Happy Anniversary~

Today is my parent's anniversary, Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! We gave them this envelope gift card book I made for them after all the Christmas gift opening was finished. It's filled with gift cards for one of the restaurants they enjoy.

The pages are made from small open-end envelopes that have been
decorated with patterned paper flaps, punched patterned paper circles, and sentiments/images from OCL's Hearts and Hugs. A few sentiments from other vendors are also stamped on the pages.

The heart charm was made with Shrinky Dink and punched out with a heart punch and small circle punch before shrinking.

Supplies:
Stamps: Hearts & Hugs by Our Craft Lounge
available at eclectic paperie
Ink: Memento Rose Bud, Versafine Vintage Sepia, StazOn Blazing Red
Paper: Neenah Natural White, Bazzill
Patterned Paper: Imaginisce Sweet Cheri
Other: Nestabilities Scallop and Circle dies, Bind it All, Chipboard scraps, Circle punches, Heart punch, Chocolate ribbon, Shrinky Dink plastic, jump ring, buttons, Linen thread, Dimensional foam

Have a Happy Day!

V.~

Warmest Wishes ~

Want some "almost free" Stamps?

ETA: Oh my heck, these went fast! Limited sets are left, pending is noted next to sets that are spoken for. However, PayPal transactions have not been processed yet and outcomes could change.

I'm cleaning the closet out and getting rid of a slew of SU! stamp sets. Listing is also on SCS.

• US Buyers only.
• Confirmed PayPal customers only; no charge card or debit card transactions. Personal payment tab, please, to avoid additional fees.
• Check or Money orders also accepted, personal checks must clear the bank before stamps are mailed.
• Stamps will be sent Priority Mail Flat Rate (envelopes or boxes) only.
• Buyer pays shipping costs.
• Combined purchases save on shipping, cram as many as will fit into the envelope or box!
• Condition varies. Most in very good condition, some almost new, some fair condition due to class and workshop handling.
• Smoke-Free home
• All sets in their clam shell box with identifying label on box.

Due to the Christmas holiday, stamps will begin shipping the week of December 28th.

Backgrounds $ 3 each:
1.By Definition - sold
2.Canvas - sold
3.Checkerboard - sold
4.Fine Lace - sold
5.Flannel - sold
6.Floral - sold
7.French Script - sold
8.Houndstooth - sold
9.Just Jeans - sold
10.Linen - sold
11.Paisley - sold
12.Print Pattern - sold
13.Soft Swirls - sold
14.Word by Word

Other, in alphabetical order:
1.A Good Egg $3.00 - sold
2.A Little Birdie $3.00 - sold
3.A to Z Accents $3.00 -sold
4.Aged Perfection $2.00 - sold
5.All in a Row $3.00 - sold
6.Along the Same Lines $3.00 - sold
7.Alpha Shadows $1.00 - sold
8.Always 3.00 - sold
9.Around & About $1.00 - sold
10.Balmy Breezes $3.00 - sold
11.Be Happy $3.00 - sold
12.Best Blossoms $2.00 - sold
13.Beyond the Basics $1.00 - sold
14.Birthday Best $1.00 - sold
15.Bodacious Bouquet $5.00 -sold
16.Border Builders $3.00 - sold
17.Cheap Talk $3.00 - sold
18.Cold Play $3.00 - sold
19.Cool Cat $2.00 - pending
20.Easy Elegance $2.00 - sold
21.Eat Cake $3.00 - sold
22.Festive Four $1.00 - sold
23.Fishy Friends $3.00 - pending
24.Flower Filled $3.00 - sold
25.Fresh Fillers $1.00 - sold
26.Fun Filled $2.00- sold
27.Good Things $1.00- sold
28.Great Shapes $4.00 - sold
29.Happy Hearts $3.00 - pending
30.Hope Is $3.00 - sold
31.In the Sky $1.00 - sold
32.Island Blossoms $5.00 - sold
33.Itty Bitty Backgrounds $1.00 - sold
34.Itty Bitty Borders $1.00 - sold
35.Label Classics $2.00 - sold
36.Let’s Party $1.00 - pending
37.Letterpress Alphabet $5.00 - sold
38.Lexicon of Love $1.00 - sold
39.Little Pieces $2.00 - sold
40.Looks Like Spring $4.00 - sold
41.Love It $3.00 - sold
42.Merry & Bright $2.00 - pending
43.Mini Mates $4.00 - sold
44.Mini Messages $1.00 - sold
45.Mixed Bouquet $5.00 - sold
46.Moose You $3.00 - pending
47.Mostly Flowers $1.00 - sold
48.Nice and Narrow $2.00 - sold
49.Oh My Word $3.00 -sold
50.Olive You $1.00 - sold
51.Paint Prints $1.00 - sold
52.Painted Posies $2.00 - sold
53.Perfect Party $2.00 - sold
54.Polka Dot Party $2.00 - sold
55.Polka Dot Posies $2.00 - sold
56.Polka Dots & Paisley $3.00
57.Polka Dots & Petals $3.00
58.Quick & Cute $1.00 - sold
59.Reverse Prints $2.00 - sold
60.Scribbles $1.00
61.Seeing Spots $2.00 - sold
62.Shapes & Shadows $3.00
63.Simple Sketches $3.00 - sold
64.Simple Somethings $1.00 -sold
65.Simply Said $3.00 - sold
66.Simply the Best $2.00 - sold
67.Sketch an Event $3.00 - sold
68.Smile $1.00 - sold
69.Smorgasborders $1.00 - sold
70.So Many Scallops $2.00 - sold
71.Spring Garden $3.00 - sold
72.Spring Solitude $3.00 - sold
73.Springtime Stems $1.00 - sold
74.Stars & Swirls $1.00 - sold
75.Stipple Celebrations $2.00 -sold
76.Sweet of You $1.00 - sold
77.Sweet on You $2.00 - pending
78.Tagger’s Dozen $3.00 - sold
79.Tags & More $3.00 - sold
80.Tags So Much $2.00 - sold
81.Tart & Tangy $2.00 - sold
82.Terrific Tags $2.00 - sold
83.Terrific Tulips $3.00 - sold
84.The Shape of Things $4.00
85.The Snowflake Spot $3.00 - pending
86.Time Well Spent $3.00 - pending
87.Too Terrific Tags $2.00 - sold
88.Toucan my Love $2.00 -sold
89.Travels Abroad $2.00 - sold
90.Trendy Trees $3.00 -sold
91.Trick or Treat $1.00 - sold
92.True Friend $4.00 - sold
93.Very Punny $2.00
94.Wonderful Weaves $1.00 - pending

In the midst.........

of the little place I call home there is a spectacular nature area called Mission Trails Regional Park. You feel very removed from the hustle and bustle of the city and stress just seems to melt away when hiking there. Brett and I spent a bit of time there this morning with Riley.

Indian Grinding holes (filled with residual rain water from not too long ago)

Padre Dam, built in 1800

View looking down from the footbridge.

Brett and Riley, best buds~

It's so hard to believe that freeways, shopping centers, and homes are within miles of this oasis.
It was a wonderful way to spend the morning, not thinking about the craziness of right now, just talking about a whole bunch of nothing with my youngest son.

V.~

Blogs To Visit~

I'm doing a little sprucing up and want to list blogs here but prefer not to have a huge sidebar list, so I created this post and will link it on the sidebar. I will be adding to and maintaining this list periodically.

• AJ Otto
• Alli Miles
• Amber Hillman
  
• Amy Rohl
• Amy Rysavy
• Amy Sheffer
• Angela Magnuson
• Anna Wight
• Asela Hopkins
• Beate Johns
  
• Becky Olson
  
• Beth Silaika
• Bethany Paull
• Broni Holcombe
  
• Cambria Turnbow
  
• Carole Burrage
• Carole Halvorson
  
• Carolyn King
• Cathy Tidwell
• Charmaine Ikach
  
• Christina Fischer
• Cindy Haffner
• Cindy Lawrence
• Cindy Lyles
• Dawn Easton
• Dawn Griffith
• Dawn Lusk
• Dawn McVey
• Deb Corbari
  
• Deb Felts
• Deb Saaranen
• Debbie Fisher
• Debbie Olson
• Debbie Seyer
• Denise Marzec
  
• Diane Zechman
  
• Donna Baker
  
• Emily Giovanni
• Erika Martin
• Frances Byrne
  
• Gina Krupsky
• Heather McNally
• Heather Nichols
• Holly McMillen
• Jami Sibley
  
• Janine Tinklenberg
• Jeannie Streiff
  
• Jen del Muro
• Jenn Balcer
  
• Jenn Diercks
• Jennifer Buck
• Jennifer Hollett
• Jessica Fick
  
• Jimmi Mayo
• Joan Ervin
• Joanne Basile
• Jody Morrow
• Joy Kennedy
  
• Julee Tilman
• Julia Stainton
  
• Julie Campbell
  
• Julie Ebersole
• Kelly Lunceford
  
• Kendra Giles
• Kendra Wietstock
• Keri Lee Sereika
  
• Kim Hughes
• Kirsten DuBosque
• Kisa Peters
  
• Kittie Caracciolo
• Kristina Werner
• Kristine Reynolds
• Kurtis Amundson
  
• Lana Lepinski
• Lee Murphy
  
• Leigh O’Brien
• Leslie Rich
  
• Lesley Langdon
  
• Lila Holgate
  
• Linda Duke
• Lisa Johnson
• Lisa Strahl
• Lindsey Botkin
  
• Lori Craig
  
• Lynn Mercurio
• Marianne Walker
• Melanie Muenchinger
• Michele Boyer
  
• Michelle Giraud
• Michelle Wooderson
• Natasha Trupp
• Nicole Heady
  
• Niki Estes
  
• Nina Brackett
  
• Pam Hooten
• Paula Bloom
• Rose Ann Reynolds
  
• Rupa Shevde
  
• Sarah Nelson
• Shannan Teubner
• Sharon Harnist
  
• Sharon Johnson
• Sherry Cheever
  
• Sherrie Siemens
• Susan Liles
  
• Tami Mayberry
• Tammy Hershberger
  
• Taylor VanBruggen
• Theresa Momber
  
• Trudee Sauer
  
• Tosh Leyendekker
• Tracy Durcan
• Tracy Harp
• Vera Matson
• Vicki Garrett

Baking, Stamping, Shopping..........

Oh My!

It's been a few days since I last posted, the days have been filled with baking for Brett's class party, high school teacher holiday luncheon decorating, shopping for gifts, wrapping presents, stamping gift card enclosures and creating containers for Jay to give to the people who work for him, plus all the regular day to day chores. Sound familiar to you? Lots to do this time of year! Jay and I did take a breather Saturday night for dinner at Outback Restaurant and seeing The Blind Side. It was a much needed break from the hustle and bustle! Fantastic movie, if you haven't seen it yet! (at least I thought so!)

Today I remembered that I promised my mom new place setting cards for her Christmas dinner. The six year old ones (and from my first holiday stamping season) are finally ready to be retired to the circular file.


While I had the supplies out, I made a series of thank you cards to send out after the holiday. These are smaller sized cards at 3-1/4" x 4-3/4"









Brett's favorite cookies are Hershey Kiss topped Peanut Butter cookies (Peanut Butter Blossoms, but he doesn't care for that name, LOL) and we made 6 dozen of them, a couple dozen for class, the rest for us to munch on around here. I used to do a lot of baking around this time, but now limit it - we just have no willpower when it comes to cookies and sweets! I still have to make fudge sometime before Christmas morning. Years ago, when Kyle was much younger, he asked for a tin of fudge for Christmas, his very own, so he didn't have to share the family batch. Ever since, it's been something that he's come to expect under the tree. Can't make it too soon or the freshness factor is compromised.....so I'll probably make his batch Wednesday or Thursday.

We are as finished for Christmas as we are going to be, I grocery shopped for our breakfast and for the 2 meals we are attending. Presents are wrapped and my stamping for the week is now finished. I have one more project to share with you but will have to wait until Dec. 26th to share as it's my parent's anniversary gift presentation. I highly doubt she has time to look at my blog right now, but just in case, I don't want to spoil the surprise.

Thanks for stopping by!

V.~

Supplies for projects:
Stamps: Happy Holly-Days , Growing Gratitude by Our Craft Lounge, Alphabet set by SU!
Ink: Memento Rhubarb Stalk, Bamboo Leaves, Versafine Onyx Black, Olympia Green
Paper: Neenah Natural White, Gina K Designs Cranberry Tart, Fresh Asparagus, Ocean Mist
Patterned Paper: Christmas Cheer Designer Mat Pad by K & Company
Other: Nestabilities Labels 8, Circle Dies, Glossy Accents, Microbeads, Modern Label punch, Dimensional foam

Simple Gift Card Enclosure Cards~

Gift card enclosure cards - check. Another item crossed off the to do list! YAY
These cards will hold office supply gift cards for Morgan's high school teachers, sandwich gift cards to the P and VP (running joke between us) and a juice/smoothie shop gift card for our mail gal.

Super simple to make; they are 4-1/4' x 11", scored at 4-1/4" and 8-1/2", flap border punched and adhered to card with Scor-Tape to make a little pocket to hold the card.

Front is decorated with College Press papers, a Copic colored Kim Hughes snowman, Glossy Accents on the heart and a button embellished Martha Stewart punched snowflake. Gina K Kraft, Chocolate Kiss, Rocket Red and Ivory finish out the paper choices.

Just 2 more small crafting projects by tomorrow and holiday crafting is officially over for 2009!

V.~