you say? Well, the Design Team over at Getting Cricky was challenged to post a different project each day. The catch is to use the SAME stamp set to do each of the projects. We will finish off the week with a-"You Are So Sweet" Blog Hop on Friday night. Doesn't this sound like fun? I think it will be.

So now we should probably move on to the stamp set that I plan to use. Actually, I am using 3 sets, but since they are coordinating sets, they only count as one for this challenge. Now before you worry too much about me "cheating", I actually chose this set because I love coffee! I wanted to see what type of "coffee" projects I could come with. Guess what though? Today's project has NOTHING to do with coffee - lol.

A portion of the proceeds from each of Kristal's stamp sets is donated to charity. The stamps are also manufactured in the US and that's really important to Kristal. I think they are fabulous stamps and I love the versatility they provide. You can click on each image below to purchase these stamps.

Now on to today's project: Everything's Better With Chocolate. Mmm...mmmm... I think chocolate is wonderful. Please enjoy the video and the project. Thanks for watching.

How about some CANDY? I have some for you this week.

1. Post my Blinkie on your side bar and let me know in the comment section of one the daily posts that you did so that I can go and see it on your blog.

2. Be a follower of my blog and let me know that you are in one of the daily posts.

"U R So Sweet" Blog Hop, Week of Features, and CANDY

2012-01-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

Guess what everyone? It's almost time for the next Getting Cricky Blog Hop. It is scheduled for next Friday night (1/20) at 9:00pm Eastern - Sunday night at 11:30 PM Eastern. The theme for this hop is "U R So Sweet".

As a special promotion leading up to the hop, several Design Team Members are creating a post each day beginning on Sunday, January 15, 2011. We have each chosen a specific stamp set to use and each post this week will feature that set. Sound like fun? It gets even better! I have chosen 1 set of stamps to give away as CANDY at the end of this promotion. You will have to check back on Sunday to see which set and how to enter. Lets just say there will be several ways to receive entries and the set I'm giving away is one that I will be featuring next week.

I think I'll start letting you earn entries today. To earn your first entry, click on the link HERE and peruse the stamp sets. This links you to the first set on the K. Andrew Designs stamp page. Leave a comment telling me which stamp set you think I will be using throughout the week. Everyone who answers correctly will receive their first entry for the Blog Candy.
Ready?
Set?
Go!

ATC

2012-01-13T02:20:00.003-07:00

Tonight was my first attempt at Artist Trading Cards (ATC's). I'm very pleased with the way they turned out. I used the "Crafty Friends" stamp set for one side of the card. You can purchase these super stamps by clinking on the image below.

Kristal donates a portion of the sales of every stamp set to charity. These high quality stamps are also made in the USA. You can't beat that!

I also used the following stamp sets -
Tim Holtz "Joyful Song"
Tim Holtz "Playful Journey"
MME - "Princess - Blush"

I then found a couple of muslin bags to store these in.

I hope you enjoy the video. Thanks for watching!

A Healthier Dinner

2012-01-13T02:02:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, my life has been very busy lately - especially over the last month. My daughter (who does much of the cooking) had surgery the week before Christmas and she didn't bounce back as quickly as we expected. My father-in-law has also had some complications related to kidney failure. With all that going on as well as being sick for awhile myself (oh yeah, and during that time was Christmas and our anniversary), lets just say we have eaten out far too often and I've cooked far too little over the last month. Obviously, this isn't good for our health OR our bank account :).

On one recent crazy night, I stopped at Walmart to grab lasagna and a salad and saw a spinach salad kit. I grabbed it with concern over the fact that my family really doesn't care for spinach. It had spinach, sliced almonds, crumbled bleu cheese, dried cherries, and a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Much to my surprise, the only complaint was from my son who didn't like the bleu cheese. The whole bag was finished by the time everyone had eaten. Woo Hoo!

Now it was time to figure out how to make our own. Here's what we came up with:

Ingredients:
Spinach (ours was Dole with red lettuce that came in a 5 oz. clamshell) - we used a little over 1/2 of the clamshell.
Slivered almonds (not sure how many Elise put in - put in enough to suit your taste)
Dried Cranberries (My husband didn't really like the cherries. Again, use enough to suit your taste)
Crumbled Bleu cheese (I used low fat) - to taste
Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing (Next time we will try the raspberry vinaigrette)

Mix together, adding dressing just before serving. Delicious, but of course, that wasn't enough for dinner. This is what came next...

Now before you SCREAM too loudly that alfredo isn't that healthy, the title says "healthier" and not "healthy". I'm actually pretty proud of the improvements made to reduce the fat and calories in this dish. Several years ago, I got a recipe for fettuccine alfredo watching Martha Stewart. It was delicious, but used quite a bit of butter. At some point, I added either grilled or broiled chicken breast to the recipe to make it into a complete meal. Besides being loaded in fat and calories, the butter would separate from the rest of the sauce when the leftovers were heated over. In November, Daniel and I ate at a little Irish place that served "Bangers and Bowtie Alfredo". It was delicious and tasted lighter. (Now for those of you who don't know - bangers is a type of sausage.) Thus began the quest to change our recipe. Finding turkey kielbasa completed the missing link to make this a bit healthier while still being creamy and delicious. Here's what I came up with:

Ingredients:
1 box of bowtie pasta (16 ounces)
1/2 package of turkey kielbasa sliced (This is the package that is 1 long curved link. I believe it was about 16 ounces and I used 1/2.)
2 cups whipping cream
2 cups of grated Parmesan cheese (I use actual grated cheese, but the "canned" can also be used if needed)
3 TBS of butter

Cook pasta according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, slice and heat kielbasa. When hot, add the butter and melt. Add cream and heat through. Add Parmesan cheese and heat until cheese is melted. Drain pasta. Add sauce/ kielbasa mixture to the pasta and mix thoroughly. Serve hot.

We added some crusty bread and had a delicious (and healthier) dinner.

Haul and Storage Ideas

2012-01-09T01:38:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share some bargains that I have found. Hopefully, some of you can find some of the same (or even better) bargains still out there.

Thanks for watching and have a great day.

Sympathy Card - Red

2012-01-07T01:55:00.000-07:00

I needed to make a sympathy card so I pulled out a set from my favorite stamp company - K. Andrew Designs. I also pulled out Elegant Edges, ribbon from 3 Girl Jam, and Fired Brick Distress Ink.

If you are interested on the stamp set that I used, you can click on the image below to purchase them or to peruse the other fabulous sets :). Kristal donates a portion of every stamp set to charity. She also makes sure that her stamps are manufactured in the US.

Thanks for watching and come back soon.

Valentines Stamps New Release and an Announcement.

2012-01-03T11:33:00.002-07:00

Valentine's Stamps Preorder and Giveaway

Kristal at K. Andrew Designs is releasing a new set of stamps that should be ready just in time for Valentine's Day. They are great! She is also having a Giveaway of these 3 new releases on her blog. Click here to find out how to get these. I'm looking forward to ordering my set!

Announcement

The next Getting Cricky Blog Hop is scheduled for January 20. This is not my normal time to be in the Blog Hop, but this month we are doing something special. All the Design Team members were invited to participate in a week long event prior to the hop. Beginning January 15, those participating will post one project per day the whole week leading up to the hop. The catch - we can only use 1 stamp set the whole week. We want to show you just how versatile these stamps sets are. Now I must admit that I am "cheating" a bit because the "set" I chose is actually 3 sets. I want to feature the Coffee and Tea set and add-a-long image sets because they are so fun. If you would like to play along, you can order these stamps now by clicking on the images below.

Snow Wishes Snowman Card - Getting Cricky Tuesday Tutorial

2012-01-03T10:50:00.002-07:00

Welcome to the Tuesday Tutorial. Thanks for inviting me today. I trust you have had a great day. Today's card was made using the Winter Wishes stamp set from K. Andrew Designs. You can click on the image of the stamps to go to purchase this great set of stamps. Check out all of the stamps while you are there :). A portion of the proceeds of each sale goes to charity.

I also used Tim Holtz alterations dyes to make the snowballs. I show you how I did it on the video. Don't these stamps go so well with the rosette snowman? Thanks for watching and I hope you enjoy the video.

It's A Celebration - Getting Cricky Simply Sunday Challenge

2012-01-01T22:55:00.000-07:00

It's time for another Simply Sunday Challenge over at Getting Cricky. The theme for this week is "It's a Celebration". Doesn't that sound like fun? Unfortunately, I was not able to get a project in on time due to some family health difficulties. I hope you join in and see the fabulous projects made by the Design Team as well as the projects already posted. You can start by clicking here. You can even link up your own projects as well as follow the links to purchase the stamps used by the Design Team. Thanks for stopping by. Hopefully there will be projects soon, but I can't make promises at this time. Have a wonderful new year as you follow the Lord.

Blog Candy Winners

2012-01-01T22:01:00.001-07:00

Happy New Year everyone. It's hard to believe that 2011 is gone a a new year is here. God is so good and I expect great things this year from Him.

I wanted to wrap up the last 2 giveaways. I haven't been able to reach the following winners:

Rhonda Miller

and

marge0006

Please contact me through the link under my profile with your address and I'll get your prizes sent as soon as possible. Since I approve all my comments before they posted, you may also leave your mailing address as a comment to this post and I will not post it with your address. I will just send your prize and delete the post.