Thank you!

I want to thank two people today. First off, Beatriz Jennings picked me randomly from the people that comment on her creations, and she sent me some BEAUTIFUL flowers from her very own dream designs. These flowers are gorgeous! Thank you so much Beatriz! If you haven't been to Beatriz's blog, you're really missing out, because her cards are amazing!


Look at these flowers! Just gorgeous! I can't wait to use them on a special project!!


Here's one of the packages opened up and spread out for you to see. GORGEOUS! The color of these is so vibrant and rich! Plus, red is my favorite color! I love these! Thank you so much Beatriz!

Next, look at this gorgeous Christmas card that I got from Flossie! Flossie, thank you so much, I'm thrilled that you sent me a Christmas card! It's gorgeous! My photo doesn't do it justice! Look at that "Merry Christmas" ribbon! If you don't already visit Flossie on a daily basis, you really should! She's so creative and talented!

Thank you so much ladies! Who would have thought that I would be making such amazing blogging friends? Starting this blog was a good decision, because I've "met" so many wonderful people! Thank you again!

I have some really cute ornaments to share with you tomorrow! They were totally simple to make, but I think the kids at the craft fair will love them! The craft fair is on Dec. 8th, so I need to do all my finishing up next week! Have a great weekend everyone! Thanks for stopping by!

Harley Fund Jar

I was excited to create an altered jar with a Harley theme, but I'm not thrilled with the way this turned out. I'm going to post it anyway, and I'm going to try to sell it at the craft fair. This is a Miracle Whip glass jar, altered to be a bank.


I used Krylon spray paint for plastic for the lid. The lid was light blue. Then, my husband used a drill, yes a drill, to drill the coin slot in the lid. Harley-Davidson orange flame paper is on the front, and I did "Daddy's Harley Fund" on the computer and printed it on the orange cardstock. Since I've taken the photo, I did add 4 dots of black Stickles to the corners of the sentiment on the front.


On the lid, I cut orange flame paper with my Coluzzle, and then cut the coin slot. Then I added some ribbons around the jar. I'm going to try to get a Vacation Fund jar and a Mommy's Starbuck Fund jar done this week. Thanks for stopping by!!

Harley Davidson desk accessories

Sorry for the photos. I had the hardest time photographing these items. Most of you know that I use a camera phone to take my pictures. Well, dont' get too excited (because I am!!), but a digital camera has been ordered! I don't think it's shipped yet, but it will get here soon, and this is me progressing in the right direction, don't you think? I'm entering the modern world, and I'm getting a digital camera! It's about time! On to my project that I'm showing you today. My husband is currently moving his home office from a bedroom into the basement. It's an on-going process of getting organized here at home. With all of the moving and rearranging, we're coming across so many things that serve no purpose, and they can be thrown away. Well, I rescued a few items, and I gave them a facelift, and now my husband loves them!

This was a magnetic clip advertising some kind of car company or towing service. Not sure which. It wasn't very attractive. One small piece of Harley-Davidson orange flame paper and a dimensional sticker, and now it's not only functional, it looks good too! My husband was so impressed. It took two minutes to alter!


On this one, I really should have taken a "before" photo. This was a corporate mug with logos, etc. It was very unattractive, and my husband couldn't even remember where he got it from. On this one, I used grey on black Harley-Davidson logo paper, it's wrapped around the mug up to the handle, and then I added stitched ribbon on the top and the bottom to give it a finished look. More stickers, even one on the handle, and this one is fantastic! This is my favorite project, because it REALLY looks great! The mug color perfectly matches the stickers I selected!

This is the sticker on the opposite site. Perfect color match!

This wasn't headed for the trash, but it still needed a little something. Just a small strip of paper and a sticker, and it was done.

My husband and my oldest daughter pointed out that the sticker isn't straight. They're right. Oh well! Perfection isn't everything!

Here are the items together. My husband's desk is now really stylin' with Harley-Davidson accessories! Fun to alter, and he's thrilled. It was very flattering with how happy he was with his "new" accessories.

Thanks for stopping by!

Merry Kissmas!

I just love the Sassy Silhouette stamps from Stampendous! I pulled out the Sassy Shopper a while back, and made "Tis the Season to go Shopping!" cards, and I just loved the way they turned out. Since that was the only Sassy Silhouette stamp that I had, I NEEDED to find more! Well, I bought a few more on eBay, and here's another one! I just love this stamp! It's called "Under the Mistletoe". Love it!

I designed "Merry Kissmas!" in WordArt and I printed it on white cardstock. I stamped the image below, added some Stickles to the trim on the outfits, and I used my Coluzzle circle template to cut the image and a mat. The striped paper is We R Memory Keepers and it's ticket punched. I added sheer red ribbon around the card front. More Stickles was added to the ticket punched corners.


So far, I've just made two, but I will probably make two more. These cards just make me smile!

Thanks for stopping by!

Joy

What a great long weekend! I LOVE long weekends! The girls head back to school today, and we're back to our regular routine. I actually squeezed in some crafting time over the weekend. That's always fun! I wanted to use up some more of the foam snowflakes that I have, and this is the card that I came up with.


I cut the two letters on my Cricut using Base Camp at 2 1/2" on real dial size. The card front is DCWV Christmas glitter stack paper and it's ticket punched. I added a sheer white ribbon wrapped around the card front. The snowflake brad is Making Memories, and I added some blue dots of Stickles to the foam snowflake and to the ticket punched corners. Once again, this is a card for the craft fair.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jingle All The Way!

Here's the other ornament that I'm making for the craft fair! Once again, I'm thrilled with the way these turned out! I used Stampin' Up Alphabet Soup again. I added some bells that I just purchased at Michael's. I think the kids will LOVE these!

This is the green version. It's stamped in green, mounted on red, and I used green ribbon.


Here's the red version next to the green version. The red version is stamped in red, mounted on green, and I used red ribbon. These are so fun!

Here's what I've made so far. The green one is lonely! I'll be making more of these until I run out of bells! I should end up with about ten total. I'll do five red and five green. What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs & Kisses! Take 2!

I just wanted to show you the second version of the Hugs & Kisses! I stamped in green, mounted on red, and used green ribbon! I don't think I mentioned it yesterday, but the stamp is from the Stampin' Up Alphabet Soup set. I'm really happy with these, and I have more to make. I want to have at least ten in each color.


I started decorating for Christmas last night. I love getting our stockings up and getting Christmas decorations on the mantle. It looks so pretty and festive! I tend to go a little overboard in our family room for Christmas, but I just can't help myself! It's been great decorating the last couple of years, because my girls are so helpful. I hope you're all having a great weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs & Kisses!

I'm so excited, because I wanted to create a small ornament type project that would really appeal to the kids that will be shopping at the craft fair, and I think I came up with the perfect idea! I actually have two ideas, but I still need to make a purchase first for the other idea! So, here's my first one!


I bought Hershey's kisses for my craft fair table. I figured if someone made a purchase, I would give them a kiss or let them take a kiss. Everyone loves chocolate! Then I was thinking that since Hershey also makes Hugs, and I have a very cool Stampin' Up stamp that says Hugs & Kisses . . . why not package them up as Hugs & Kisses, and make them as a small ornament! I love the idea, and these are going to be quick, easy, and I think VERY cute!


Here are two of at least twenty that I hope to make. I put two Hugs and two Kisses in each bag. The green cardstock is about 2 x 4 folded over the top of the little bag. Then, staple and add the stamped image and some ribbon. Easy as can be, but aren't these adorable? I'm going to reverse the colors on half of them. The topper will be red, I'll stamp in green, and add green ribbon. I'm also going to take a 4' tree to the craft fair, and actually hang these on the tree! Now, won't that be just too cute?!

Believe it or not, I'm heading outside with my husband to cut the grass one last time. Plus, it picks up all of the leaves in the backyard. Yep, it's about 30 degrees outside, and I'm going out to cut grass! Crazy, but it needs to get done! Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my very wonderful blogging friends! I am so thankful for all of you! You have made having this blog and posting my creations so worthwhile! I'm not sure what it is about sharing and hearing what you think about what I make, but I love it, and I appreciate your kindness very much! Have a wonderful day! Thank you for visiting, and thank you for your compliments! I'm grateful!

I'm also very thankful for my family! My husband and my daughters are everything to me, and I think I'm leading a very charmed life, because I get to spend time with them every single day. I love them more than I could ever put into words!

Now, just to be silly, here's another Maxine for you! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Thanks for stopping by!

Yeah! A holiday weekend!

I finished the snowman soup project yesterday! Instead of 30, I have 29, because one of the hot chocolate packets had a slit in it, and we can't have hot chocolate powder escaping! I really can't decide what to charge for them. I was thinking $2.50 or $3.00. What do you think?

I'm off for a hightlight and a hair cut today. I could use both! I put off highlighting for a long time, because it's so expensive! Once I get home, I hope to get more cards made, and I'm also thinking about making some kind of ornaments. I need to give that some thought.

Here's a little Maxine for you today!


Have a great day! I'm not cooking tomorrow! I'm going to my brother's house! I love NOT cooking! The only downside is there's no leftover turkey! Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend!

Ho Ho Ho! Santa Cards!

The photos aren't the best again! These are so cute, and I'm so happy with them, but they didn't photograph well. It's rainy and gloomy, and I had a hard time getting a good pic. Anyway, more cards for the craft fair. I've made snowmen, reindeer, snowflakes, etc. I really needed a Santa card! I was looking at my QuicKutz Santa die and the Cricut options for Santa, and none of them were doing it for me. So, I decided to check out clip art, and I fell in love with these vintage/retro Santas that I found!


I used a scallop circle that I cut using Mini Monograms on my Cricut. I used my Coluzzle to cut Santa. The sentiment was printed on my computer, and the photo corners are QuicKutz. The card front is Cuttlebug embossed and ticket punched. I rubbed green ink on the embossed card front. The scallop and the photo corners were cut from DCWV Christmas Stack paper. It's gorgeous paper!


As always, I made four of them. Good thing there were four Santas to choose from in clip art, because I like each card to be a little bit different! These are so much cuter in person. Really, the photograph is bad! What do you think? I love the retro feeling these have! I can't believe I made cards that don't have ribbon, Primas, rhinestones, or Stickles!

Thanks for stopping by!

Snowman Soup

Bad photos today! Geez! I am working on the snowman soup for the craft fair. I have nine made so far, and I think I want to make thirty. I think these are cute!

I used the inch bag and the shopping bag from Tags, Bags, Boxes, and More on the Cricut. I cut them at 5 1/2". The little tags say "snowman soup" in a circle, and the snowman is clip art. I used my Coluzzle to cut the tags.


These are the shopping bags.

These are the inch bags. Notice the one in front. I wasn't paying attention to how I put the printed paper into my Cricut, and I ended up putting it in the wrong way, and now instead of saying "Ho Ho Ho", its says "Oh Oh Oh". It was already cut, so I'm using it anyway! Duh! I'll pay more attention next time! All of the papers are from the DCWV Glitter Christmas Stack. I'm adding a poem to all of these. My daughter wrote the poem! It's fantastic! Here it is:

Snowman Soup
By: Emily Sheetz

Winter’s here, as we all know,
It’s time to go play in the snow.
Once Jack Frost has nipped your nose,
You need something warm, to warm your toes.
A little Snowman Soup will fix you up right,
And a nice warm blanket to wrap you up tight.
Make the hot chocolate, all steaming and yummy,
And drink it fast; it’ll warm your tummy!
Add the marshmallows one by one,
‘Cause they’re what makes the whole thing fun!
Stir it with the candy cane, to add a little hint,
Of the sweetest flavor ever, yummy peppermint.
Snowman Soup is the way to go,
When you’re done playing in the snow.

Isn't that awesome? She's a great writer! She's 11 years old! Thanks for stopping by!

Snowflake Card - AGAIN!

Since I got a pack of white, light blue, and dark blue foam snowflakes, and you've already seen the dark blue and white creations, you had to know that the light blue snowflakes were on the way! This is the last snowflake cards I'll be creating, because honestly, now I'm a little tired of them!!


I had a hard time matching up the light blue, so I ended up with a turquoise. Then, I couldn't get the ink on my printer to be the correct shade of blue, so I ended up stamping the sentiment. The photo isn't the best, but the sentiment says "Very Merry Christmas!", and it's a Stampin' Up stamp. I stamped it in teal on the turquoise cardstock.


I just had to show this one up close, because I used a very non-Christmasy ribbon on it, yet I think it looks great!


As always, I made four cards, so here's the four of them. Ribbon changes on them all. I added rhinestones or Stickles to the snowflakes and the front is Cuttlebug snowflake embossed and ticket punched. No more snowflake cards! I promise!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Holidays!

I honestly liked the cards I posted yesterday so much, that I decided to stick with it and just change it up a bit!


I think I mentioned that I had white, light blue, and dark blue snowflakes. I posted the dark blue snowflakes yesterday. I wanted to create four cards using the white snowflakes. I love the way these turned out! The card front is a very dark purple. I Cuttlebug embossed the card front with the large snowflake embossing folder. I printed "Happy Holidays!" on my computer. I added some purple stickles to the white snowflake. I used the same white sheer ribbon that I used yesterday. I love this ribbon! Instead of ticket punching, I rounded corners this time, including the card base! I'm thrilled with these! I love the way they turned out!

Here's all four of them. I like using just the two colors. No ribbon switching this time, because I like the white ribbon too much!

Have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

I personally don't hope for snow. However, it's inevitable. I'm in Illinois . . . we'll get snow! If we could have it only on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, that would be great! I don't mind the cold that much, but I don't really like having snow. Anyway, I don't think most people feel that way, so I embraced that thought, and created "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!" cards! These are for the craft fair.


This was the first one I created. I just love the Cuttlebug large embossing folders! The sentiment was done on the computer. The foam snowflakes were a HUGE bargain that I got at a rubber stamp flea market. I got a big bag, and I think they were only 50 cents! I have white, light blue, and dark blue. I love them! I added a beautiful sheer white ribbon around the card front, and I added some rhinestones to the snowflake. I ticket punched the card front.


My youngest daughter didn't particarly care for the white on white with the ribbon and the card front, so I had a light bulb moment, and I chalked the ribbon on the next one. The chalk worked well! I like the effect!


Here's the chalked one by itself. It's such a soft look, and the ribbon really pops. I like the white on white . . . I think it's elegant!


I usually create four cards, so here they are. The other two have different ribbons. I also switched things around a little. On two I put the sentiment on the top, and on the other two I put the sentiment on the bottom. I like making each one unique!

Thanks for stopping by!

Finally! I WILL be doing the craft fair!

Hooray! The PTA lady called me today. They FINALLY got my application and check for the craft fair space. She said I'm OK for December 8th. Geez, I need to get busy! I have only a few things done! I need to get in mass production mode!! Wish me luck!

Giant Paperclips - Guest Designer!

I'm proud to announce that I'm featuring a guest designer on my blog today! My oldest daughter made these gorgeous giant paperclips! She's 11 years old, in the 6th grade, and I'm sure you'll agree that she's very talented!

The Cuttlebug cut the flower shape in both the chipboard and the patterned paper scraps. I love the addition of the buttons. I think the star buttons are particularly cute! The ribbons are fantastic!

Here is the other side of the clips. Aren't these GREAT? I think so! Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday Post, Part 3

Please be sure to take a look at the other two posts that I made for today. I received some amazing and wonderful items from two very talented friends, Theresa and Samm. Take a look below!

My oldest daughter and I created some of those giant paperclips over the weekend. Here are the two that I made. My daughter hasn't added her ribbons yet, so hopefully, I'll post hers tomorrow.

Here's one side. I used Cuttlebug flower dies to cut chipboard, and then covered the chipboard with patterned paper. The tutorial for these is on SplitCoast Stampers. These were fun! I love the result.


Here's the other side. Fun!

Here's a photo with them actually clipped on a sheet of paper. These are cute and functional! I like the larger clip. I like the colors and the BLING! One thing about making these . . . WOW! Does that E6000 glue smell horrible! When I make more of these, I need to do the gluing OUTSIDE! Does anyone use that glue? I wanted to put the glue tip on the tube to make it easier to dispense, however, how would you then put the cap back on? If I take the tip back off the tube, how would I clean it? If I leave it on, won't the glue dry up? Does anyone know? Anyway, I'll be making more, because they were fun to make. Plus, my youngest daughter was at a birthday party when we made them, and she wants to make some too! My oldest daughter and I weren't being mean making them without her. I usually try to do something out of the ordinary or special with my daughter if the other daughter is at a party. It's one of our "things" that we do!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

Wednesday Post, Part 2

I now want to thank my very good blogging friend from the UK, Samm. Samm is also a Cricut friend. She's really been one of the most supportive friends since I started my blog. She is so talented! Well, I also won her blog candy, and I got it yesterday! It's just wonderful!


Samm made me this gorgeous card. Once again, the camera phone couldn't possibly do this card justice. It's vibrant and fantastic! I love the bling! The intricate and detailed black flower border / ribbon is just fabulous, and Samm added rhinestones to the flower centers. Isn't that beautiful? I love the tag and the chipboard letters. Just perfect! I love it Samm!


Here's the blog candy that she sent to me. I'm using Samm's photo from her blog. I told Samm in an email that I sent to her last night that I probably won't be able to use the Christmas and Snow themed embellishments on cards, because then I would have to give them away! I will probably use the majority on scrapbook pages, because then I get to keep them! The felt flowers are amazing! You should see how thick they are! The chipboard letters, the adhesive ribbon / lace, and the dotted ribbons are all fantastic too! I'm so thankful! This is overwhelming having all of these new goodies! Thank you Samm! I'm so appreciative!

Wednesday Post, Part 1

I'll be posting three posts today. I'm behind on this particular thank you to my blogging friend Theresa. I won Theresa's blog candy contest. I received all of the goodies, plus some wonderful surprises. I LOVE everything! Thank you so much Theresa! Theresa's site, The Joy of Cards is wonderful!


This is the GORGEOUS card that Theresa made for me. I love it! The image is so cute, I love the paisley paper, the colors are wonderful, and there is clear lacquer on the spots on the umbrella. I love the wide ribbon, and her knot is just perfect! I apologize for the camera phone shot, because it doesn't do the card justice. It's just fantastic!


She also sent this Thomas Kinkade card that she made. I love the subtle pale yellow coloring that she added to the image. This image is so detailed and really beautiful!


She stamped the image again for ME to use to create a card. I love this. I don't think I will add coloring to the image, because I think it's so classic and perfect in black and white. Once I create a card with it, I'm not sure I'll be able to give it away. I love this image, yet these are the kind of images that I never find myself buying, so it's a pleasure to get this from Theresa!


She also sent these images for me to use. I love them all. I will use them all on cards too!

Just a reminder . . . this is the fantastic blog candy I won. I'm using Theresa's photo again, because I couldn't possibly take a better photo of the wonderful goodies. I haven't used anything yet, but I will soon! It's just spectacular! The flowers are wonderful, and all the ribbon? WOW! Theresa, I seriously cannot thank you enough! I'm so terribly impressed and deeply appreciative of your kindness! THANK YOU!

Good and Bad

Good = My ankle is feeling so much better! It's still bruised and puffy, but I'm walking normally, and I can bend it back and forth in a forward/backward motion. I cannot move it too easily side to side. I'm sure that will be easier in a couple of days.

Bad = I mailed in the application for the craft fair that I want to participate in on November 2nd. The PTA lady in charge called me today to tell me that she still hadn't received my application. Hello? It's November 13th! I mailed it INSIDE the post office, and it's being delivered to the same town! HOW has it not been delivered yet? So, I just mailed another application today. She told me that there weren't a ton of applications, and chances are, I would be accepted, but you never know what could happen between today and WHEN she FINALLY gets the application. It really bothers me, because I had to mail a $25 check for the space. I know she will rip up the first check or return it to me if/when she finally gets it (that's totally NOT what I'm worried about), but what if she doesn't get it? Where is this envelope, application, and check? Did it just disappear? Did it vaporize inside the post office? I'm sorry, but every once in a while, the U.S.P.S. really gets on my nerves!

I've got some cool giant paper clips to show you tomorrow. I need to snap a photo! Thanks for stopping by!

Quick Birthday Card

This is a quick birthday card I made for someone on the Cricut message board. A friend of hers was collecting a bunch of cards to send as a surprise, and I was a little pressed for time, and in order to get it out on time, I just made a quick one.


Most of it is from a Brenda Pinnick large kit that I got off of QVC. I normally don't use stickers, and yet, the name on the tag, and the "celebrate" are both stickers. I added ribbon to the tag, a few rhinestones (gotta have bling), and I stamped "ooh la la" a couple of times with a Stampin' Up stamp. I also ticket punched the card base. Quick and easy, it's not one of my best, but it's still kinda cute, don't you think? Thanks for stopping by!

Goodness gracious . . . .

. . . . I do believe I've sprained my ankle! Geez it hurts! I feel like a very old woman today! I stepped just the wrong way off the edge of a driveway last night, and my ankle popped suddenly and violently outward, and I fell hard to the pavement! So, not only was it painful, it was really embarrassing too! I've been sitting around today with my foot up on an ottaman, with ice on my ankle, and my husband and girls are taking care of me. It sounds wonderful, but it's actually kinda boring! I just hobbled over to the computer, and I figured I'd post and let you all know. I can walk as long as I don't bend my ankle. If I keep it straight, I can get around. I'm hoping it feels better tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by!

Thank you gift!

A very special thank you to my blogging friend Patsy for the wonderful thank you gift that she sent to me! It was TOTALLY unnecessary, but very much appreciated! I sent Patsy a card and a small paper stack, and she sent me a wonderful thank you card plus a gift! I'm overwhelmed Patsy! You're so very sweet!


This is the card that she made for me. Isn't it gorgeous! The card front is DCWV Pocket Full of Posies. I sent her an 8x8 stack of this paper, and she used a sheet to make a card for me! Isn't that Sue Dreamer "thank you" cardstock sticker fantastic? I love Sue Dreamer's whimsical designs. And look at the charm on the ribbon! Gorgeous card and I love it!

As if that beautiful card wasn't enough (it definitely was enough!!), she also sent me a 6x6 paper stack from the English Paper Company. This is wonderful! I love the designs, and I have obviously not seen this paper before since I'm in the U.S.! I normally hoard all of my pretty paper, but I'm going to force myself to actually USE this beautiful paper. It's going to be fun!

Thank you so much Patsy! If you've never stopped by Patsy's blog before, stop by soon. She's amazingly talented! Thanks for stopping by!