Story Time

Henry has always loved his books. To this day, he'll sit and "read" for 30-45 minutes at a time. We also do story time multiple times each day, and it's one of my favorite things to do with him. My grandmother instilled a strong love of books in me, and I hope to do the same for my boys! As you can see, we're already getting Jack in on the action!

Henry's favorite books are these "If You Give A..." books by Laura Numeroff. We have four of them so far (Mouse/Cookie, Moose/Muffin, Pig/Pancake, Mouse/Movies), and he loves them all. I actually have memorized If You Give A Moose A Muffin, so we can even tell that story in the car.... and we do. A lot. I'm just glad he likes his books so much!

A Few Of My Favorite Things

And no, I'm not talking about the stamp company!

First, I'll share my card for today. My husband and I visited the next town over to do a little shopping today and I noticed a ton of cars in the new Michael's store parking lot. It turned out today was their grand opening. Woot! Hubby TOTALLY didn't believe that I didn't know that when I said I wanted to go up there, but it was true! Anyhow, the place was PACKED with people. I did manage to beat a few of them back to score this Santa stamp that I am absolutely in love with. I think this is going to be one of my Christmas card designs for this year.

It's a very simple design (my favorite kind), but it still packs a nice punch. It's hard to see in the photo, but I used my 2-way glue pen to follow some of the lines of his beard and then sprinkled it with dazzling diamonds. It gives just the right amount of sparkle. I love it!



The sentiment is from Warm Words. I wish one of those word stamps said "believe", but sadly it does not. I thought about using the "Holiday Greetings" stamp from Sincere Salutations, but I try realllly hard to keep the words "Happy" and "Holiday(s)" off of my Christmas cards. It is a major pet peeve of mine that so many companies will no longer say, "Merry Christmas" when they answer the phone mid-December. Instead they have to say, "Happy Holidays". And we no longer have a Christmas parade in town. Now it is in November, and it is the holiday parade. *grumble* I could say more, but I won't. I'll just leave it at that! My point though, was that I'm not 100% sold on that sentiment, but it's my favorite of the options I had available!

Second, I have to share a picture of another of my favorite things... Cherry Cheesecake! I made this tonight for a cookout we are having tomorrow evening at my Mom's house. This is hands down one of my favorite recipes of all time. It's soooo easy to make, and is to. die. for. TASTY! YUM! I could honestly polish off this little 8x8 pan all on my own, but that would just be wrong. lol!

Here's a tip for you too. You know how you put toothpicks in something like this before you put tin foil (etc.) over the top to transport it? Well, you know those little plastic do-hickeys they put in the center of a Pizza Hut pizza to stop the box from collapsing? The next 3-4 times you get a pizza from there, save those and wash them and use them in place of your toothpicks. They won't poke through the foil, and they sit nicely on top of the desserts. I think my grandma thought of that one. ;o)

No Bake Cherry Cheesecake

2 c. Graham Cracker Crumbs
1 Stick Butter (Melted)
8 oz. Cream Cheese
8 oz. Cool Whip
1 c. Sugar
1 can Cherry Pie Filling

Mix graham cracker crumbs with butter, and press into bottom of 8x8 pan. Whip cream cheese, cool whip, and sugar with beater and spread over graham cracker base. Cover with cherry pie filling. Refrigerate overnight to set.

Card Details:
Stamps: Warm Words (Stampin' Up!), Santa (Michaels)
Ink: Always Artichoke, Bravo Burgandy
Paper: Always Artichoke, Bravo Burgandy, Very Vanilla
Other: Vanilla Grosgrain Ribbon, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder

Let it Snow

I made this card with the idea of entering it in the Christmas card contest SU! is running in their Sept. issue of Stampin' Success. Let me tell you, it is not easy making a card with only Stampin' Up! materials (and only current ones to boot!). At least for me it isn't, because I have such a hodge podge of stamps and materials from different companies.

Anyhow, this is the card I came up with, but I decided not to submit it. I don't enter a lot of contests, and if I am going to enter something it's going to be with a card that screams WINNER to me.... and this one doesn't. It's ok, I like it a lot, but I think they will be picking winners who use their big shots (SU!'s big new release), so why waste a perfectly good card, when I can send it to someone who will really appreciate it this Christmas? I hope that makes sense!

Anyhow, my idea was for the letters to be almost like a bunting, free flowing. BUT, I clipped two of the eyelets a little too tight so it doesn't swing the way I'd like it to. Still, it's cute. I like it. I tried to do snow with glitter on the white cs, but it seems pretty sparse. I purposefully kept the card sort of plain, because I've always gotten the impression that plain is what SU! looks for when it comes to the cards they choose (not in a bad way, just not overdone).

So, there you have it. My contest entry that won't enter the contest! :o)

Details:
Stamps: Big on Christmas (SU!)
Ink: Basic Black, Real Red
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Real Red
Other: Stampin' Write Markers, Dazzling Diamonds, Real Red Eyelets, Red Grosgrain Ribbon, Black Brads

I'm Here

I was going through the keepsake box I have for my toddler, and I came across a stack of about five of these birth announcements I made to send to friends and family when he was born. I made 100 of them total (crazy, I know!), and apparently decided that he should have all of the leftovers when he's an adult. hee hee. Now that I am thinking clearly again, I decided to leave one in there for him, and pull the others out to use as needed. And it just so happens that one is needed! One of my neighbors recently welcomed their first child - a boy - into the world, so I thought I'd stop by tomorrow with this card and a bag of newborn diapers that Jack grew out of too soon.

Since I cased this card (everything but the color blue - she had a girl), I never posted it to my SCS gallery, and I didn't have a blog at the time. The original artist of the card is SCS user Stampin3 (Karen Foltz - click to get to her blog) and you can see her version of this specific card in her SCS gallery HERE if you're interested. I even did my inside similar to hers. I just love that card!

Anyhow, since I haven't had a chance to make anything new since that last card I posted, I thought I'd share this one today. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Details:
Stamps: I'm Here (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Going Grey
Paper: Bliss Blue, Whisper White, Going Grey
Other: Light Blue Narrow Organdy Ribbon (SU!), Light Blue Eyelet (Making Memories)

Snoozin'

It is a rare feat these days to get Jack to sleep (for naps OR bedtime... long story). It is equally rare to find Princess within about 25 feet of either child. It seems she will throw caution to the wind if she is hungry, or if the child in question happens to be sleeping though. :) I saw her snuggle up on the next pillow over and had to snap a quick photo.

1 Corinthians 13

I bought this stamp ages ago. I think it might have been one of the first stamps I ever bought when I started stamping eight years ago. It's one of my favorite Bible verses, and was one of the readings at our wedding (the other was the Apache Wedding Prayer). I have to make four wedding cards in the span of the next few weeks, so I thought I'd dust this stamp off for one of them.

I colored the flowers with my Copic markers, and distressed the edges of the Cameo Coral layer by folding the edges back and forth a few times, then running a finger nail between the layers of paper that appear to separate them. I learned that trick at a stamp camp years ago, and like the look it gives.

Do you like it? C'mon, be honest...

Details:
Stamps: Baroque Motifs (Stampin' Up!), Canvas Background (SU!), Sentiment
Ink: Basic Black, Close to Cocoa
Paper: Close to Cocoa, Cameo Coral, Very Vanilla
Other: Brad, Copic Markers

A Cherry Hello

I just love this Tart n' Tangy set, don't you? I bought it mostly because I loved it, but also because I thought it would work well with my old Fruity Phrases set. Case in point:



When I started this card, my intent was for it to be a pocket card. You know how it goes though, you get started with one idea in mind and end with something totally different. I still think it turned out cute though, don't you?

And here is a view of the opened card:

I suppose I could have added ribbon or some other bauble to the card, but I thought I'd go easy on the machines at the post office with this one (HA!). I used my brand spankin' new nesties to create the two circles (the scallop is from SU's scallop punch). I've only used the nesties once and I'm already in love! Did I mention I got two more sets tonight at Hobby Lobby? Yeah. I dragged my Mom along so she could get one at a discount too. hee hee. So, now I have the circles, the ovals, and the tags. *happy dance*

Details:
Stamps: Tart n' Tangy (SU!), Fruity Phrases (SU!)
Ink: Real Red (sentiment, sponging)
Paper: Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Real Red, Summer Fun DP
Other: SU Markers (Real Red and Old Olive on cherry), Circle Nestabilities, Scallop Punch (SU!)

Enabler Alert!

Today we went over to my Mom's house for a few hours to play in the little pool she has for Henry. I took my camera with me to snap some pictures, and then forgot to bring it home. Argh. I hate it when that happens. As a result, there are no cards from me today because I don't have my camera here to take pictures of them with!

In the absence of creativity, *wink* I thought I'd share a deal I found today. In case you didn't know, Hobby Lobby has recently started carrying the Spellbinder's Nestabilities (click link for a product review on the Craft Critique blog). These "nesties", are soooo cool. They really do have the potential to replace just about every punch you own. And you can use them with just about any die cut machine. I bought my first set today, and tried it out with my Cuttlebug tonight and it works great!

Now here's the cool part... Hobby Lobby has a 40% off coupon on their website this week. You can use one per day, every day this week. This brings the price of your nesties down to $14.99 a set!! These normally retail for $24.99. The lowest I've ever seen them was $19.99 on overstock.com, but then you still had to pay shipping.

So what are you waiting for? Get your booty to Hobby Lobby and buy yourself some nesties! You'll be glad you did! I got the circle set today. I'll be going back tomorrow for another set... and I might even go the next day too! :)

First Day in the Saucer

Remember that scene in the movie E.T. where he's hiding in the middle of all the stuffed animals? That's kind of what this reminds me of (lol!):

When Henry was a baby, he loved (and I mean LOVED) sitting in his bouncer. We could leave him in there for hours if we wanted to (which, of course, we didn't). He loved it so much, that he actually wore it out. We had to replace it when Jack was born. Sadly, Jack is not a big fan of the bouncer. He prefers to be upright instead of laying back. I've been waiting and waiting for his trunk strength to be strong enough for him to go in the saucer, and the day finally came. Well, technically it probably came 3 weeks ago or so, but it took me awhile to get around to cleaning it out (all of Henry's puzzles and little people were stored on/under it) and cleaning it up. I have no excuses, it just kept getting put off.


So, here are a few pictures from Jack's first saucer experience. And in case you missed it, here is a close up of those chubby little thighs!

hee heeeeee!

Enjoy the day!
Sarah

Boo!

Today is Tuesday, and that means it's time for another CBC challenge! This week's challenge was to use the Rolling Marble Background technique. I had never tried this technique before. In fact, I didn't even own a marble. I picked up a jar of them at an antique store last week while shopping with a friend, so I was set. Oh, and then I got home and realized we have a Chinese Checkers game. Doh! Marbles! Oh well. Now I have lots. :)

I used Going Grey ink on Going Grey paper for a monotone look. I don't know why, but I thought it would make a nice weathered tombstone. Isn't that a dreary card though? lol! It's a dark damp night at the ol' graveyard, I tell ya!

Every shape on this card was cut by hand, with the exception of the spider eyes, which were circles from my 1/8" and 1/16" circle punch. Have you ever tried gluing down a 1/16" circle onto a 1/8" circle? Yeah. I wouldn't recommend it. But, it's done, and it's creepy and perfect for Halloween, no?

The layout was heavily cased from a giftbag that I saw in my October issue of Paper Crafts magazine. Except she used a Quickcutz die for everything. Slacker! ;)

Be sure to check out the creations from all of the other CBC Chicks via the links to their blogs near the top of my sidebar to the right of this post. And be sure to play along! Link your creation on Courtney's blog for a chance to win a prize!

Details:
Stamps: Casual Medium Snap Stamps (Karen Foster)
Ink: Basic Black, Going Grey
Paper: Going Grey, Dark Grey (unknown), Whisper White
Other: Black gel pen (Ghost eyes), Basic Black SU! Marker (Stitching), Thread, 1/8" Circle Punch, 1/16" Circle Punch