Scallop envelope box #1

As I'm sure I've already mentioned, I LOVE my Big Shot Die Cut machine!

Using this clever tutorial I found on THIS blog, I used the scalloped envelope die to make the sides of this box lid.

Her tutorial tells you to use four pieces that were a bit smaller: 2.5" x 3.5" and it was stil enough to cover the scallopy flap portion. I didn't want to waste one tiny bit of that yummy Baja breeze cardstock.

I even used my new circle brads. I LOVE them and I'm really really fighting the urge to just hoard them and gaze lovingly at them.

I also used that lovely new Riding Hood Red tafetta ribbon. I am hooked on that too!

Another box coming tomorrow.

Big Shot Basket

I think I'm probably the very last blogger around to finally post one of these baskets on her blog. But I just got my latest order with the basket die in it. I LOVE it.

When you assemble the basket as most folks are doing (with the little tabs facing UP and the bottom flush with the bottom of the basket on the inside), your basket tends to be a little flat instead of round. But I have used those 2 little curved strip accents along the top of the basket, and they really help to round it out. The trick is to place them so that the ends start at the center of the handle hole and around to the other handle hole. You have to do it AFTER the basket is assembled.

Also, I have used 2 of the tag shapes on my basket. One was on the original piece of Ski Slope DSP and another from a scrap piece of Baja Breeze cardstock.

I like the look of a decorated tag, but also want to be able to write the to & from info on the tag. The solution is a double tag (it's kind of hard to see in the picture). It also adds an extra little hint of color peeking out.

This baskets & blooms die is awesome. It has the 2 basket pieces, a tag, the basket bottom (which doubles as a really cool square edge scallop motif), 3 flowers, and the curved strips.

I am loving the new SkiSlope DSP from the next Holiday mini (begins Oct 1st). I'm kind of stuck on those colors (Riding Hood Red & Baja Breeze) right now so you'll see more of them in the next few projects that I post. Perhaps it is because these are the colors in the new felt flurries snowflake shapes too - teaser......

The Aftermath - we are just fine.

We made it through the storm. The kids slept most of the night in the bathroom while the winds howled outside. We didn't get an extreme amount of rain or water which was good. We ended up losing power around 2am and it stayed off till Sunday afternoon. We are one of the lucky lucky few who now have power. Just a few streets over it's still off and much of the city has no water pressure either.

We were able to attend Mass on Sunday - it was really really HOT and steamy but very serene and special getting to gather together despite the storm and rain and damage to worship.

Saturday night I used my stampin' supplies to make some lovely fans to use to help cool off. We even made one for our priest decorated with our church logo. He loved it and used it during the mass to help stay cool. Our new church building that is still under construction made it through ok too.

The house fared fine (although I wouldn't have cried big tears if the kitchen had been crushed. It is way WAY past time for us to begin that remodelling job). There were lots of big limbs down and one smaller tree uprooted itself and gradually leaned over onto the house (no house damage thankfully). We were very lucky. Many houses in the area have big trees through their homes and cars and things.

This picture looks a lot better than it was. Most of the big limbs fell into the backyard and onto the neighbor's driveways.

It'll be a long few weeks getting the neighborhood and city back to normal but we will eventually. School is out until Thursday - which pleases the kids.

My parents, grandmother and cousins are here since they have no power/phone/water. It's a little crazy & chaotic, but ok.

Ike update

We are still waiting...
The sunset was amazing tonight. The top layer of clouds was very still with lovely turquoise blue peeking through. Lots of pink tones. The lower layer of clouds (there were 2 very distinct layers) was moving rapidly past. It was lovely.

The wind gusts (according to the tv) in my area are now about 35mph. It has cooled off a lot and was quite pleasant outside and sort of surreal. We visited with the neighbors for a little while.

It's hard to believe that this one is actually going to hit. We've had so many near misses in the last few years.

I don't know if I'll be able to update this from my phone, but I might be able to post a comment when things are over.

Preparing for Ike

It looks like Ike is coming at us - no near misses this time.
Scott's and Matthew are boarding up the windows in the most danger. The sky is beginning to become filled with dark clouds and it's getting breezy.
It's kind of an eerie calm - no birds about and no cars on the roads.

We are as prepared as we can be. Got our indoor windowless room stocked with supplies and our precious photos. The kids are planning a sleepover in the hallway and are mixed between being scared and excited.

Emma and I are sad thinking about our Girl Scout Camp Casa Mare in Seabrook (right on Galveston Bay) that will be under a lot of water very soon.

We are also prepared to have no power for a while. We are a scouting family so we have plenty of camping supplies to get us through. Our meals may not be very balanced for a while, but we won't starve.

Despite the threat of the weather, it will be nice to spend time together as a family with no work and school demands and chaos. We have lots of great games to play to pass the long night ahead.

Our preparations and our Faith will get us through.

I love my new baggies

I ordered some Girl Scout 12x12 cardstock about a year ago and it came in a ziploc type baggie. It was great being able to keep it neat and tidy and separate from all my other decorative papers. Since then, I've been on the hunt for some baggies to put the rest of my Designer Series Papers in. The only place I found them was online, but I just couldn't justify paying so much for shipping and handling for baggies of all things.

Today I stopped at the box store hoping they might have bags and they did! I got a whole bunch (50!) for only $8. SCORE.

I've begun putting my DSP into my new bags and I LOVE how they lay flat and I can keep all the different packages separate but it's easy to grab some out.

Reorganizing is almost as much fun as stamping.

Blueberrylicious

I was going to wait to post this to spread things out a bit. But I can't resist.

I blatantly stole this card design from my friend Katherine Pritchard's blog. Katherine used the Hawaii Papaya DSP instead of Maine Blueberry. This same set of patterns comes in 2 other color groupings as well: Washington Apple & Georgia Peach.

I've already purchased Washington Apple and I may have to try this card out in those colors as well just for fun.

The second project uses the new Big Shot Scallop Envelope EXCLUSIVE Stampin' Up! die. The flowers are from the exclusive Birds & Blooms Sizzlits Dies. I love love love this mini envelope. The card size for it is 2" x 3" - just perfect for cards to enclose with gifts.

The colors used were: Taken with Teal, Olive (blech), Mellow Moss and Bashful Blue.

The cards are really MUCH more vibrant than these pictures show. I LOVE these projects! Hope you do to.

I Stamped Something!

Shock! Amazement! Fun!


I actually made time to stamp something. It's been killing me to be so busy lately that I haven't had time to play with all my new goodies more.

I made (ok, I heated up) some soup the other day and couldn't bear to toss out the can. I washed it up and wrapped some Riding Hood Red cardstock around it. I added a strip of Bella Rose DSP and some strips of Kiwi Kiss that I punched with my scallop edge punch (SO EASY). I was able to maneuver my cropodile over the edge of the can and punch a hole to tie the ribbon through. Don't you love that new Riding Hood Red tafetta ribbon!

The stamped tag uses the new Say it with Scallops set. It's the Ronald McDonald set for this year and $2 from the sale of each set goes to the Ronald McDonald houses. A lovely set and a lovely charity.

In keeping with the Bella Rose theme, I'll also share a project I just LOVE. You know how you stamp stuff and sometimes you like it ok, sometimes it's pretty good, and sometimes you just sit back and say "WOW! I LOVE that" Well... "WOW! I love this!"



The flower is from the Sending Happy Thoughts Simply Sent Kit (one of my favorite 'sets' and it will be on sale in early October - stay tuned).


Inside is the best part. I cut a 2"x 3" piece of all of our 48 colors (+ the 6 fabulous new in-colors). You can take them out and mix and match them and choose colors for your projects that look great together.


I made these for my lovely "Daytimers" club. They've been with me for a long long time and I so appreciate their loyalty and friendship. I prepped the "guts" and they made them at our club meeting.




Oooh and guess what? If you put a corner of your cardstock through the center of your 1" circle punch, it rounds the corners to fit the altoids tin perfectly. Cool huh? I love it when things work out nicely like that.