Merry Christmas Teacher Gifts

Hi all!

Sorry I've not been posting lately. Life gets in the way sometimes. The good news is that I have a new job and I should have a *little* more time to post stuff! You may notice that I'm posting in the middle of the day on a Monday. Well, that's because the East Coast is blanketed in 20+" of snow! I should have started my new job today, but the snow has essentially shut the region down. Us Mid-Atlantic-ers are not equipped for such a dumping!! Here's what our front yard looks like:




Those little glowing lumps are 3 ft pre-lit trees that line our sidewalk! They're almost completely covered!!

Anyway, on to our show....

Below is a picture of the gifts I made for my kids teachers. No real stamping involved here, but I made a little spa basket for them which includes bath salts, sugar scrub, hand lotion, and a bar of soap; all handmade! (Scroll down for the recipes.) My sister-in-law came over last weekend to help CJ and me make these, and we made sure to make enough to keep for ourselves! These products are absolutely awesome to use and make my skin feel great! Although I wish I read Annie B's post before I packaged them. She and Angela Lemmons came up with a great idea to package them: in glass ornaments! Check out Annie's blog for pictures.

The best thing about this gift is that I bought all the ingredients for the salt, scrub, and lotion in the grocery store! The bar soap ingredients came from Michael's. I found the jars for $1.97 a piece in Walmart.

Bath Salts:
2 bags Epsom salt
1 container sea salt
1-2 cups baking soda
a few drops of essential oil, fragrance oil, or flavored extract

Stir to combine. This makes a TON of salts. Scale back if you need to. This recipe filled 7 10-oz jars, plus a freezer bag!

Sugar Scrub:
2 cups Sugar in the Raw
1/2 cup avocado oil
1/4 cub grape seed oil
1-2 tablespoons honey
a few drops of essential oil, fragrance oil, or flavored extract

Stir to combine. This fills 2 10-oz jars. I found this recipe on cathiefilian.blogspot.com. She's one of the hosts of Creative Juice on DIY network. Check out her blog for tons of other cool projects.

Hand Lotion:
4 bottles baby lotion
2 containers Vaseline
2-3 tablespoon Vitamin E oil

Stir with your beater to combine. Again, this recipe makes loads of lotion. Scale back the recipe if necessary.

Bar Soap:
Glycerin soap
Lavender flowers
a few drops of essential oil, fragrance oil, or flavored extract

Melt the soap in a double boiler or microwave. Stir in lavendar and oils to combine. Pour into molds.

These gifts come together in very little time, perfect for that one last-minute gift that you just remembered this morning you still needed to get!

Merry Christmas everybody!!

Nautical Card

Hi guys!

Wow, two posts in two weeks! I told you I had stuff to show you! Here's a card I made for Jim's Step-Dad. He and Jim's mom live at the beach, so I thought this card was perfect for him! It's uber simple (that's about all I can handle these days!), but I think it turned out pretty awesome if I do say so myself! And I just did! :)


Recipe:
Stamps: Winds of Grace (retired)
Paper: Sage Shadow, Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla, To the Nine's DSP
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: 5/8" Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, retired ribbon slidey thing (technical term)

Have a fabulous weekend ya'll!!

Wedding Card

Hi guys!

I'm back! Twice in one week! Shocking, I know. Tomorrow we're off for a long weekend in Ohio visiting my Dad. It's hard to tell who's most excited about this trip: him or us! We haven't been out there since last Thanksgiving, so this visit is LONG overdue!

The project I wanted to share with you today is a card I made for a wedding we went to back in June. Let me just tell you: this wedding was Da Bomb! Truly. The wedding itself was in a fancy hotel in my hometown of Scranton, PA and was really swanky. What I didn't know until I was chasing my kids in the hallway during cocktail hour (while balancing a glass of wine, by the way), was the Def Leppard and Poison were in town for a concert the next night.

I learned this interesting tid bit when I turned to my husband and said "Wow, that guy really looks like the guitarist from Def Leppard." To which he replied, "Honey, how many Scrantonians do you know have pierced ears, wear black, and speak with a British accent?"

It was at that exact moment when my vocabulary deteriorated from full sentences to "EEEEEKKK! OHMIGOD, OMIGOD, OMIGOD, OMIGOD, OMIGOD!" I'm seriously getting excited all over again just typing this! Anyway, here's the proof that I finally met Phil Collen, a man I drooled over when I was 13!


Note that I am actually holding the card you see below! Be still, by hyper heart! And he still looks good! Sorry for the dark picture, girls: it was taken with my cell phone because I was totally unprepared and without my camera! Later that night, I made my husband take me back out to the bar across the street from the hotel where I met Rick Savage, though that picture is on hubby's blackberry. Perhaps I can upload that one next week....

Alas, no face time with Bret Michaels. I couldn't find him!

Anyway, on to what you really came here for, the card I made for the happy couple, blissfully unaware that hairband greatness was within their grasp:



Recipe:
Stamps: Warm Words
Paper: Whisper White and Sage Shadow
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: D'Vine Swirl embossing folder, eyelet border and wide oval punches, silver brads (silver brads! It's Christmas time in the city!--sorry, it was in my head and needed to get out), white taffeta ribbon

It's a simple card, but I think it's very elegant.

I hope you all have sweet dreams of the guys you drooled over when you were 13!

Tree card

Hi all!

It's been a million years since my last post. So much has happened since then, but most importantly, my husband rearranged the living room and disconnected the computer in the process. So, while I had access to the internet on my laptop, I couldn't get to my craft gallery which is stored in a file on the downstairs computer! Needless to say, he finally reconnected it last night! Of course, that computer is 10 years old, so there's really no telling how long it will last! (cue ticking clock...)

In other news, I am no longer a Stampin' Up! demonstrator. I really enjoyed my time meeting new people and demonstrating all of Stampin' Up!'s fabulous products, but now I have a demanding job and demanding family and that leaves very little time to stamp, let alone plan for events. But don't count me out! I'll return to demonstrating when I retire (in about 30 years....)

Anyway, on to the card I made back in June for Father's Day. This one was sent to my step-father, Tom.



Here's the recipe:

Stamps: Branching Out, Studio G stamps from the Michael's Dollar bin
Ink: Chocolate Chip and Basic Black Classic ink, Sage Shadow and Handsome Hunter markers
Paper: Sage Shadow, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, To the Nine's DSP
Accessories: Corner Rounder punch

I hope your day is fabulous!

Father's Day, Part One

Hi guys!

I've been a stampin' fool lately and I've been crankin' them out like nobody's business! Of course, I've had deadlines to meet, what with Father's Day, and everything that happens in June for our family. So now that I've actually uploaded all of the pictures off my camera, I can start sharing them with you! Today I'm sharing my favorite of the Father's Day cards. This one was made for my FIL, Frank. If I'm a stamin' fool, he's totally a grillin' fool! He grills in the dead of winter, in monsoons, in blazing heat, you name the weather and he's cookin' in it! Anyway, I saw a bunch of apron-shaped cards and I though how perfect for Frank!

I cut my cardstock lengthwise, so the card opens on top, then I cut two ovals to create the neckline. I sponged black ink all over the edges of the card and on the ribbon to make it look like it got a little too close to the grill. Oh, and what do ya think about the grill itself? That's aluminum foil! All I did was stamp my image on the foil and cut it out. Viola! Shiney happy grill.

Here's the recipe:

Stamps: Studio G clear stamps from the Dollar bin at Michaels ( non-SU!)
Ink: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie (for the inside of the grates)
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Riding Hood Red, Basicgrey patterned paper ( non-SU! paper too?! What can I say? I'm brancing out!)
Accessories: Aluminum foil, Whisper White 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, sponges, and an old oval-shaped cuter outer template thingy.

Hope you all have a fabulous day!!

Genie Box

Hi guys!

Remember how I told you that I'm CASE-ing most of my stuff? Well here's another one! Actually, the design is closer to an original than a case, I suppose, but I did find the idea on a blog I regularly follow, Stamping Up North. She made these genie bags that are actually boxes perfect for holding those little Russell Stover candy boxes. I forgot to take a picture of the side view of mine, but check out her's, complete with directions here.

I made this to go along with the flower pot card I showed you a few posts ago for my co-worker's birthday. I filled it with Hershey Kisses, rather than the Russell Stover's.

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Yummy (retired 2009 Sale-a-Bration set)
Ink: So Saffron pad and marker, Bordering Blue marker
Paper: Bordering Blue, Whisper White, Bella Birds DSP
Accessories: SAB So Saffron ribbon, crop-a-dile, Big Shot, Top Note die, Simple Flower die, sponge dauber, corner rounder punch

Have a great day!

White Trash

Hi guys!

Today I wanted to share with you a recipe card I made a while ago. I'm still rather slow with my stamping lately, and quite frankly, I'm not sure I'll have much time anymore to devote to it. This breaks my heart, but after a long day working, commuting, and tending to family, I just don't have it in me to be creative. Most of the stuff I've done lately has been CASEes of other folks stuff, and I'm relatively certain that you don't want to see me rehash stuff you've already seen on Splitcoast. Suffice it to say, though, that when I do make something unique-ish, I'll share it!

This recipe was given to me by my Aunt Charlotte and let me tell you, it's a crowd-pleaser! As you can see, I was very literal when I created this recipe card! :)

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Loads of Love
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Paper: Really Rust, Hawaii Papaya DSP (retired)
Accessories: Stampin' Pastels, dimensionals

Food Recipe:
1/2 box Frosted Cheerios
1/2 box Chex cereal
1-2 c m & m's
1/2 c peanuts
1 bag white chocolate chips

In a large measuring cup, melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave, 1-2 min, checking every 30 seconds.

In a large bowl, combine the cereals, m & m's, and peanuts. Add the melted chocolate and mix gently.

Let cool--it will clump-- and serve.

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day!

Yay! I Have a Craft Room Again!!

Hey guys!

I had the most wonderful Mother's Day this year. Jimmy and the kids made me breakfast in bed which consisted of freshly ground coffee, Monkey Bread, and strawberries. Yum, yum, yum!

What made the day even better was the unearthing of my new craft room! On Saturday, I made a trip to Ikea to buy two new desks, one for me and one for Jimmy. We've decided to share the room and half will be his home office and the other half will me my home office. Shh! Don't tell him, but I think my papers and stamps will quietly migrate to his side of the room....

Quick sports news flash: Caps just one game 6!!! Yay! We're going to game 7, kids!!

Back to our regularly scheduled post...

I was so excited to see all my toys again, that I put together two desks and unpacked all my stuff Saturday night so that on Mother's Day I could get down to business and make a belated birthday card for my co-worker. Her birthday was last month, but I can't give my hard-earned money to Hallmark! I need to make my own cards! You know what I mean, right?!

I've been seeing tons of flower pot cards online, so I just had to make one. Mine's not as embellished as some of the ones I've seen, but this is the first time I've stamped since January! I need to ease in a bit...


Here's what the insert looks like:

Now for the recipe:

Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes
Paper: Close to Cocoa, Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, To the Nines DSP
Accessories: So Saffron SAB ribbon, Big Shot, Simple Flower and Birds and Blooms dies, white gel pen, Apricot Appeal marker, scallop edge punch

Hope you have a great one!

Happy Birthday, Dad

Hello Everybody!

Long time, no type! It's been wildly hectic around here. Let's see, since I've typed to you last, we've traveled just about every weekend visiting family, sold our house in Knoxville, bought and moved into our new home in Gaithersburg, MD, and started unpacking.

My God the boxes! I'm the kind of person who will spend a month packing everything up and then have to have everything unpacked, in place, and cleaned within a week. This time, however, I didn't have enough vacation time to take a week and get everything done. So here we are, two weeks later, and there are still more boxes full of crap then there is stuff put away. Heck, we just found our computer two nights ago!! I'm hoping to get to Ikea later today to get some new desks for our office/craft space so I can finally get my stamps unpacked and start playing! I've been going through major stamping withdrawal (which is rivaled only by my Facebook withdrawal)! I bought a ton of new stuff from the Spring SU! catalog, but I haven't even opened them yet! Oh, the horror!!

Anyway, enought ranting. Here's a card I made a lifetime ago for my Dad's birthday back in March.


Here's the Recipe:
Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes, Upsy Daisy
Ink: Chocolate Chip; Old Olive, Real Red, and So Saffron Stampin' Write markers
Paper: Tangerine Tango, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Hawaii Papaya DSP (retired)
Accessories: Large Oval punch, Crop-a-dile, Chocolate Chip double stitched grosgrain ribbon, faux dimensionals

To all you mom's out there: Have a wonderful Mother's Day!!

Butterfly Birthday

Hey guys!

I know it's been a while since my last post. I actually started writing this two weeks ago! But, I've had a restive weekend with my in laws at their beach house, so I'm all full of vim and vigor and can now finish my regularly scheduled post!

But before I get on with it, I'm only $10 shy of my sales goal, so if anyone is interested in taking advantage of the last days of Sale-a-Bration, gimme a call!

So you guys know that we're living off the generosity of my Aunt Karen right? She has been so gracious to us, letting us live with her until we can get into our own home. It really is amazing that she hasn't kicked us out on our ear by now. Let's see, the baby has broken a sink and we've learned that the overflow in the bathtub is not actually hooked up to a pipe. Yeah, that last one was a hard lesson to learn when there was just as much water in the dining room as their was in the tub. (sigh)

Besides vertually condemning her house, it's worked out wonderfully. CJ and Karen have really become very close, which has helped CJ adjust to life outside Knoxville. Although it's gotten to the point that I don't think CJ will want to move out of Karen's house! N

Anyway, Karen's birthday was earlier this month. So CJ and I made her a special Princess Cake (because CJ loves princesses!) and a special dinner and this card:



Purple is Karen's favorite color. (And previously CJ's fav as well, until about a month ago. Apparently, princesses like pink better.) Here's the gratuitious artsy-fartsy close-up:


Now, I made this card before we left Knoxville, so let's see if I can remember the recipe!

Stamps: Flight of the Butterfly, Inspired By Nature
Ink: Pale Plum, Elegant Eggplant, Mellow Moss
Paper: Kraft, Perfect Plum, Pale Plum, So Saffron, Mellow Moss, Whisper White
Accessories: Big Shot, Birds and Blooms Sizzlets, Silver Brads

Have a great day guys!!