Cell phones are the bees knees!

We are a frugal couple....Not. But we do like a good bargain. Tracfone has a good bargain package for folks such as we are and they now have a nice cell phone with a camera by Motorola. It sells for about 29.95 at most Walmarts, too. I convinced my husband to let me buy the new camera phone and I've been having a blast. Who knew camera phones were so much fun!! But as with any newfangled device, there's a learning curve and I haven't mastered the transfer of my pictures to my computer! Dratdratdrat! So, you don't get to see my pictures!! But they are pretty!

Ah, well. Let's look at cards for today instead! Oh, no! I'm on the wrong computer and I don't have any of my card photos! GRRRRR!!! Bad planning on my part doesn't help you at all! Good grief. Sorry guys. I can't even come up with a good tip of the day for you. But at least I posted. Don't be mad - I'll be back as soon as possible.

TFSB!
Melanie

Apple Annie's

Today's post starts with a good lunch. A couple of weeks ago, we spent a day with some cherished friends, Joe and Mary. The idea was to drive to Cooper's Rock in Morgantown, West Virginia, then eat lunch at a tiny cafe in Point Marion, PA, just over the state line from Morgantown. We had a wonderful day. It was overcast, and chilly, but as the day wore on, we shed the outer coats.

We had lunch at Apple Annie's and believe me, I couldn't have found the place without Joe and Mary! It's down one of those alleys that kind of give you pause if you're out at night. But the food was excellent and the service just right. I didn't get a picture of the place inside, so the outside will have to do. If you're ever in that area, I recommend them for lunch and DESSERTS!

So, did you know DESSERTS is "Stressed" backwards? I just love this - solve your stress by eating dessert!! Should be our mantra - HA!!

Christmas is coming - and I'm not ready yet!
Today's card is one of the first Christmas cards I've done this year. I CASe'd the card and cannot remember to whom I should give credit. If this pattern is yours, please shoot me an email and let me know. It took me three tries to get the size of the squares just right for die cutting the Top Note. One and a half inches - too big. One inch - too small. One and a quarter inches (1.25") - JUST RIGHT. If you have that size punch, you're ahead of the game. I didn't have that punch so I used my paper cutter. The only issue with this is, of course, exact measuring. Too much, and the squares sit on top of each other. Too little and you've got a large gap and an uneven quilt look - okay, so I'm not a quilter but at least I understand the measurements.

(All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise stated.)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Old Olive, Real Red.
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Encore Ultimate Metallic Gold (yes, SU carries this)
Designer Papers: 2008 Holiday Treasures (I don't throw DSP away - ever. But you can substitute your favorite holiday DSP)
Stamp: Dasher (The original had the two skaters from the Post Script stamp set)
Ribbon: Chocolate Chip grosgrain
Accessories: Vanilla Hodgepodge frame, vanilla brads
Other: Stampin' Up Dimensionals, SNAIL, Big Shot, Top Note

If you want further instructions, email me and I'll give you all the facts.

That's it for today! Thanks for stopping by! Leave a comment - I LOVE to hear from all two of you!! HA!

Daddy's Birthday

My father will be 79 this October. He's got back problems, neck problems, pain and discomfort. But to me, he looks wonderful. We don't always agree on things (who doesn't?) but he doesn't berate me or make me feel little because of it. We love each other and that's enough for me. When my sisters and I were growing up in Tennessee, we usually took a trip in the fall to Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains. The timing coincided with the annual fall craft fair and my dad's birthday. To this day, I love the Smokies. I am making my own memories now with my husband of 34 years, but it helps that we have a daughter that lives in Greenback, Tennessee, at the foothills of the Smokies!

But this post is in honor of my dad. I made this card for him and will mail it this morning. Even though he doesn't always read my blog, I'll still say this. Daddy, I love you. You're the first man in my life that I said that to and I know you love me, too. You've given me good advice (and didn't get too mad if I didn't always follow it), you've shown me admiration for my talents, and you've been a great encourager for both me and my husband. For that, we love you.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!
Your loving daughter

A Page out of Fall

Fall is the earthiest of the seasons. It has the distinctive aroma of pumpkin pies, leaves burning, fireplaces and fall festivals. I love it all. Today's post is a scrapbook page I made for my scrapbook club - members of whom are arriving at 10:30 this morning! The background is Really Rust (an autumn glory color!), the DSP is Autumn Traditions and the stamp set....ta dah!! Autumn Splendor!! I used this stamp set with Versamark on the sidelines of the Real Rust background. You can juuuusst see them, barely! Then I used the same leaves stamped in Versamark on Chocolate Chip card stock, embossed them with SU's Gold embossing powder and cut them out. I used SNAIL adhesive for everything but I did use Stampin' Dimensionals for making the little acorns pop out and on the three maple leaves in the upper right corner.

The three 4"x6" scraps are Kraft and Old Olive and I used Whisper White for the journaling block. Of course, I didn't have time to put the pictures on, but I do have some of my husband with his three grandchildren several years ago. They are all growing up but this page will keep them forever at this age!!

This page was simple and oh-so-easy, but I really do struggle to come up with pleasing compositions for my pages. I study and study and study the work of others as well as scrapbook pages and I still struggle. I really do hope the club members like it. I should probably sign up for a very rudimentary beginner's class for scrapbooking!! HA!

Tip of the day:
If you are like me, you use those really good wet wipes for cleaning your stamps and you've noticed that when they are dry, there are tiny, peksy wisps of that dried wet wipe embedded in your stamp. Well then, grab an OLD(!!) eyebrow brush and have at those little wisps. It won't damage your stamp and you'll get rid of those pesky little white blobs!!

That's it for today! Thanks for stopping by!

Fall Is Here And Class Is In Session

Fall is definitely here, here in West Virginia. Today's high was in the 50's and very gloomy...more like an early winter type of day. So that means classes are in session. I've scheduled my very first Christmas Card Stamp-a-stack and am busy getting all arranged for those. If you're in the area and would like to sign up for those classes, check out my SU page, or click on the icon to the right to read about the classes. I still have room and since the classes aren't till November, you have a little tickle room for time. I'd LOVE to have you!

My Scrapbook Club asked for a change in our venue so here's a card we're going to do (if all goes well) at our club meeting next week. (I'm not sure they read my blog so I'm not giving anything away...I don't think.) We've changed the format just this once - one page and two cards. This is one of the cards. I absolutely LOVE this chocolate satin ribbon! Who would have thought how luscious it looks against the deep Rich Razzleberry?!! Gorgeous! I used Rich Razzleberry for the base card, Whisper White for the sentiment and Old Olive for the scalloped border. Believe it - the leaves are cut from the Bright Blessings jumbo roller!! The original card that I CASE'd called for another stamp set that I didn't have (“Falling Leaves”) so I improvised using the Bright Blessings jumbo roller, a companion to the Falling Leaves stamp set. I used Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive and Dusty Durango markers for coloring the leaves, held on to the two posts on the roller and then rolled the inked portion onto Whisper White paper. I cut the leaves out and used Stampin' Dimensionals to layer the leaf images to Old Olive and Dusty Durango card stock! Woo! Yum! The Chocolate Chip satin ribbon is simply double knotted around the front, the ends cut in an inverse “v”; the “Give Thanks” is from “Holiday Best” and is stamped in Chocolate Chip and Old Olive on Whisper White card stock; and the scalloped edge is done in Old Olive.

Remember the Hostess Special from now till November. Host a $250 workshop and choose any item (with the exception of “My Digital Studio” and the hostess-only items) for $10! That’s a monumental savings!!! Click on the shopping icon to your right and head over to my SU Webpage and check out the Holiday Mini items. Then click or email me your order!

That’s it for today. Thanks so much for stopping by!

A late bloomer

I enjoy reading headlines...all kinds. I love the play on words, the puns (intended or not), the bon mots, even the pundits themselves (sometimes). I have even started reading the Op Ed pages of my local paper! Go figure. I'm not a political zealot, but you have to agree there's a lot of fodder out there for really funny headlines!!

Anyway, today's title comes about because fall is officially here and I'm not ready for it!! So, I was cruizin' Stampin' Up's website for a flower card I could make and this is the result. I must give a shout out to Cam Cao for her original idea. Although I changed some of my card stock and inks used, I still used her basic design. I really like this card. I just wish my scanner gave true colors because this picture looks like I used a lot of grays when in fact I used greens and oranges!! Grrrrrr!! The recipe follows.




Stamps: Bloomin' Beautiful Stamp Set
Papers: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, watercolor paper (unknown source), Old Olive Patterns (Patterns Pack III, Hostess item)
Inks: Stazon Jet Black, SU Basic Black Classic
Accessories: Tangerine Tango 5/8" sriped ribbon, Hodgepodge Hardware Styled Vanilla, Blender Pens, Stampin' Dimensionals, snail adhesive permanent, SU's watercolor pencils.

Thanks for stopping by!

Melanie

A first for me...posting a scrapbook page

Today is a first for me. I don't think I've posted a scrapbook page before. So, here's one I did this morning. I used a template from Stampin' Up's website for demonstrators, but again, I had to tweak it because I didn't have all the recommended ink/paper/stamps. (Of course.) Anyway, the page is an 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 page with two pictures. The recipe follows this post.
I also CASE'd another card from the catalog - and made some changes. See, I have the markers for just about every color but I don't have all the stamp pads, so there. The ink pads really do make a difference. I tried coloring the medallion with the Crushed Curry marker (recommended color) and ended up using my So Saffron ink pad instead. Using a marker just ended up with a lot of stripes on the inked image. And, I used a different stamp sentiment. And the DSP is different. I used Crushed Curry for the scalloped edge. I have to laugh! It's all different, but still the same! HA!

Recipe for Scrapbook page:
Inks: Basic Black, Really Rust, Versamark, Old Olive
Cardstock: Kraft, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, Whisper White
Stamp Set: Autumn Leaves (I'm not sure about the title - I'll check and get back to you.), Wonderful Words,
Other: Stampin' Dimensionals, snail, old olive 1/4" grosgrain ribbon

Recipe for Card:
Inks: So Saffron Classic ink pad, Basic Black Classic ink pad
Stamp: Medallion
Cardstock: Whisper White, Really Rust, Crushed Curry
DSP: Autumn Traditions
Other: Snail

I'm sure there are some errors here. I'm typing this away from my Stamp Pad and I didn't write everything down before I left for the library. You probably know by some of my previous rantings, I have dialup. So, if I want to be efficient, I have to take my laptop to the library where broadband is free. If you catch an error, write a comment or email me and I'll straighten it up, pronto.

Thanks for visiting!!

Melanie