Where does time fly?

sigh...can you believe that it's almost 2010?! I feel like I am in a time warp...the days are racing by so fast. I haven't even cut out my new stamps yet - shame on me. That's one of my goals for tomorrow.

So the other day I mentioned that I had some exciting news. I won the Whimsy Winter contest for demonstrators!! I was so excited when I found these plastic snowflakes at the dollar store and knew I wanted encorporate them into a banner. I have seen all sorts of wonderful banners over the past few months and really wanted to give one a try. I used the Lilly Anna paper pack for a more whimsical look and who can resist these cute snowmen from the set, Merriest Wishes? It took me a while to come up with this final layout but I was thrilled with it when it was done...even my daughter approved! :)

You are probably squinting at this point! tee hee...so here are some close ups.

The Angel Company has some exciting specials coming up for the New Year - check here or your newsletter for all of the details.

So Long, Farewell...

Hostess Level Sets also retiring!!
TA3011 Hinges
TA3041 Cute as a Bug
TB2980 Flower Labels
TB3073 Purr-fect Friends
TC3010 Be of Good

Stamp Sets
T3032 A Kind of Gratitude
T3085 Floral Patches
T3084 Build-an-Owl
T3019 Fishy Friends
T3072 Happy Girl!
T3027 Flower Patch
T3049 Island Trees
T3031 Beautiful Day
T3033 Hotel Signs
R2045 Growing Love
T3036 Showers of Love
R2040 Special Delivery
T3051 Fairy Tales
T3071 Mice Day
T3069 Hoppy Day
T3055 Little Stinkers
T3068 Some Bunny
T3075 Feline Fabulous
T3048 Playful Parenthesis
T3016 Memo Fun
T3014 Creative Inspiration
T3030 The Renaissance
T3086 Today & Forever
T3057 Bird Cage

And don't forget that if you order in December...you'll be entered into my $25 of FREE TAC stamps raffle. I have some exciting (squeak, squeak) news to share with you on the next post.

Merry Christmas and peeking allowed!

For there is born to you this day in the city of David
a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11
Merry Christmas!

If you missed the first sneak peak, just keep scrolling down, but you don't want to miss it!


Mischelle, The Angel Company owner, posted this great idea for all of us Angels and I wanted to share it with you. Wouldn't this make a great stocking stuffer or birthday present? It's a matching game and uses the acrylic Scallop Frames we carry. Plus these adorable sock monkeys are just a peak at what's to come in the next Spring Magalogue...

I can do that!

A few weeks ago I was in my local craft store and I saw some beautiful, flocked paper. I picked it up and touched it, just gorgeous. But then I put it right back because I thought to myself..."Hey, I can do that at home!"

I had a Palette glue pad at home, and some creamy, beige designer paper from the Reece Soar with it Collection. I added Black Fun Flock to my order going into The Angel Company and patiently waited for it to arrive...

So what do you think?!

You probably can't tell that it's fuzzy in the picture, but you can actually "pet" these papers!

I used different stamps from the Victorian Elements set - they are big and bold. Here are some tips:

1) Refresh your glue pad before using it the first time, each time you go to stamp.

2) Really pour on the fun flock and then cover it all with a clean sheet of paper and press down.

3) Shake of the extra flock and then reapply it once more, and press down just like in step 2.

4) I used a craft sheet for easier clean up...

I haven't made these into cards yet but I think a nice verse is all they need...I want the beauty of the paper to be the main attraction.

I hope you are finding peace and joy as you prepare for Christmas - it's a hustling and bustling time of year. Blessings!

Sneak Peak #1

I know that it's silly to be already jumping up and down in excitement for the Spring Magalogue but I can't wait until The Angel Company releases it's next issue on 1 Feb. I'm waiting on my preorder of stamps right now and hope to start posting samples for you in January!

In the meantime, you will just have to feast your eyes on this cute, cute little gal that Mischelle, the owner of The Angel Company, posted.

Isn't that carrot car the best? I'll have another sneak peak later this upcoming week...but in the meantime, you really should pop over to the specials page to see the latest slashed prices. Chipboard alphabets for only $1!! A paper keeper for $15 and the paper, well, you just can't beat these deals...you could even get a Memory Purse with your Christmas money and have lots leftover!

Here's just a sample of what I recently did with the chipboard alphas (I can't show you more right now since I entered it into a contest but hopefully soon). But, you can paint them, trace them and cover them...I love them!

Have a super weekend!

More Christmasy Inspiration

Time to announce my blog candy winner!

Random Sequence Generator
Here is your sequence:

6

So congratulations to Dee!

I wanted to share some more cards from my Christmas card batch. Let me tell you up front that sometimes I can make a card all by myself (at this point you are probably thinking, "oh sure!") ... and other times I see something so wonderful, that I want to make it too! These cards are those kind of cards, they have tiny changes, but honestly they were originally designed by the ever so talented Jen of Jen's Inkspot and Laurie of Soapbox Creations.

These cards use the same set, Holiday Cheer from the Inpsiration Avenue, for a totally different look!

Inspired by Jen:



Inspired by Laurie:



I used the dotted line from Linear Sentiments to add to the whimsical look.

Thanks so much for visiting - I'm sure most of you are busy getting ready for Christmas; I know I am! My blog posts will probably slow down a bit during the next two weeks - my parents are coming to visit, my sister is moving away from here (I'm so sad!) and I just completed my Substitute Teacher training today so my routine is about to change!

All Wrapped Up! Blog Hop

Thanks for joining me on this gift wrapping extravaganza! I was so excited to participate in this blog hop that I ended up making 3 projects to share with you...

I've had this Homespun Holiday set for over a year and finally cut into it for this little gift bag - I bought the set just for the tree! I'm sure you can understand...tee hee. I used my Nestabilities to cut cardboard for the front and back panels of my gift bag...a simple lunch bag cut down with scallop scissors creates the bag. It came together quite easily!

Stamps: Ornamental Snowflakes, Homespun Holidays, Joyful Ornaments, Victorian Elements

My next project is a store bought gift bag from Michaels...but jazzed up a bit!

and a close up of my main image. I had wanted the frame to be crackled but I think my paint was too old (okay, I'll admit I had 7 years before I finally decided to try it!) and it just ended up shiny! I did some random gold embossing and painted on red stickles to make it look vintage.

Stamps: Vintage Santa

and now my last gift wrapped creation! I had the inside piece left from cutting the frame on my santa bag that I couldn't let go to waste! Perhaps you've seen the homemade bow tutorial on SCS? I was inspired by Pia to make this set...

Stamps: Victorian Elements

I used the same Victorian Elements stamp from the first project to stamp repeatedly on a lunch bag before I cut it apart and made a bow. Repeated the image on the tag...this is now proudly sitting under the tree, all wrapped up for me!

I hope you'll join the rest of these talented Angels on our hop!

Jen: http://jensinkspot.blogspot.com/
Shirley: http://glitteredpaws.blogspot.com/
Laine http://www.inkypawprints-laine.blogspot.com/
Diana http://www.dianasdesignsonline.blogspot.com/
Angela http://www.angelakelley.blogspot.com/
stacy: http://stacy.typepad.com/angel2389

Now get busy wrapping! tee hee...

Brrr...

It is SO cold outside today! Good day to stay in and stamp - once I finish my housecleaning (I will keep chanting that over and over!).

Last week I had a Christmas card class and wanted to share a few more cards we made that day...this card has a really Hero Arts feel to it and I used my Dazzle Versamark pad for the JOY and snowflakes - you can see the sparkle in real life.

Card Materials:

Stamps: Hostess free set (Build-A-Background), Ornamental Snowflakes, Joyful Ornaments

Accessories: TAC Kraft paper, fiskars border punch, MS Snowflake punch, twine, button, Versamark Dazzle, Brilliance White

and this one is featuring my new "favorite" border punch...see how I used the stars that were punched out on the top? To me this has such a european feel. I love those 6 pointed stars!

Card Materials:

Stamps: Vintage Santa, Reindeer Food (last chance to get him this month!)

Accessories: my old organ sheet music, retired TAC sparkle blue paper, ribbon, nestabilites, MS border punch, gold Brilliance ink and embossing powder

I hope you'll be back on Monday for a blog hop I'm participating in - Gift Wrapping! I've got 3 neat projects that I can't wait to share with you...and areminder that my blog candy closes at midnight on the 12th so you still have time to enter!

Have a super weekend!

Featured In the Creative Corner!

eeck! I won in The Angel Company's latest Card to Crop contest so my two items are featured over in the Creative Corner on their website. It's so exciting. I know the layouts are quite simple but the coloring on my sunflowers actually came out nicely...and how can you go wrong with this paper?! I also want to give a shout out to one of my downlines, Clarissa, who won the Packaged Oh So Pretty category...I love it!

all paper and stamps from The Angel Company

Stamps: Tag Tidbits, Just a Note, Flowers and Holly

Accessories: Sands of Time, Bazzill brown monochromatic pack, Mimi Ribbon, Brown Scrappers Floss

Today was a Lucille Ball type of morning...am I dating myself with that comparison? My son was all out of clean jeans and the pair in the dryer were still too damp to wear (at least for winter - if it were summer I'd say they'll dry fast! tee hee)...so, there I stood, with 5 minutes to go, a hairdryer stuck in the pockets to spot dry them...they were carpenter pants so they had lots of wet pockets! After I got him to school, it was time to feed the chickens. The neighbor had brought me a pumpkin bread last week...not like my yummy muffins I blogged about, I'm sorry to say. It was one of those dense, heavy brick like breads - which only got worse as it sat in my refrigerator. Perfect treat for the chickens! As I broke it up for them and threw it into their pen, one escaped (she spotted a worm outside the coop, how could I deny her that?!) but when I went to catch her and put her back in, I got feathers stuck all over my hands from the stickiness of the pumpkin bread! What a mess...and what a morning!

If you are here visiting from my sponsorship over at the Card Patterns blog this week, thanks for stopping by! You can see my take on the sketch and enter my blog candy here!

Let it sit...

So I started the "makings" of this card over a week ago. I had the main panel in my head and thought it would work for my Christmas card class but it just wasn't coming together right. So I started in a completely different direction and just set this panel aside.

This weekend I came back to it and finished it off quickly, and more to my liking! It pays to put things aside sometimes and just return to them later...that's how I approach my house cleaning! tee hee... No really, ask my husband!

The snowy hills were inspired by many of the techniques I've seen over at Mel's blog...you could spend hours over there, warning!!

And then, because something was missing and felt unfinished, I tried Peet's technique of hand stitching...so I first poked holes where I wanted them along the snowy hills and then came back in and stitched. It's slow going but I sat with the family as we watched TV so it was time well spent.

Lastly, I punched vellum snowflakes to make this card work for the OCC sketch challenge. Did you know that stickles makes vellum curl up on itself, immediately?! I pressed them out and let them dry...until I put a dot of glue on these little flakes and boom! They curled up again on me so I carefully peeled them apart and weighted them down to dry.

Stamp used from The Angel Company...and it's only available until the end of the month.

We had our first snow of the year...so pretty and perfect for decorating the Christmas tree. Last year we didn't have snow until late Feburary...what does that bode for this winter?!

Just a reminder that I have some BLOG CANDY up for grabs until 12 Dec...sign up for a chance to win here. And, for a chance to win $25 in free TAC stamps see the details here!

Sponsoring Card Patterns

Sigh, this will be my last week of sponsoring Card Patterns (may I insert, of the year?! Who knows what lies ahead in 2010!!) so be sure to hop on over there and play along for a chance to win a free stamp set from me.

I also will have some blog candy going on here too...just in time for Christmas! Just leave a comment by midnight of 12 Dec for a chance to win these two sets...I love those snowmen. They didn't show up on the retired list but they weren't in the catalog this year so I am hoping they will make a reappearance. To see them in "action", check out my two posts here. So cute!

Here is my sympathy card, "re do". I know it's bright but I'm hoping it will cheer Linda up when she receives it...and, I followed the Card Patterns sketch!

Card Materials: all stamps and papers from The Angel Company

Stamps: Running Stitches, Wishing Happiness

Accessories: More Mimi Soar with it Collection and cardstock, embossing powder, ribbon, pink Scrappers Floss

Do you like, no "love" rubber stamp grab bags? The Angel Company has announced the arrival of it's GIGA GRAB BAG!

We have a limited supply of these absolutely INCREDIBLE grab bags that are
available ONLY while supplies last! This grab bag comes in a plastic bag
and contains 3 full sheets of Creative Cling(tm), and COMPLETE stamp sets that
cover the sheet of Creative Cling(tm). Stamps included have been
previously discontinued and/or are from past events.
The retail value of this
grab bag is over $145.00!

GGB Giga Grab Bag $50.00

And my personal special for this month: I am raffling off $25 in free TAC stamps - your choice!! To enter, you get one chance for every $30 (in retail) you spend and if you have a hostess workshop (for yourself or a group!) you get 4 chances.

It's a great time to take advantage of the Christmas Delights stamp specials too...you just have until the end of the month for this great deal. I already order An Original Recipe because these sayings will be perfect for gift giving year round...and the sayings in Noel, Noel are beautiful!

Sympathy Card

I wanted to make a sympathy card for a lady at church that I know from our work together on the Card Ministry...her husband passed away and I thought these colors were perfect as we enter the Christmas season. After I made it though, I remembered how she loved bright and cheerful colors - so tomorrow I will be posting my second card and this will just be a "keeper" for when I need to send out a male card...those are always nice to have on hand.

I love the Reece Collection from The Angel Company and though you can't tell, these tree is embossed and then stippled with some ink...I think my new cuttlebug embossing folders and new nestabilities labels steal the show. I'm so excited to hear that The Angel Company will be having some stamp sets that coordinate with the labels dies - I have almost all of them by now and that will really add to their versatility!



Card Materials: all stamps and papers from The Angel Company
Stamps: Good Timber
Accessories: Reece Soar with it Collection and cardstock, twill, CB organic embossing plates, Nestabilities labels and circle, embossing powder

I hope you will stop by tomorrow! This will be my last week of sponsoring the lovely design team over at the Card Patterns blog...so if you play along over there - you have a chance to win a free stamp set from me. I just mailed the last winnings to Argentina!! I plan to have some blog candy here as well so we can really celebrate!

And...just in case you don't get my newsletter: This month I am raffling off $25 in free TAC stamps - your choice!! To enter, you get one chance for every $30 (in retail) you spend and if you have a hostess workshop (for yourself or a group!) you get 4 chances. Exciting times!!

Have a super weekend!

OCC and a Recipe

I'm sneaking in a card that I quickly made for the challenge over on OCC this week...I really raced against time since I made myself hang the Christmas lights outside first (it was a warm day and I knew today would be overcast and wet - hence the bad photo below!), had to run out and get advent calendars for the kids, and I had a wonderful group of ladies over for a card making workshop.

The sketch had these two ornaments with snowflakes inside...I have both types of stamps so of course, I wanted to do something different - couldn't be easy! I love these retired angels from The Angel Company and had it in my mind that they would be floating in the sky...but they were a tad to big and so in the end, this worked best with the ornament idea. I also finally got to try colored pencils on Kraft paper and I like it!



Card Materials: all stamps and papers from The Angel Company
Stamps: retired saying and angels
Accessories: Penelope Soar with It Collection and cardstock, Kraft, flower arranging ribbon from Michaels, colored pencils, nestabilities and my new Cuttlebug embossing plates! :)

Yesterday I served these delicious muffins to my stamping ladies...I first saw them featured on Melissa Phillips blog and she sprinkled them with sugar on top before baking. I did that too but I cut the sugar from the original 3 cups and so I'm providing you with that recipe below...they were plenty sweet and so yummy (and I am not a pumkin pie fan but they looked so wonderful that I had to try them!)



Pumpking Cranberry Bread
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 can (15 ounces) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
4 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice or water
1 cup sweetened dried, fresh or frozen cranberries (dried were wonderful!!)

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease and flour two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans. COMBINE flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil and juice in large mixer bowl; beat until just blended. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in cranberries. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans.BAKE for 60 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Recipe makes two loaves.

I made two pans of muffins and they baked perfectly just at 30 min. This line is from the original recipe: Remember to follow baking instructions before consuming. I would advise you to limit yourself to 4 in one day...I speak from experience!! tee hee... Have a super week!