TAC Christmas blog-hop!!

Melisa Waldorf, a fellow Angel, has organized a bit of a Christmas bloghop! She wanted to show off several ways to use a specific TAC stamp set... so, be sure and check out all of these other links of even more Angels, showcasing TAC's Ornamental Snowflakes and Snowman Nativity stamp sets:

Melisa ... Jany ... Kellyrae ... Diane ... Martha ... Jen's-1st ... Jen's-2nd ... Carol ... Laurie ... Deb

These are the ones that I did earlier this year & last year:
Barb-1 ... Barb-2 ... Barb-3

Have fun hopping!!!!

How about a little cuteness to balance my last post?! :)

OMG! Is this little guy not the CUTEST thing ever?! I just wanted to eat him up!


This is Baby Ira, my great-nephew, and he is my little flying monkey (get it... Wizard of Oz... witch... flying monkey...)! Don't you LOVE the partial banana on his head and the outtie belly-button?! He doesn't look very happy when I'm holding him because he just woke up (that is my story and I'm sticking to it!). He's almost 9 months (I think... bad Bad Aunt Barbi!!) and is such a happy, lovey, cay-yootie pa-tootie!


We didn't have many trick-or-treaters again this year... it's getting less and less all the time. But you should have seen the sweet little bumble bee, Minnie Mouse, and cowboy that received the extra-special stuff!! OMG... too cute! (of course Baby Ira got one too, duh). Laurie brought over her little McD's french fry box, Garrett (OMG! cuteness!)... I didn't get a picture of him, but hopefully Laurie will forward one along (ahem, hint hint).

Hope your Halloween was safe & fun! And now the clean up begins outside tomorrow... those friggin' fake spider webs are such a pain (but oh, so worth it)!

Ultimate creepiness awaits...

Ok, we all know I have the flair for creepiness... so if you don't dig that, please avert your eyes!! Since I only have tonight and maybe tomorrow (if I have time!!) to get my final Halloweenieness out of my system, I thought I'd go out with bang... or 'thud', or an AAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCKKKK... or however you roll :)

The only TAC about this Skull Poem card is the olive & sage cardstocks. I just couldn't resist using my Glimmer Mists again (which you CAN'T see in this photo... dang it!). The skull is from Artful Illusions and the cemetery is from Cow Town. The poem, I think, was a Battle Axe stamp (not sure, got it at a convention!).























In case you can't read it, it says:

"When the deep purple falls over the sleepy walls,
And stars begin to flicker in the sky,
Through the mist of a memory you wander back to me,
Breathing my name with a sigh. --Mitchell Parish"

No, I'm sure Mr. Parish did not intend for his poem to become part of some creepy Halloween card, but it is so eerily beautiful, it seemed fitting.

In case I don't post tomorrow night after all of the trick-or-treaters are gone...
[ And I don't mean that in a 'I just cooked them in my cauldron' kind of way :) ]
have a HAPPY HALLOSCREAM!!

Zzzzzzz....zzzzzzzzz....zzzzzzzzz

Let me just start off by saying that I am half asleep while writing this. I only had about 2 hours of sleep last night (and the night before) because Poot's snoring is getting worse and worse. I was such a cranky bi-yatch today, that I am sure my boss and co-worker wanted to kick me to the curb. So, without further ado, and so I can go to bed EARLY, here is tonight's fun stuff:

Jack-o-Pop Boo card supplies:

Stamps: Halloween Town, Fresh Air Favorites, & Boo! gwp stamp

Paper: DCWV orange, misc. black & white cardstocks

Ink: Chartreuse, Landscape, Jardin Moss, Violette, & Noir Palettes

Other: hydra sponge & sanding block

What do you think?

Yes, a simple one, but I'm pooped...

Halloween Angel Art Challenge blog-hop!!

Finally! Here it is... the Halloween Angel Art Challenge! I decided to create these little Goblin Sweet Pails to give to a choice few on Halloween night to the kids with the best costumes! I'll put candy in the ones I give out, but for today's purposes, I just used marbles to hold up the 'Spooky' pick. I had purchased these little pails from the Target $1 spot a year or two ago and finally used them!!

Goblin Sweet Pails supply list:

Stamps: Glitter Goblins, Fresh Air Favorites

Paper: Bazzill Basics and misc. eggplant & black cardstocks



Inks: Noir & Landscape Palettes

Other: hydra sponge, May Arts ribbon, black crochet thread, natural jute, large silver eyelets, wooden skewers

Using Landscape Palette, I stamped an image from FAF on the upper left & lower right portions of the tag. It looks like a greenish charcoal color in real life due to the base being rusty orange. After punching the scallop, I wadded it up and tore portions for effect... I also did this for the green Bazzill. I then ran my Noir ink pad over it.

The pail had a jack-o-lantern painted on it, so I let the eyes peek out from the behind the creepy green wrapping.

Using Noir, I stamped two 'Spooky' circles on the green, punched them out, and glued a skewer between them.

I used my Crop-A-Dile to set the eyelet through the tag & pail. I then wrapped the crochet thread around several times and tied it off. Finished it all by adding the jute through the eyelet and the ribbon to the Spooky pick.

What do you think?

Be sure to check out these other Angel blogs for more Halloween fun!!

Vicki: http://angelstamper2.blogspot.com/2008/10/halloween-themed-angel-art-challenge.html
Stacy: http://stacy.typepad.com
Jany: http://scrapbookandmoremania.blogspot.com/
Angela: http://www.angelakelley.blogspot.com/
Christina: http://inkmistress.wordpress.com/
Melisa: http://paperliciousdesigns.blogspot.com/
Maria: http://stampinfoolmeier.blogspot.com

Winter Holiday Stamp-a-Stack Info!!!

Ok, so I didn't get all of my stuff done that I needed to so that I could post something fun tonight :( But I DID get my project done for tomorrow's Halloween Angel Art Challenge! It turned out pretty cute, so check back tomorrow morning!!

I'm going to start posting my classes & events on my blog now, so if you are in my area and would like to attend, just email me for additional information! Depending on how it all goes over, I may start offering monthly project kits, too... please let me know if you would be interested. Here are a few details for my November class AND my 2nd Annual Winter Holiday Stamp-A-Stack (SAS):

November Creative Class Night:
November is going to be all about WINTER HOLIDAY CARDS and tags! Yep… once I can get past October 31st, I can start getting into the Winter Holiday mode!! Here are the details:

When: Tuesday, November 11th @ 7pm

Why: Because it is fun fun fun!
Cost: Class cost varies from $8-$10 depending on how much we’ll be doing.
What to bring: Please bring your own adhesive (tape & glue), pop dots or foam tape, scissors, and bone folder… I’ll have everything else cut and ready for you!

Please RSVP via e-mail by Tuesday, November 4th, so that I can prepare enough for everyone! Thanks!

Winter Stamp-A-Stack:
On November 22nd, I’ll open my house all day for you to come over and stamp a stack of Winter Holiday cards… I’ll have it set up similar to last year’s where there are three separate ‘stations’ and you can create at your own pace. We’ll be making four each of three different designs for a total of 12 cards for only $21… that’s only $1.75 per card! And if you’ve been to my classes or hostess clubs before, or visited my blog, you know that I do not skimp on the loveliness!!

So, for the details:
Who: You & your friends!
What: Winter Stamp-A-Stack (SAS)
When: Saturday, November 22nd from 10am-4pm
Where: My place

Why: To get a large chunk of those Winter Holiday cards done & ready to mail!!

What to bring: Please bring your own adhesive (tape & glue), pop dots or foam tape, scissors, and bone folder… I’ll have everything else cut and ready for you!

Please RSVP via e-mail by Friday, November 14th, so that I can order materials & prepare enough for everyone! Thanks!

These photos were from last year... I'll be taking photos of THIS year's Halloween on Friday... and yes, I DID take the day off!! The guys from the office know that this is my day, and there is NO WAY I work on Oct. 31... that's just how I roll. :)

Blog Award! [insert beauty queen wave & shocked face here] :)

Angie over at Creative Inkspirations has given me a blog award! She said that I was "something else" and that checking my blog was "an adventure" due to my humor... :) How sweet is that?! Thanks, Angie!!

So now, I have to pick five blogs that inspire me! There are SO MANY talented people out there that I just couldn't narrow it down, so I am going to close my eyes and point to five of my favorite online bookmarks (is that bad?!).

[closing eyes and pointing...]

The first is Kim. I love her style... clean, layered, and detailed; plus, she also posts some awesome recipes that I would like to eventually try (you know, if I actually COOKED)!

Next, Sarah: Sarah is a 'Jill-of-all-trades'!! Her craftiness is not just bound to paper, and the linky is for her all-crafts blog... great stuff from paper to felting to quilting... fun stuff!

Joan is a total crack-up! Even if she didn't have all of her lovely creations on her blog, I would visit anyway just for a good dose of laughing out loud (her 'Dear Paperlicious' posts and dialogues with Mr. DP, alone are worth the trip!!).

Aija's work is simply amazing! She is from Finland and her blog posts are also in English. Her watercoloring is just fantastic... I can't even describe it! She has a very 'scrappy' style with a lot of embellishing.

Mel has the BEST tutorials! She also has awesome link lists to everything imaginable! Her work is awesome and she branches out to all kinds of papercrafting projects... really beautiful stuff.

Thanks for all of the inspiration, ladies! Thank you for making the world a prettier place!

1. THE WINNER CAN PUT THE LOGO ON THEIR BLOG.

2. LINK THE PERSON YOU RECEIVED THE AWARD FROM.

3. NOMINATE AT LEAST 5 OTHER BLOGS.

4. BEFORE LISTING THE NOMINEES GIVE A BRIEF REASON WHY YOU CHOSE THEM.

5. PUT THEIR LINK ON YOUR BLOGS

6. LEAVE A MESSAGE ON THEIR BLOGS

More Halloween and, Yep... I'm a tease...

Just a really quick note for tonight, and no papercraft photos... instead, I'm showing you a couple of shots from last year's Halloween at The Foster's!! The first is my dining room table... and yes, those bottles contain the actual herbs that are written on the labels (Mugwort, Vervain, & Witch Hazel)!

[how witchy is that?! 'come here my little pretty...']

I tea-stained a bit of torn cotton fabric and merchandise tags w/ Palette re-inkers and then just used a black journaling pen. The chain on the tall bottle was a metal embellishment from Karen Foster Designs (I think). The little antique bottle is one that I had found at Artful Illusions at a stamp convention, and the other two were from Hobby Lobby (I think).

Be sure to check in Monday morning... a few of my fellow Angels and I are doing a little blog-hop-of-sorts. We're calling it a Halloween Angel Art Challenge! I've got one little lovely done, and am hoping to find the time to create another one. I'm also hoping to post something for you tomorrow as well, so stay tuned... and sorry for the tease :)

Bootie Call... ;)

Hello again! A really quick post tonight. First off, BOOTIE CALL: did anyone ever accept & complete the Bag Butt Challenge?! :) If so, please leave a comment with a link to your creation so we can all check out that boo-tay!

Second, where are we on the Random Mail Stamp Challenge? Have I got everyone down so far? Just let me know!! So far we've seen: Kim - SunShinyDays, Danni - Danni's Dreams, Shannon - U Name It, and Michelle - Creative Journey. Check out the sidebar to see them!! I may be mailing out a few more... if I've got your home address, you may be next! [insert sheepish grin here]

Last thing. The lovely bit of pink on your screen!! This is what I created for the Gardner Stamp Club swap tomorrow. Hopefully none of the ladies will peek at my blog until then, but I had nothing new to show you!

Pink Ornamental Tree Card supplies:

Stamps: Vintage Christmas, Ornamental Snowflakes, Trendy Greetings
Paper: TAC's Sophie (retired), misc. burgandy & white cardstock
Ink: Toile Pink, Belle Rose, Bordeaux Palettes, VersaMark
Technique: heat embossing
Bling: misc. ribbon from stash

What do you think?

A rant and a little haunted house...

The Maple Leaf Festival was super busy on Saturday! Last year we went later on Sunday and there wasn't near as many people... we show up right before parade time, so it was wall-to-wall people! I didn't spend very much this year... I think it was because, though I may seem to be sort of a 'people person', I'm really not! :) I just don't feel comfortable in crowds. A lot of it is because people are just not cordial like they used to be...

hello...

...is the phrase 'excuse me' in your vocabulary?! I must be showing my age or something, but I actually attempt to move over on the sidewalk if someone is approaching me so that they may pass, and I ALWAYS say 'excuse me' or 'pardon me', 'please', 'thank you'.

Am I wrong on this?!

Some of these people today [and no, it's not just kids & teenagers] have absolutely no common manners. I'm not saying that I am Eloise or Miss Proper Etiquette or anything, but come on people!!

Ok, rant over. On to the fun stuff. I started making these cards yesterday and finished them up late tonight. The techniques and supplies for the House Haunt Cards are almost exactly the same as my Creepy Landscape Card, except I used the haunted house from Halloween Town in-lieu-of the tree from Love & Laughter. I also used an eggplant cardstock on the smaller card instead of the navy.

Since my rant was so long tonight, I cut the fun part short. Sorry for the poor quality lighting for these photos... I didn't have the natural light like I usually do, so the colors are off.

What do you think?

Nothing knew [insert heavy sigh here]

Hello hello! I left the office early today and came home and took a nap... man, I needed that! I have nothing new to show you, so I guess I will dig into the archives tonight!

This cute fold-out album was one that we did at the TAC Winter Retreat. It is so cute in person... very simple to make, and of course my babies really are the best part :)

All products used are TAC and if you want to know specifics, just email me or leave a comment!

Tomorrow, my friend, Laurie, and I are going to the Maple Leaf Festival in Baldwin, Kansas. It's only about 20 minutes away, and the whole downtown is full of craft vendors. Should be fun! That's where I purchased my cool witch's hat from a previous post.

I know, I know... where the heck have I been...

I don't EVEN want to get into it... let's just say, I have been crazy busy. I still don't have half of my stuff done that I need to, and...


I want to be a kept woman!


Yeah... didn't see that one coming, did ya'?! :)


Anyhoo, on to the quickie post for tonight: Skull Swirlie Cards. One has a bit of bling, the other... not so much.


Stamps: Halloween Town, Swirlies

Paper: Winchester SWIC & Cardstock, Cha Cha Cardstock

Ink: Purple Hydrangea Versa, Graphite Black Brilliance, VersaMark

Bling: Diamond Stickles

Other: paper piercer, pop dots, distresser


Me likey. I'm thinking that this could be used for more than just a Halloweenie card... how about a break-up card?! ;) Just kidding... well... maybe... I mean, not for ME, but SOMEONE might need one!

[insert ornery grin with raised eyebrow here]

Simple and quick, but with a lot of POP!

What do you think?

Hostess Club Night & a Halloweenie Treatie...

I just got home from a trip to the stylist, and I almost feel human again... now that I have short hair, I swear it grows twice as fast... and those pesky grays mixed with dark brunette is just NOT me!! :) The crazy orange-red is much more in sync with my personality [insert raised eyebrow and sheepish grin here].

I don't know what happened, but I swear my calendar blew up and I have had ZERO creative time! I am so bummed. At least the hubby FINALLY hauled all of my Halloween stuff up (well most of it... he did miss two of the COOLEST things and he'll have to fix that soon!). OH! There's the garage door opener... maybe he'll grab the last goodies now!! [another raised eyebrow] Yes, he is, but he is not happy about it... poor Poot...

[me screaming: "Love you... big kiss!!"]

One of the COOL things is the awesome witch hat in the first photo... definitely one of my favorite purchases last year.

Anyway, my Hostess Club ladies were here last night and they re-created my Batty Moon coaster project. My photo really sucks, but they turned out great in real life!

And, as a bonus, Julie made everyone a little Halloweenie treatie! Last month I showed them how to do the sour cream containers from the SCS tutorial, and everyone loved them... Julie even bought a crimper so she could do more (as did Cindy). I really like it when people get excited about a project... it makes me feel like I actually contributed something!

I'm crossing my fingers that I'll get to work on something tomorrow night. My Saturday is TOTALLY BOOKED with Shriner activities because it's Fall Ceremonial. I will be going to the Ladies' Luncheon with my mom, which is always nice, at one of the MANY country clubs in KC (what is it about golf... I just don't get it). There is always a large turnout for the luncheon, and I'll get to see some faces that I haven't in awhile [I've been a very bad Shrine Lady this year... not going to many functions, etc.: bad bad bad].

Side note: I've had a couple of people ask me how I make my seasoned olive oil, so I'll share that next time, too!

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaack.........

Well, I'm back from my trip to my aunt's house (near Abilene, KS), and I am pooped! I had so much fun with my aunt, mom, and two sisters... I swear we are all dorks. So much giggling and joking and reminiscing. My sister, Linda (the middle child), and I were camped out on two sofas in the family room for our sleeping assignments... my face still hurts from laughing... we were up until at least 1am each night... everyone heard us upstairs all night!

My aunt has a fabulous old stone house out in the country, and has it decorated so cool. Most everything is vintage or antique... with a little splash of contemporary... I love it. She quilts and has such a charming sewing room upstairs. All of us were up there helping to cut all of the fabric for Linda to make her 1st quilt! That should have been captured on video... what a bunch of crazy women! I was trying to 'do the math' so we could cut the correct amount, since my aunt and mom thought it would be easier to just design a 'simple' one instead of following a pattern. It was so late and we were all punchy and bitchy and silly... OMG.

The house is so cool... wood floors, plaster walls, old solid wood doors with glass, wood and plaster ceilings, deep window sills, huge harvest table w/ benches... I'm telling you, it should be in a magazine. The rooms are small and she has tried to minimize her decor and it is just beautiful. She said that she'll take some pictures of the house and send to me, since I didn't take any photos before we overtook the house with all of our crap!

Well, my aunt took us on a whirlwind day out shopping! Aren't these awesome finds?! The first is a wonderful little tealight/votice holder for Halloween. I LOVE THIS! I'll probably end up leaving it out year-round :) It's ceramic and has a metallic over-glaze... so cool.

Now, for the next few beauties, let me say this up front... I am NOT an antique/vintage shopper, typically, but I couldn't resist these. The decor in my house is predominately sleek, modern (but warm) with straight lines and a bit eclectic. That being said, I am now going to start incorporating some of these lovely 'tones' here and there! This one is a fantastic printer's box in excellent condition! It still has the handle and even a label... I got it for only $22.50! Love it!


Though I probably shouldn't, I may be altering it with photos and such (see Donna Downey's... awesome stuff!).

What do you think?
Should I just leave it as is or make it my own?


Next up, a trio of old library card catalogue drawers. Me likey. I don't know whether to leave them out similar to the photo, or to hang them on the wall sideways to create little shelf boxes. I got the trio for $30... pretty good deal, I think.


I also grabbed a great little jar vintage buttons in an old Mason jar... only $4!

What do you think... display the drawer trio similar to the photo or create shelves?

Another triple quickie...

Very quick post tonight... I've still got to finish laundry & pack for my long weekend. My mom, two sisters, and I are driving to my aunt's house (just a few hours away) to visit... I haven't seen her in about a year or so (bad niece, I know). I'm hoping she scoped out any local scrapbook stores!! She's a quilter, so I know we'll be hitting those shops, too.

On to the card stuff: these are NOT my best work, but I had to throw something together since I won't be posting again until Sunday, so here they are:


These three little guys were made for three seperate sketch challenges on Paper Wings. I decided to limit myself to the scraps I had on hand... no cutting into big cardstock pieces (except for the card bases... but they were 'almost' scrap size). The acetate 'Love' oval was a leftover from a Seminar project a couple of years ago... recycle, baby! The two cards are 3x3... meant for just a little note or accompanying a gift. I also made a gift tag... I see this one draped over the neck of a bottle of seasoned olive oil that I've been known to make (yummy).

Stamps: Bold Flourishes, Forever Family, a couple of current GWP's, and a few retired sentiments
Cardstock: Bazzill Monochromatics (Violets & Yellow-Orange) & DCWV (blue & green)
Inks: StazOn white, Landscape & Violette Palettes, VersaMark (w/ Pearlescent Chalk)
Other: TAC eyelets, Cuttlebug Swiss Dot embossing folder, misc. ribbon, & pop dots


Ok... I'm O-U-T!!