A long time coming

Well, I finally did it - I went to the gym!  I have been putting it off for way too long and my hubby just got us a really great deal at a good gym.  So...we dropped Noah at my parents' house and the three of us headed over to Body Zone.  Zach had his swimming lesson, I went to a Body Flow class (a mix between yoga & pilates) and my hubby swam.  I know this - I will be sore tomorrow!  By the time we picked up Noah, got home & in pj's and finally the boys to bed it is 10 o'clock!  Needless to say, I did not make anything today!  I pulled this picture out of my stash from my stamping marathon during the blizzard.

I used a rectangular chipboard coaster and cut the heart out using the Movers and Shapers die for the Big Shot.  The stamp is from the Sale-A-Bration set Whimsical Words and the paper is Sending Love DP (I do love that paper!).  I added a little hanger using Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon.  I made this for my hair stylist after rescheduling appointments twice!  I thought it would be something cute for her to hang in her shop.

Another week begins

Another week begins; another Monday down.  I am still getting over this cold and had a very long day.  I have been playing around with lots of different things lately - I am trying to come up with some really cute kid's cards. Mainly, I have been experimenting with punch art but most of the ideas require punches that I don't have yet.  I have come up with a few and I hope to post them later this week.

For now, I will share a picture from this weekend.  My twin nieces celebrated their 1st Birthdays this weekend and the entire family had a party.  My husband's uncle thought it would be fun to give my kids candy bracelets (fun for him & the kids; not so much for me).  It took Noah (my 2-year-old) a while to figure it out.  Zachary, the 4-year-old, got a shot of him just as he got the knack of it.

Then he decided to try on one of the birthday tiaras...

A Cold Kicked My Butt

This cold I have has really kicked my butt!  I came home from work yesterday, got into my pajamas and relaxed (and/or slept) until 11 am this morning!  Then my husband and I took the boys to my twin nieces' birthday party - they just turned 1.  Luckily, my in-laws took the kids so I was able to relax on the sofa all night.

I have been invited to participate in a Quarter Auction in a few weeks and I have been working on my items to auction off and projects that I want to display.  So...I have been surfing the internet for the last 2 hours.  Now, when I have a little more energy I have a ton of projects to work on!

Since I didn't make anything today, I thought I would post the Valentine's I made for my 4-year-old to give to his classmates at school.  

I used scraps of Sending Love DP I had left over from my Valentine's Day class for the background of the bag topper and to punch hearts.  I also have been saving bottle caps for the last 6 months or so; I flattened them in my Big Shot and adhered hearts to them.  A cute and inexpensive way to embellish!

And now a little touch of Laryngitis

Well, as of 8th period today I have officially lost my voice.  I don't feel too bad but I can't talk.  However, I am really tired from straining to talk for the 3 classes I taught today.  I am really trying to post everyday, so I at least have a quick card.

This is a very simple layout but I added a twist.  I saw a tutorial for a Curly Label Punch Border and I had to try it.  Isn't it cute?!  I also used the new Chocolate Bunny stamp from the Occasions Mini - I clear embossed it on Soft Suede, cut it out and popped it out with a Dimensional.  I love Soft Suede - it is the new brown!  If you like the border, you can see the tutorial on Ilina Crouse's blog at:  http://ilinacrouse.blogspot.com/2010/02/punched-border-using-curly-label-punch.html

A Cure for the Common Cold??

Just a quick post tonight; I have a cold and my throat and head are killing me!  Hopefully I can get some rest tonight!  My hubby and I just joined a new gym and I must go with him tomorrow night during Zach's swimming lesson!

I was playing with my Decor Elements over my long "snow" weekend and came up with this:

I picked up a cute, plain black cosmetic bag at Target, cut out a Rose Red Decor Elements "N" and attached it to the bag.  Quick and easy, but really cute.  I think I might make a zipper pull using shrink plastic, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

Back to work...

Well, I went back to work today after a 6-day weekend due to snow and the holiday.  I had so much fun crafting during my mini-vacation that I completely forgot to post!  I made many, many cards (stayed up way too late on too many nights).  So I will share a few each night this week.

While I was preparing for my Valentine's Class, I used the Movers & Shapers die for the first time - I LOVE it!  These are 2 cards I made with the die - one with a fold out and one with out.  I used the Crazy Cool stamp set to emboss the sentiment on Dusty Durango on the above card.  I used the I {Heart} Hearts set to stamp the "friend" heart in Crushed Curry and the card is Melon Mambo.  For both cards, I used the Rich Razzleberry DP pack and the Polka Dot ribbon (I turned it around on the card below).

And, just because I took some really great pictures of my kids during the blizzard, I will share 2 of` them.  The first is of Noah, my 2-year-old; the second is of Zachary, my 4-year-old. ~they both look just like their Daddy! :)

Blog Hopping

I have been doing a lot of blog hopping lately.  Whenever I am in a creative slump, I surf the web and look through magazines and catalogs for new ideas.  Of course, I always seem to find way too many to try!!  Whenever I find a picture I like, I save it to my flash drive and then open them up when I am ready to get down to business.  So tonight, since I finished the cards my Relay for Life team is selling for our current fundraiser and my son's Valentines, I decided to go through the tons of pictures that I have been saving (I knew I would need at least the 16 GB drive!) and subsequently went on a stamping marathon.  I am only going to post one at a time just in case I get into a slump later (I am really trying to post everyday).

This card I CASED directly from the Stampin' Up! Sale-A-Bration Brochure - I really like the color combination.  SU! really has outdone themselves with the products offered during Sale-A-Bration this year - I am loving all of them!  I needed a card for a friend of mine who just retired and "Best Wishes" seemed fitting. 

I have some cool news to share tonight:  last night I was going through my posts and checking out comments when I found that one of my projects was chosen as a Late Night Stampers Blog Find of the day.  Since I am new to blogging and really just starting to grow my business, I was so excited.  Check it out blog at: http://blogfindsoftheday.blogspot.com/2010/01/blog-finds-for-jan-29.html - I am listed under Decor Elements - Love Jar ~THANKS KELLY!  I have added both of your blogs to my Delicious.com account (a social bookmarking site) and I will be joining the group asap!

I must call it a night - we are expecting another snow storm and I believe that high school students are more unruly than elementary children when a storm is brewing!  Tomorrow should be interesting.