Valentine Projects

I have had so much fun creating new projects for Valentine's Day! 

If you live nearby and want to come make the first three of these, call me and tell me you're coming to my Stampin' Up! party on Wednesday, January 27th at 6:30pm. 

(Don't worry Kearny gals...I'm bringing these same projects there!)

Can you see the glittered Designer Series Paper (DSP) on this?  I can't get enough of it.

I got the idea for this from my dear friend Wendie Waldman who did a "GIVE thanks" decoration like this when I still lived in Silver City.                                                                     The card above reminds me of conversation hearts!

That candy in the card below is inside of a Stampin' Up! "Heart Treat Cup".
Seriously, an incredibly smart idea, and SOO fun to work with!

                                 

The following cards are some others that I have made, just playing with the new things. This pink and purple on is my favorite out of all of them. I did a variation on a shaker card...filling the treat cup with silver microbeads.

I also used the glittered DSP again and the new scallop edge punch...too fun.

                                      

This card also has the glittered DSP (6 patterns with glitter/6 without), but this time I put punched hearts in the treat cup.  I'll put more hearts in if I make another one like this.         

This card was a direct CASE (Copy And Share Everything) from the Stampin' Success magazine I get every month.  In other words, I didn't design it. I copied someone else's idea.   Tessa Wise was the original creator of this beautiful card.  I love the non-traditional colors. :)                                                    

This bag can hold treats of any kind and shows our new felt pieces in the current mini-catalog. 

Are you ready for Valentine's Day yet? 

Now is the time to start thinking about it! 

I hope you have as much fun as I have had getting ready!

Chatter

*Updated family pictures make me incredibly happy.  I love replacing the older 8x10's on the shelf with the current pictures.  I also like that I can really capture my kids and their personality when I take the pictures myself.

*That being said, it was an INCREDIBLE amount of work to get 7 kids photographed individually this year.  I found everyone was pretty much done/frustrated/bugging each other like crazy by the time we tried to do a family shot, and so I don't have a family photo I love...but I do have one that will suffice.

*Creative funks are not fun.  I must be carded-out from Stampin' Up! overload last week.  That and I cleaned my house this week instead of crafting.  That and napping.  If I didn't have to sleep, I think I'd get a lot done.

*I need to make some cute things for my upcoming parties.  Valentines day, pink and red and white and brown things with sparkles.  (I've got the color scheme...now I just need the ideas!)  I thought one idea I got last weekend would work, but it just didn't quite work the way I thought it would.  It was a little too complicated to replicate in a short amount of time.  Back to the drawing board.

*A laptop computer makes it WAY easier to use the computer more than ever.  I feel the need for intervention of some sort.  Not that it will happen, but I do feel that need every now and again.

*IKEA is a blessing.  In every way.  I LOVED going in with a plan tonight and getting everything I needed to execute that plan shopping in one small area.  No overwhelming window-shopping on the upper level this time...straight to the laundry section...load up the cart and head for the checkout lanes.  Organized laundry room/system...here I come!!

*I hope my well-planned laundry system works.  I'm so utterly frustrated with the current system, that I can't imagine anything being WORSE.  We'll see how effective it is.  I should know within  a week or two.

*I am subbing in Sunbeams tomorrow.  I should go to bed so I don't nod off on the other teacher as she tries to corral a roomful of 3 year olds.  (Church is at 8...I was not insinuating that the teacher would be boring!)

*I LOVE ANWA (American Night Writers Association).  We had a meeting here on Thursday night, and I feel very blessed to have a group of LDS sisters that love writing too.  I feel like I'm doing more than just burying my talent when I attend these meetings...even if it's just recognizing that God-given talent and choosing to help others acknowledge it as well.  (Anyone want to join?)

*Maybe my next post won't just be random ramblings.  Maybe. Don't hold your breath.  Hey, at least I'm blogging. :)

Stampin' Up! Phoenix Regionals

Please forgive the pictures being in totally random order.  I've now figured out how to download multiple pictures onto the blog, but I can't get them to move like they used to, so I'll work on that next. 

I arrived over at the Phx. Convention Center around 7:30am and went down to shop in the "Memento Mall".  It's a Stampin' Up! store with exclusive SU clothing and business supplies.  I met up with some friends (see below) and we headed up to register for Regionals.  As we walked in, we were given a stamp set from the new Occasions Mini-catalog, and 5 projects to make with that set all cut and shrink wrapped for us. 

It's not very often I get someone prepping things for me, so I was very happy! 

These are just some of the card fronts that I swapped my cupcake card for.  They will be on display at my next events:  January 27th (Wed.), here in QC and January 29th (Fri.) in Kearny. 

Nancy Whatley and Wendie Waldman both came over from Silver City, NM, and we met up and spent the day together.  This picture and the rest in this blog post are courtesy of Wendie.  (Thanks!!)  It is so fun to have good friends to stamp with and spend time with.  The amazing thing is that stamping creates a bond that last with others...it's just incredible.

                    You can see my "Simply Adorned" Stampin' Up! necklace on me.  (Close ups below.)                                                

At the back of the convention room, SU placed a number of boards where displays were set up.  If anything was presented to us, it was later in the back of the room so that we could take pictures and look at things up close.  :)  Do you see my card front in the middle of the left hand side?  I was SOOO excited.  It seriously made my whole day to see my card front displayed.  They may have posted all of the card fronts that were placed in the basket for Stampin' Up! to use, but it still was thrilling for me to see my very own creation up for everyone to see.                   

Here's their creation for the inside of the Simply Adorned necklace.  They also have 2 smaller charms on each side of the big charm. 

And, finally, documentation that I was actually going to be stamping.  We had to mount our new "Vintage Vouge" set.  I love it, by the way.  

Regionals was an AMAZING experience.  I learned so many fun and new techniques that I am super excited to show some of them to you soon.  Seriously, I've been smiling for 2 days with the excitement of the day. 

Random Bits of Today's Musings

This week's news:

*I've completed 40 card front swaps in preparation for the Stampin' Up! Phoenix Regional meeting on Saturday.  They were not simple either...multiple steps including watercoloring and hand coloring numerous images on each individual card, glittering the "cupcake sprinkles", and color spritzing the card base.  I am incredibly happy with the end result however.

*I just received my order of new Stampin' Up! goodies from their newest mini-catalog.  *grin*  I know why I LOVE their product...especially when I get lots of fun new stamps and papers to play with.  SU just released a jewelry line...you can create the interior of a charm to wear on a chain.  I plan on designing that today and wearing it tomorrow.  I am VERY excited about the clear-mount stamps too, but may not get to play with them until after Saturday.  *heehee*

*I have resigned from a two year stint of blogging for ANWA.  I am sad to move on, but I have felt the need to recommit to my blog here, and felt that it was of great importance to continue recording information for myself and my family.  I am looking forward to attending a writing conference in February for ANWA (American Night Writers Association).

*I'm noting interesting words for an ANWA assignment for our upcoming meeting.  So far, my favorites are bamboozle and ennui.  Do you have any words you love?  (Others I've discovered are tremulous, purveyor and unique.)

*I feel incredibly blessed in so many ways.  I really don't even know how to start explaining that to anyone.  I am so grateful for our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.  Their love and sacrifice for me, for us, makes my spirit sing and my heart overflow with gratitude.

*The weather here is BEAUTIFUL.  I keep reminding myself that this is the time of year to enjoy.  I always get caught up in getting my jobs done and trying to catch up on all of the housework instead of taking the time to enjoy the outdoors.  I need to take advantage of it before the heat returns in earnest.

*We have now been in Queen Creek for a full year.  It's hard to believe how quickly the time has passed.  I miss many of my dear friends who are in Silver City still, and many who have moved on from there as well.  There will always be a very special place in my heart for everyone we love there.   It is amazing to see the Lord bring people into our lives, no matter where we live, to help us grow and become better people.  I am so grateful for the friendships that I have here in QC...and the way I see others developing.  It is amazing to me how much seemingly simple acts impact my life and touch my heart.  :)  I am so grateful for that.

*Without officially committing, I want it to be known that I feel the desire to blog again.  :)  Yippee!!