Prayer Box

A customer asked me to help her design a box that would hold index cards and it gave me an idea for a 'prayer box'.   Each card is for a different person or family that is on your prayer list.  The box is 2 1/4 inches deep so could hold at least 200 index cards  - that's a lot of people to pray for.If you used colored index cards or card stock, you could color-code the cards for family, co-workers, church family, etc.

As you pull a card (or multiple cards) during your prayer time, record notes about the prayer items, then place the card(s) at the back of the box.  As you rotate through the box and come to the card(s) again you can see what was prayed for and how those prayers were answered.

I came up with two designs.  One has a lid that lifts off- similar to the Keepsake Box that I have posted before. The box is Rich razzleberry with some of the retired Razzleberry Lemonade on So Saffron card stock on the lid.  A So Saffron ribbon tied around the middle.

The other has a flip top. This was a little harder to cut and put together but I like it.   I used textured Baja Breeze card stock for this one.  The ribbon is Cherry Cobbler seam binding and I used Cherry Cobbler and More Mustard on the Mixed Bunch flower.  Now which one will I keep for myself and which one do I give as a gift???

SU new catalog Open House - Special Offer!

Last night was my New Catalog Open House - we had such a good time and everyone loved the new items and colors. 

Here are some photos of cards I displayed -

Old friends that are still around.  This is the I Dig You stamp set and is so perfect for little boys (maybe even some big boys).   Daffodil Delight and Early Espresso go well together and the mini brads add a little special touch.

Here is an 'old and new' card.  The stamp sets (Elements of Style and Language of Friendship)and the Victoria crochet trim are old friends that are still around.  Midnight Muse card stock and the Floral District DSP (bird) are new.   It is a very simple card but looks nice.

New stamp set - Bright Blossoms - is so much fun to play with.  It is hard to see but the card on the left has scored lines across the mid-bottom to add some interest.  The card on the right has diagonally scored lines on the larger piece of white to give it a nice background.

New colors Primrose Petals, Midnight Muse, and Raspberry Ripple, new stamp set Summer Afternoon (hostess set) and new Bitty Banners Framelits.  The image was stamped on a scrap of white and the puppy colored then cut out and added to the pink image.  A fun way to highlight a single element in a larger stamped image.  Isn't he cute?

Some more old and new - new colors Gumball Green and Summer Starfruit are paired with Pumpkin Pie on this technique card.  This is one of the techniques I will be teaching on Technique Thursday - last Thursday in June.   The ribbon is also the new IN Color 3/8 inch stitched satin ribbon.  It looked too shiny and new on the card so I sponged it with some Early Espresso like the rest of the card.  There are several techniques on this card but the one I was testing is the 3 dimensional distressed flower.

Another technique that I will be teaching on Technique Thursday.  This is a herringbone pattern made using strips of DSP.  A great way to use up some scraps.  This is more of the Floral District collection.

I also had a workstation set up for the guests to learn the waxed paper technique and made a card to take home. 

And of course, refreshments.  Do you know that if you make the Duncan Hines French Vanilla cupcakes and frost with Duncan Hines whipped vanilla frosting, they taste like a Hostess Twinkie?

I also had tortilla chips, Southwestern dip and fresh veggies - all from the local produce Co-Op.  And pink lemonade punch.  Not a lot of work but something for everyone.

I had a drawing for attendance prizes.  I gave away the set of Blossom Builders and a package of Fleurettes to two lucky ladies.

Now, I am cleaning out my older stamp sets and some other retired products to make room for new.  Any purchase during the month of June and you receive the equivalent of your merchandise total in "Mary Money" to shop among my 'this must go' selection.  Some items are new unopened and they are priced at catalog value.  Others are used or opened packages and are discounted.  All are retired and no longer available in the catalog.
Also - want to get started with the IN Colors - check out my special IN Color 2012-2014 package.  A great way to get a variety of coordinated products without spending a lot.
Check out both offers HERE

Happy Stamping and Happy Birthday to me!

Random Weekend Photos

It was a great family weekend.  Out of town guest, kids all home, and a family wedding.  Congrats to Jamie and Dave.

It was a beautiful wedding and a fun family time.   Jamie and her sister-in-law put together a little photo album with pictures of Jamie and Dave throughout their childhood.  They did a great job and there were so many similar photos but.....

this was the cutest!  They had matching pajamas!   Love it!   And we had to have some family craziness too.

The cousins doing their trademark "Eee-aww!"  with their donkey ears.  The photographer took one of the whole family (well, almost the whole family) doing that - some were not able to make it to the wedding and some choose not to participate in the silliness.     We just enjoy life!

My part of the family - daughters Katie and Bekah, son-in-law Jake and hubby Tom.

We clean up pretty good.

Other weekend fun included meeting Katie and Jake's new puppy, Trip.  He is a red heeler mix and quite the puppy.  Buddy did not care too much for him but the rest of us loved him. Glad he is their puppy though - they can have the whining during the night and the 'oops' on the floor.

And remember this photo of the fuchsia from last week - all the buds waiting to bloom.

Well......

This is how it looks this week.  Beautiful!

Today, back to normal.  Tom and Bekah go back to work. (I go back to work tomorrow.)  My sister is at the airport waiting to board her flight home and I have tons to do to get ready for my Stampin Up Open House this weekend.  Hope to see some of you there.  Friday June 1 - 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. - no purchase necessary - just some enjoy the fun.  RSVP that you are coming and get a second chance at the attendance prizes.

Distressed Hearts

I liked the distressed paper flowers I made yesterday so much I tried some distressed hearts tonight.

Elegant Eggplant, Rose Red and Daffodil Delight make a nice combination.  I love the seam binding and was so glad to see they have it in Daffodil Delight with the new catalog.  It was available in April with the Summer Smooches.

Very Vanilla, Rose Red and Lucky Limeade.  I took one of the hat pins that were available in the Mini Occasions catalog and adhered the pearl jewels to the tip. I was afraid the pointed tip might pierce the recipient so I hid it behind the circles.   This card is a little too frilly for me but I like the colors and overall affect.

Distressing will be one of the techniques for Technique Thursday this summer. 

Paper Roses

I don't know if the flowers on the cards I made today are roses but they could be.  This is a new technique I was testing while making some cards to show off the new IN colors at my Open House on June 1.  

The flowers are pretty easy and can be so versatile.  The new IN colors are combined with Rich Razzleberry, Calypso Coral, and Pumpkin Pie.

 Pumpkin pie card stock and flower brad are paired with the IN colors Summer Starfruit and Gumball Green.  I tried to distress the card stock and then the ribbon looked too new and shiny so sponged some ink on it too. 

This card uses all the new IN Colors.   The friend stamp is from the Perfect Punches stamp set.

And here I combined Calypso Coral and Rich Razzleberry with Gumball Green and Summer Starfruit.  The Summer Afternoon hostess stamp set is quickly becoming a favorite of mine.

While I was playing I got a visit from one of my favorite people :-)   She has no idea how excited I am to get that envelope in her hand.

 Inside the envelope - 15 spools of 1/4 grograin ribbon.  These are being retired so I stocked up and offered to share with my customers.  It will be great having all these colors for my cards, scrapbooking and whatever else comes my way.  I so enjoyed measuring, cutting and bagging all that ribbon :-)

Speaking of flowers,  I am also watching this bud on the fuchsia hanging on the front porch.    In another day or two it will look like this....

The plant is loaded with buds.  About 5 or 6 are open.  Hoping a bunch of them are all open at the same time - it will be stunning if they are.

Graduation card tutorial and more kites

I learned the technique for this graudation card here.   These were fun to make and one of my club members helped me enhance it.  Thanks Brenda!

The slit is great for inserting a some money or a gift card.  To see how I made my cards and how to do the slit enhancement, check out my tutorial.


The Send Me Soaring stamp set goes back to my sister this weekend, so thought I better make the most of my time with it.   These cards are cased from other demos.

This was CASED (Copied) from Cassie.   I used the new IN Colors, Gumball Green, Midnight Muse, and Summer Starfruit.  The 'argyle' stripe uses two of the kite stamps. I don't know if it is the new ink formula, the better coverage with the foam pads or just me - but I kept smearing the Midnight Muse.  The ink seems to stay 'wet' longer than the old formula.  Anyone else noticed that?

And this was my design using the argyle strip. Same colors as above.  The green background is card stock that was crimped in one direction then turned and crimped again perpendicularly.  

This is cased from Catherine.  She used a brighter colored DSP and multiple colors for the kite tails. I was a little subdued today. I like the kite outline stamped on the DSP. This is one of the new designs in the Flower District collection.

The star design is from a card by Deb.   I stamped 5 kites and cut them out, then put them together to form the star.   The colors are Primrose Petals, Summer Starfruit and Baja Breeze.

Julie's card inspired me to make this one.   The colors are Tempting Turquoise, Gumball Green, Summer Starfruit, and Island Indigo.  The DSP is from the Summer Smooches collection.

This card is CASED from one by Michelle.  The colors are Tempting Turquoise, Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral and Rich Razzleberry.   The chevron patterned paper is part of the Summer Smooches DSP collection.

This card is a combination of two cards by Mindy.   The colors are Island Indigo, Gumball Green, Calypso Coral, and Summer Starfruit.  I like them together so you will probably see more of this color combo.

I think I tried everything I wanted to using the Send Me Soaring stamp set.  Unfortunately it is no longer available from Stampin Up.  Thanks Jane for letting me borrow it :-)

This one's for Rhonda

My friend Rhonda always posts such beautiful photos of her flower gardens and while my gardens are no where as spectacular and hers and Russell's (nor are my photos as professional as hers) I wanted to share some of our beauties.

This is our little sitting area on the east side of the house.  The retaining wall provides shade most of the day for the hostas and the one behind the bench is really taking off.  The coral bells in the foreground were a 'share' from a co-worker about 15 years ago.  I have taken them through 2 moves and still have one that has survived.  
At the home we lived in when I got them I had a row of these along the north flower bed.  When they were blooming it looked like a pink cloud hovering about the flower bed.  It was so sad to drive by recently and see that they had not only torn out the coral bells but the whole flower bed!  :-(

Here is a closer look at the hostas.  Sorry Rhonda - have no idea what their names are.  There is also a fern hidden behind it - had to have a couple ferns in the garden :-)

This is another coral bell - it has cream colored flowers.   I had a couple other varieties but they did not make it.   This one has not bloomed yet this year.  My google search found that they bloom from June to August.   Guess the pink one doesn't realize it is still May.

Another hosta - I like the variety of colors we have.  They are all in a row along the retaining wall.

And another hosta.  This one gets more sun so surprised it is doing so well.   

The weeping willow was one of the first things we planted - probably in the spring of 2007.  It was just a small spindly tree at that time. It has certainly done well.  Kids like to run through it's branches or sit under it.

We have a couple roses blooming.  They are pretty care free.  I just trim them occasionally and cut off the dead blooms.  When I remember I give them some food.   (It was hard to tell in the sun if my photo was clear - I may have to try again when the sun has moved behind the trees.

 We also have some salmon colored roses.   The yellow and pink did not have any blooms this morning.  Maybe soon.

Our newest addition is a hanging fuschia on the front porch.   I got this huge plant from the produce co-op :-)   It is full of buds and now has two huge blooms. 

 See all the buds. It is fun watching them - seems like they just suddenly pop open and .....

a lovely purple flower is revealed.    Can't wait to see it when it is in full bloom.

So Rhonda- there is a tour of our gardens (and that is almost all of them).  Nothing compared to yours but pretty good since neither Tom nor I put much time into them.