SWEET GIRL

Last night my husband brought home flowers for our daughter Madison.....just because! It was so sweet and she just LOVED them. She is 11....boy, do the the years FLY BY!!!
I didn't get a chance to stamp today.....spent most of the day running errands. One of those errands was going to Home Depot and buying a bunch of plants for our front flower beds.....which we planted after dinner.

Hope you had a great day....Until next time,
Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

Monday Already???

Boy, did the weekend fly by!! We had a GREAT time at church yesterday and then a relaxing afternoon visiting with friends....it's always wonderful to spend time with God's people!!

At the end of last week, I was beginning to lose it a bit in regards to getting ready for the craft fair...but I'm ok now (I think). I just finished another set of cards for the "Flatlanders Craft Fair" on May 9th.

I copied the basic design for this card set from a card that I had made a few weeks ago. I tried to make it simple but not too simple. I used the retired For A Friend Level 1 hostess set from the 2008 Fall-Winter Catalog and the Designer Series Paper is the Delicate Dots from Sale-A-Bration....which I might add is ENDING TOMORROW!!!!

Of course, I can barely make a card now without using my Big Shot. So for the flower I used the Build a Flower bigz die....Gotta LOVE that Big Shot!!!
With my cards done for the day....I again turn my attention to my home.

Now that St. Patrick's Day is over...the leprechauns that have been hanging around my house and cleaning it while I stamp most of the day have now all gone home :-( So, I guess I need to get busy and pick up where they left off....I don't think they were doing such a great job....

Until next time,
Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

I'M GETTING LAZY!!

I think I'm beginning to get lazy or (heaven forbid!!) tired of stamping so much. Anyway, the card set I made today is so simple that I'm almost embarrassed! I made 6 sets of these.
I need to get with it!! The Flatlanders Craft Fair is a little over a month away. I think that I've thought so much about it that I've freaked myself out causing my creative juices to dry up...YIKES!!! Therefore, I need to just CALM DOWN and get a plan....or actually I need to remember the plan that I already came up....making a set of cards from each of the stamps sets that I have. Besides card sets, I also am wanting to make some gift card holders (graduations will begin taking place) and some boxes to put cards in....Mother's Day is the next day. I've also printed out instructions for some really cool stuff that I would like to try.

Ok, enough!!! This is where I begin to lose sight of reality.....when I start thinking about all the things that I want to do and haven't!!! I need to take one day at a time and just keep plugging along!!! I need to take a long deep breath and say "Serenity Now!"

Until next time,
Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

SADDEST NEWS

Yesterday we received some VERY SAD news from Steve's brother, Dennis, in Colorado. Dennis' daughter, Jaime, had a miscarriage and lost the TRIPLETS she was carrying!! We are so praying for them....that is such a hard thing to endure!

I quickly wanted to get a card out to her and her husband.....This is a leftover card from a card set that I had made last week. I just added the verse.
This is a short post but, I am going to get back to "work" either tonight or tomorrow....Until then,

Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

INSPIRED BY NATURE

With the weather warming up, it has been hard to stay indoors and stamp when the real nature is so pretty! Anyway, after my walk this morning with my friend April, I finished up the card set that I had started on Monday. Tuesday was spent running errands, grocery shopping and getting some things done so that my family wouldn't boot me out :-)

This was a card that my stamp club made a few months ago. I just LOVE the Inspired By Nature stamp set and had to do this card again! I simplified the club card by not tying a knot and just adhering a piece of ribbon across the front....cutting a few corners to cut a few expenses! I am pleased with how they turned out. I made 5 sets of these cards.....
I also love the sentiments from the Level 1 hostess set Best Yet from the 2008 Fall-Winter Catalog....that is a great little set!!! I won't be parting with those babies anytime soon!!

My "work" is done for today. Not much clean-up today, since I had started this card on Monday.

I can hear my husband running the rototiller outside. I am going to post this and then make him lunch so that the roar of his stomach doesn't drowned out the sound of the tiller!!!

Until next time,
Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

BACK TO THE GRIND

After stamping all week like a crazy woman, I took the weekend off to relax and CLEAN UP the aftermath of making a ton of cards sets. Although, I have looked forward to getting back to "work".....I'm so glad this is such an enjoyable hobby! This weekend also allowed me time to think about designs for cards that I can make this week.....my thinking has been on how to simplify without being too boring.

Today's card set is very CAS (Clean and Simple). I used the new Oval All stamp set from the Occasions Mini Catalog (click here to view) coming out on April 1st. I also used the new Scallop Oval Punch that's in the Occasions Mini as well. I embossed the entire front of the card using Cuttlebug embossing folders....I just LOVE the look these folders give!!!
I made 5 sets of these cards.....my quota is now done for the day. Now I can turn my attention to my home. I have been trying to stamp in the morning, clean it all up, and then be ready to give my full attention to the kids when they get home from school, my husband, and to family time in the evening.

Our family has been on a Yahtzee kick lately.....for almost the last week, we have played Yahtzee each night. To make things a bit more interesting we've been trying changing up the rules a bit....like beginning with ones and just going down the scorecard. Scores go down considerably when playing this way :-) We've been having a GREAT time thinking of different ways to play.....let me know of any different versions you've played!!

Until next time,
Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

CARD SET FOR THE DAY

The more I stamp these card sets the quicker I am becoming at streamlining my production. I'm glad stamping is something that I REALLY enjoy or stamping this much could become quite cumbersome.

Today I used one of my favorite stamp sets....Branch Out. I made 6 sets of 4 cards each. I made one card for each season, other than the color of the leaves and the liner, the cards are all the same. They didn't take me very long to make at all...a very simple, and classic layout. In fact, my monthly stamp club made the summer card at our session just this month.

Here they are....
Well, now that I am done getting my quota in for the day, I had better turn my attention to my home. It has gotten somewhat neglected the last few days. There is that funny saying..."A clean house is the sign of a lazy stamper." I don't think this saying would apply to me. LOL!!!

Until next time....
Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

WORKING, WORKING, WORKING!!!!

Slowly but surely I'm beginning to build up an inventory. One of the hardest parts is making sure the cards don't all look the same! I have a tendency to get in a rut and do the same thing over and over.

This is the card set that I made today. I don't use the sentiments "Good Luck" or "Get Well Soon" very often so I thought that I would make this a set of just 2. This was a SUPER EASY card. I used the free Delicate Dots DSP and also the free Polka Dot Punches stamp set from Sale-A-Bration. I then used a Cuttlebug embossing folder (which I just LOVE those folders!!!) for the strip of cardstock and stamped the words from the Sincere Salutations set. EASY, EASY, EASY!!!!
Well, I better get back to the "workshop".
Until next time....
Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

STILL MORE STAMPING

I am still plugging away at getting card sets done for the "Flatlanders Craft Fair". The card that I just made I am going to sell in sets of just 3 cards.....they were a bit more time consuming than the other cards that I've done. In other words....they took some work. I used markers to color the stamp....not hard, but definitely TIME CONSUMING!!

I used the Upsy Daisy stamp set....I LOVE this set. Since the set comes with 3 word stamps, I made 3 cards for each set. I made a total of 18 cards....6 packs of 3 cards.

Here's what the set looks like.....(sorry! just ignore all the doodling on the paper.....LOL!!)
The card's base is of Old Olive and I used a layer of Chocolate Chip. I stamped the image using Old Olive and Rose Red markers. The flowers and the words are stamped on Very Vanilla cardstock. The circle under the words is punched from Rose Red cardstock. I have the card opening on the side....so the opened card measures 4-1/4 x 11....just something a bit different.

So far, this has been TONS of fun.....my mind has been swirling with ideas!!! Not enough hours in the day to stamp all that I have been thinking about. In fact, I hope this post makes sense since I'm writing it WAY past my bedtime and I feel a bit mushy in the brain.

I better get myself to bed.....Until next time...
Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

I'M COMMITTED NOW!!!

Today I submitted my money to reserve my booth at the upcoming "Flatlanders Craft Fair".....ahhhh.....kinda scary!!! But that fear also motivated me to get to work!!!

My plan is to make 4 sets of cards from each stamp set that I have.....as much as that can happen.

Here is picture of the set that I made today.....again, I made 4 sets of these 6 cards.
I used the Rustic Rooster Level 2 hostess set and Sincere Salutations. I also used scraps of Designer Series Paper (not even sure of the name). Again, these are VERY simple but I think they turned out pretty good!!

Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

BULK STAMPING

This weekend I have been stamping LIKE CRAZY!!! I finally decided to "go for it" and reserve a booth at our local "Flatlanders" Parade and Craft Fair on May 9th in the Madera Ranchos. I will be setting up a booth to sell my stamped cards and also to promote my Stampin' Up! business. So this weekend, it hit me that I had better get with it and get to work stamping so that I would have something to sell.

So, this weekend I spent it making cards....TONS of them....about 80!!! Now, I will tell you that I made these cards very CAS (Clean and Simple) and I stamped them in an assembly-line type fashion. Then with the help of my daughter Madison we packaged them in some old baggie-type baggies and she made labels for them.

Here's some pictures of what I did this weekend......Whew!!!!

These are in sets of 6.
Here are what the sets look like....I just made 4 of each of the 6 cards and then collated them into sets.
These are little cards I made using my favorite thing....the BIG SHOT!! I made sets of 4...each card being the same color and then using different colored flowers....also cut using the Big Shot!! These little babies were fun to put together....and honestly, only took me a few minutes a set.
Please leave me a comment and let me know your opinion on the price. I want to sell LOTS of them....since each one has a business card in it and I'm also hoping to get some workshops or new clubs from this. I don't want to give them away, but I also don't want to price them so high that folks won't buy them! Also, any other advice, tips, ideas, etc. on selling cards would be helpful too!!!

I'll keep you posted on how my progress is coming.....it will keep me accountable too!!! So, ASK ME how the inventory is coming along!!! Now that I have decided to do this, I'm actually excited about it....my mind has been working overtime thinking of things that I could do.

Until next time...Find some time for stamping!!!!
Blessings, Cindy

SCRAPPIN'

Thursday was my second time attending Gloria's Scrapbooking Class, which meets monthly. I am not a scrapbooker, but I like the idea....but right now it just seems overwhelming!! Where do you start with years and years of pictures? Ahhhh!!! My brain begins to smoke and short out. Well, that all aside....I have really enjoyed going and making two 12x12 pages. Here are pictures of the pages that we made last Thursday....
The bottom picture shows the mini "album" opened. Gloria did an excellent layout job. Beautiful colors....Bordering blue (I think), So Saffron, and Chocolate Chip. We used the "Friends" Jumbo wheel as the background on the blue page....that is such a great wheel. I am going to have to add that to my "Wish List"....which I might add keeps getting longer instead of shorter!! Come to thinking about it....We also used the Eyelet border punch....ANOTHER "Wish List" addition!! LOL!!!

The flourish on the mini album was made using the Stampin' Up! Tulipe Bigz die with the Big Shot.....so lovely!!! Gloria showed us a trick to placing all the pieces.....We placed the stencil (the cut out portion) piece of cardstock on top of where we wanted the flourish and then put dots of glue in the spaces and placed the pieces of the flourish in place...kinda like a puzzle. Pressed the pieces down and then lifted off the cut cardstock. It left the flourish pieces in perfect position....so easy. GREAT tip Gloria!!!

Also, Looking at these pages.....it makes me an BIGGER fan of the Stamp-a-ma-jig. It can make the difference between a good project and a GREAT project. There were a few places on these pages where I really wished I had used a Stamp-a-ma-jig. Anymore having my images crooked and off-centered just makes me crazy. So if you don't own a Stamp-a-ma-jig...I would HIGHLY recommend one. They are totally worth buying!!!

By the way, NOW is the perfect time for purchasing some of the those items on your "Wish Lists". With Sale-A-Bration (SAB) going on you not only get what you want, but you also get some great sets for FREE! Be sure to check out the SAB catalog. Remember when ordering online, be sure designate me as your demonstrator so that you can receive the preferred pricing!!! Also, remember with each online order you receive a FREE Catalog and Idea Book, no minimum purchase is required!!

I'm going to go stamp....Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

NO STAMPING BUT......TARPS GALORE!!

Today, I was outside ALL DAY pressure washing tarps from an RV storage shelter so that Steve could put them up and store his tractor and other equipment in it. These tarps are 30 feet long.....and were DIRTY!!! But they are all cleaned up now! Here's a picture of the tarps along with Steve and Andy.









Thankfully it was a GORGEOUS day....sunny and warm. This truly was a day the LORD had made and I rejoiced in it!!!

Until next time.....Find some time for stamping.....I know I'm going to try!!!
Blessings, Cindy

CLUB NIGHT

Tonight was my monthly Stamp Club....a time that I always look forward to. A FUN time of talking and stamping!!

The first card we made was with the Branch Out stamp set....this is just a fantastic set!! It has become one of my new favorites! The card had a very simple layout with no frills, yet when they were done, they all turned out looking anything but simple!

















The second card we did was FUN! The gals actually made a couple of these little cuties (some even more!). Using the Big Shot, we made quick Top Note cards and added a flower with the Build a Flower Bigz die. Some of them we even embossed using the Big Shot and a Cuttlebug embossing folder....these turned out even CUTER!!!







I had a great time too!!!

Until next time.....
Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

THIS WEEK "FLU" BY & FTL32

This week "flu" by!! I really mean FLU!! Andy was sick at the beginning of the week and Madison spent all of the week sick!! Andy is completely well and Madison stills has some very stubborn symptoms that just don't seem to want to go away....but other than being annoyed by the congestion and an occasional cough, she is doing pretty good.

Well, the other day the Clean and Simple Stamping website posted their "Fall to Layout 32". Here is a copy of the sketch:

Here is the card that I made for this sketch....it took me all of about 3 minutes!!!

The big shot just makes it SO EASY!!! I don't yet own the circle dies, but I just used a circle cutter (which mine is a MAJOR PAIN), but everything else is BIG SHOT!! I folded a piece of Kiwi Kiss cardstock and ran it through the Big Shot with the Top Note die, making sure the fold was just inside the cutting line. The flower is from the Build a Flower Bigz die, which I topped off using the 1/2" circle punch. The image inside the 1/2" circle is from the Sale-A-Bration set Polka Dot Punches, the sentiment is from Sincere Salutations.

At my stamping club on Monday evening, we are going to be making a card almost like this....except I am going to use the 1-3/4" circle punch instead. I think if I would make the ladies use my circle cutter, they would all run out the door screaming in frustration....and I don't want that to happen. Here is a picture of my sample. They will be able to choose what color they would like the flower....we might have to make a couple of these little babies!!!

Until next time....
Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

Stampin' Up!'s Monthly Contest

Today I had the crazy notion again to make something for this month's Stampin' Up! contest. The winners of these contests are able to pick three stamps sets for free.....and since I am always up for free stuff and have nothing to lose.....I went for it!! The last time I entered one of their contests, I didn't win but my card was posted on Stampin' Up!'s website in the Stamper's Showcase. Pretty cool!!

Anyways....each month in SU's Stampin' Success magazine that is sent to demonstrators, they post a different contest. One of this month's contest is entitled "Bleach It Good". You make something using the technique of bleaching. I had never done this before and so I read the article that was published on bleaching and gave it a go.

I am not able to post my card.....but I thought I would show you a peek at one of my "trial and error" cards. Sorry the picture is blurry, but I was REALLY zooming in on the tiny image.

Winners are notified sometime around April 10th.....I will let you know whether or not I won. I'm such a rookie compared to other demonstrators that I don't expect to win, but I tell myself that if I don't enter I can't win....at least by entering I have a shot. Plus again, it was just relaxing and fun creating something and working on it until it was "just right"!

Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

I'M CHALLENGE CHALLENGED...in other words....Challenges are Challenging :-)

Each day Splitcoast posts a new challenge for each day.....Monday it's New Technique, Tuesday it's Color, Wednesday a sketch, and so on. I am not very good at their challenges....but I try. In fact, half the time I feel somewhat embarrassed to post my card.....these stampers on SCS are AWESOME!!! These challenges really stretch me.....but I keep telling myself that "no pain, no gain". Anyway....This week's color challenge was to use the colors Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip, and Passion Pink. So I dug out those colors and since I was feeling behind thought I would try and combine the Color Challenge with the CAS Challenge (another challenge posted on Monday)...which was using paper piercing.

I think in my case....trying to mix the two challenges was like trying to bake a cake and make chili all in the same bowl!!! IT DON'T WORK!!!!

Funny that I put "Get Well Soon" on it, since the card itself needs the same sentiments :-)

Oh well, sometimes you have it and sometimes you don't!!! I'll need to go back to the drawing board on this one! But it was fun tryin'!!!

Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

THINKING OF YOU

Well, I think we are through the worst part of the kids being sick. I am taking Madison to the doctor's tomorrow....she just can't seem to shake her fever and sore throat. Also, she has been terribly congested, so she might have strep and/or an ear infection....something that might need some antibiotics. Poor girl!!!

I did get around to stamping a bit this evening after they went to bed. I made a real quick card before I went to bed myself. This is a perfect example of the type of card that we will be making at my Clean & Simple Class on March 14th. The medallion was something I had stamped at a demonstrator's meeting a long time ago....I just never used it. And using the Big Shot and Top Note die really makes things EASY!!! In fact, we will probably be using the Big Shot a lot at the class!!! (Gotta love that Big Shot!!)

I am hoping to get back into the full swing of things in the next couple of days.

Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

SICK KIDS :-( CAS04 Challenge

Andy started getting sick on Saturday evening, was sick yesterday and is still sick with the flu today. Madison started getting sick Sunday evening and is sick today. I went to bed around 10:30 p.m. last night and was up with her every hour for the rest of the night.....she is so wiped out, and so am I! Both of them missed school today and when I emailed the school to tell them they wouldn't be there today, the attendance secretary told me that there were LOTS of 6th graders out with the flu too. So I think some germs went to camp too!....who invited them!!!???

Today's CAS Challenge #4 is "Accenting With Dots" (click on the title to go to the Splitcoast thread that lists the challenge and the details). Here is the definition of the challenge:

"This week we are accenting our CAS cards with dots. Whether you use a piercer or a marker, they are great additions to bring bring balance to a card or highlight a focal image.

Yes: Piercing, dots made with markers that looks like piercing
No: Cuttlebug dots, dotted patterned paper, pop up dots (You can use these, but they shouldn't be considered your accented dots on your card. Use a paper piercer or marker.)"

These types of challenges can just be a jump start to creativity! Have fun with it.

I'll TRY and get to some stamping later today, after a nap, and then post my card this evening or tomorrow.

Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy