Retired BNF Friday #25

It feels like we never got any real winter weather here in Northern California this year at all. We are definitely overdue for rain and the news keep warning us of drought and possible water rationing. There was a little bit of rain, more like drizzle a couple of days ago...but not much in the form of precipitation. Let's just say my car did not even feel it. I think I need to wash my car because in the past, as soon as I wash it it'd rain big time. Oh well.

I don't want to end January without a Retired BNF card to share with you, so here it is. I really miss this stamp set called Tea Shoppe. I have a Stamping Event tomorrow, so I am just stopping by to post and then go back to getting ready for my event.

Card Recipe

Stamp Set: Tea Shoppe
Paper: Card stocks in Real Red, Basic Black and Whisper White, Glimmer paper in Red (121790)
Ink: Classic Stampin' pad in Real Red
Tools & Accessories: Big Shot Die Cutting Machine (113439), Honeycomb Embossing Folder (129378), punches in Decorative Label (120907), Extra Large Oval (119859) and Small Heart (117193), Scalloped Dots ribbons in Basic Black (retired), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430).

Well, that's all for now. Thank you for stopping by. On to a new month.

Vivid Vases

I have been doing a lot of water coloring lately with most of my projects. I get this way, especially when I am under a lot of stress. It is a known fact that paper crafting calms me down, but any form of coloring be it with watercolor, crayons, markers or color pencils bring me a different level of release and peace. I am no artist, I can't draw to save my life, so this will have to do. The new Celebrate the Every Day catalog have many amazing products and stamp sets and this single wooden stamp Vivid Vases is one of them.

I used a sponge dauber and Summer Starfruit ink pad to color the Organza ribbon

Card Recipe

Stamp Set: Vivid Vases (133818)
Paper: Card stocks in Real Red and Summer Starfruit, Watercolor paper (122959)
Ink: Black Stazon ink pad (101406), Classic Stampin' pads in Real Red, Old Olive and Summer Starfruit
Tools & Accessories: Big Shot Die Cutting Machine (13439), Top Note Bigz Die (113463), Scallops Textured Impressions Embossing folder (132971), Sponge Daubers (102892), Aqua Painters (103954), 5/8" Whisper White Organza ribbon (114319), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

Well, that's all for now. Thank you for stopping by.

Serene Silhouettes

I almost lost my mind looking for this card all over my blog, then I realized that I have not posted it. Duh! I made it a few months ago and I am so in-love with the versatility of its color combo and layout that I changed the sentiment to "thank you" and sent it out to people after the holidays. I confess that lately I have been sort of blank. My creative juices are simply depleted. I had my monthly Stamping Event this past Saturday and I kid you not I designed at least six cards prior to that I ended up not using for the class, because I was not happy with the results. They were simply not good enough for me. Why is it that I am always my worst critic?

Card Recipe

Stamp Set(s): Serene Silhouettes (Wood 132073 Clear 127324), Always in my Thoughts (retired)
Paper: Card stocks in Cherry Cobbler Lucky Limeade, Daffodil Delight and Whisper White
Ink: Classic Stampin' pad in Cherry Cobbler, Stampin' Write markers in Cherry Cobbler and Lucky Limeade
Tools & Accessories: Big Shot Die Cutting Machine (113439), Fancy Fan Embossing Folder (127751), 1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon in Cherry Cobbler (120992), 1 3/8" Circle Punch (119860), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

Oh well, this coming week at the office is going to be brutal - because it will be the first full work week after the holidays. It was very nice to start the week on a Thursday and then Friday...then the weekend. Oh well, that's all for now. Thank you for stopping by. I have new projects to share from the 2014 Occasions catalog, but my photographer aka daughter has been so preoccupied with whatever twelve year old girls do. Haha.

New Year 2014

Happy New Year, everyone! I would like to stop by and share this simple, yet very stunning card. It is with my favorite stamp set, Lovely as a Tree. It was the reason I could not wait to sign-up as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator eight years ago. So many catalogs have come and gone, yet Lovely as a Tree is still my go-to stamp when I need a masculine, sympathy, Christmas, winter or Thinking of you cards. It's a classic and I believe that every paper crafter/ card maker must have this set in their collection.

Well, farewell to 2013. I started 2014 cleaning my fridge. This has been sort of an annual tradition for me and the sad part is that, I don't hate doing it. I was not too surprised to find two jars of expired salsa (probably my son's), a bunch of expired condiments and salad dressings and packets of ketchup. It shocked me that there was an almost full jar of Martini Olives in Vermouth that expired in 2011. What a waste! And six (6) unopened bars of Plugra butter that were hidden all over the fridge. It was probably a result of one of my obsessions. Oh well, here's to a brand new year and a clean fridge! Haha.

Card Recipe

Stamp Set: Lovely as a Tree (W 128655 C 127793)
Paper: Card stocks in Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White and Brushed Silver (100712)
Ink: Whisper White Craft Ink (101731), Black Stazon Ink Pad (101406), Classic Stampin' pads in Pool Party and Night of Navy.
Tools & Accessories:  Big Shot Die Cutting Machine (113439), Apothecary Accents Frame Lits (127003), Snowflake punch (retired), sponge daubers (102892), Heat Tool (129053), Versamark pad (102283), Heat & Stick powder (100625), Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter (102023), Rhinestone brads (retired), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430).

That's all for now. Happy New Year and thank you for stopping by.

Christmas 2013

Merry Christmas to all of you. We went to my mom's last night for our Noche Buena aka Christmas Eve festivities. One of the amazing perks of having a chef for a sister is that, she took charge and cooked everything. And every single dish tasted great! There were lots of presents, especially for the little kids and my mom. She keeps saying how much she loves being a grandma now. She gets as much loot as the grand kids. I remember when both my kids were small and they got so many toys for Christmas. Last night, they mostly got envelopes and they were both very happy about it. Time surely has changed. It made me excited watching my nephew and nieces tearing the wrappers of their gifts with that mesmerizing look on their faces and they'd say, "I really want this". That is probably why people say, "It's just like Christmas" when they get something they've always wanted. I am so blessed and really grateful that my son has been home since Friday and that I took a few days off work to spend time with both my kids. It's been so wonderful. What a priceless gift - my family. I have everything I could ever wish for.

Well, that's all for now. I want to wish all of you a wonderful Christmas. Thank you for stopping by.

Santa's List

For a long time I have been resisting the electronic books via Nook or Kindle. I love to read and my co-workers have been telling me that giving in to the technology of e-books will help me plus save my rapidly deteriorating eyesight. I kept saying I love the sensation of paper in between my fingers, the smell and the crispness of the pages as I turn them and on and on. I'm just really stubborn and traditional that way.  However, this past Thursday during our Company Holiday Party raffle, I won a Nook HD. I was elated, actually more so about winning than the actual gift itself. I kept telling myself and others that I have been wanting to get a Nook. Although, it was not completely truthful. It was not in my list of wants. I did not want to unwrap the shiny plastic off of this strange gadget for hours after I brought it home. I seriously stared at the darn thing for minutes at a time, then I would walk to the living room, walk back to the kitchen where it was on top of the kitchen table and then walk away again. I did this for at least ten times. It was foolish and I really didn't know what I was afraid of. It was a piece of electronic for Pete's sake and not a time machine. Perhaps I was afraid of change, no matter how minute. To someone who loves to read as much as I do, this in my opinion is quite significant. Do I still say, "I am reading this amazing book or e-book?" What will I do with my book shelf and the books the I have collected over the years? A big part of me felt that this whole electronic book world will take away the most cherished process of feeling a book in one's hands. Then again I argued with myself about some of these amazing gadgets that I now feel I cannot live without such as my Keurig beverage maker, Clarisonic, Chi hair flat iron, iPhone, Ninja blender/food processor, etc. So, I finally opened the Nook, turned it on and downloaded a few of my favorite books at a discount. I re-read The Great Gatsby and by the last page, I knew I had just sold my heart to e-books. I have been reading every chance I get and I really love the built-in dictionary. I doubt I will use this for anything else, other than reading. I guess Santa came in early for me this Christmas. Thank goodness, I was in the Nice list.

Card Recipe

Stamp Set(s): Santa's List (W 131808 C 131811), Positively Chevron (W 130496 C 130499)
Paper: Cardstocks in Real Red, Midnight Muse and Whisper White, In Color DSP in Gumball Green
Ink: Classic Stampin' pad in Real Red
Tools & Accessories: Big Shot Die Cutting Machine (113439), Bigz Scallop Squares Duo, 3/8" Stitched Satin ribbon in Midnight Muse (126847), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430).

Well, that's it for now. Last weekend before Christmas, I have a lot of things to do. I have been delayed by my new toy, so it's crunch time today and tomorrow to do last minute errands and finish wrapping gifts. Bye for now and thank you for stopping by.

Joyful Christmas

I have been very busy at work, not to mention I have been sick and coughing like a mad dog. I have been so exhausted. So, since it was my birthday weekend I made sure to rest and nap as much as my body needs. That was my gift to me. I stayed in my pajamas and watched sappy Christmas movies on Lifetime and Hallmark channels. It was very nice. I am not sure if I'd been taking too much Nyquil, but I've been having this recurring dream about me. In my dream, I see myself walking away and no matter how loud I called out my name, I never turned around. I had a similar dream twenty years ago when I was pregnant with my son. When I shared this with my grandma she casually said, "Well, it makes sense you are going to be a mother and the life you know now will change. So, it's you walking away from this life to a different one." She always had some kind of response to everything. I wish I could pick-up the phone and call her right now. To hear her voice once more, what a gift that will be. Oh well, so you can imagine why I'd been kind of wondering what change I am venturing in to now. My life has been hectic, but I am not anticipating anything life-altering happening anytime soon. So, here I am waiting for what the future holds. As another birthday comes and goes I am truly thankful for all my blessings. I cannot change the past...but then look at where it led me! I have a beautiful family and a life that I'm proud of. I am one lucky girl and grateful every single day.

I had so much fun making these cards. I was inspired by Tami White to use the cardstock vellum on the poinsettias. Putting together the parts were a bit time-consuming and laborious, but the result was so fulfilling. I made a dozen of these cards. I made and sent out 62 Christmas cards total in four designs. What an accomplishment! I hope that the people I sent them to realize how much they all mean to me.

Card Recipe

Stamp Set: Joyful Christmas (W131802 C 131805)
Paper: Cardstocks in Brown Sugar, Cherry Cobbler and Very Vanilla, Brushed Gold (102935), White Vellum Cardstock (101856)
Ink: Classic Stampin' pads in Cherry Cobbler and Old Olive, Metallic Encore pad in Gold (132141)
Tools & Accessories: Big Shot Die Cutting Machine (113439), Pretty Print Textured Impressions Embossing folder (132175), Apothecary Accents Frame Lits (127003), Heat Tool (129053), Stampin' Emboss Powder in Gold (109129), 1/2" Seam Binding ribbon in Cherry Cobbler (120992), Sponge Daubers (102892), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430), Paper Snips (103579), Large Pearl Basic Jewels (125577)

Oh well, that's all for now and happy birthday to me!