Butterfly Journey

You know how it is when you have a TON of other things to do and you just end up sitting down to stamp instead??? That is where I am today . . . I've been itching to try out my new set of JustRite stamps, so I just decided to pull 'em out!! (You know why I was drawn to this, right?? It's been on my wish list for months!)

I am now at card #71 for my "Follow the Butterflies" challenge - that's two posts in a row with butterflies (see link/slideshow to the right)! I have to think my son is getting sick of all this girly-girl cards, but I have to admit that I am actually going to miss making them after he comes back home in September. Maybe I can keep it going, but just not as often . . . hmmmmm . . . must think that one through!!

I made this for today's color challenge over on SCS - CC199 - Handsome Hunter, Bravo Burgundy and So Saffron. I also changed up the fold a bit . . . this is folded 2" down from the top and 3 1/2" up from the bottom, giving it sort of a horizontal gatefold.

Guess I'm going to have to go and face the rest of my projects for the day. Have a Happy Tuesday!!

Stamps: Harmony Classic Circle Stamper III (JustRite), Print Pattern
Paper: Handsome Hunter, So Saffron, Bravo Burgundy, Very Vanilla
Ink: Handsome Hunter, So Saffron, Bravo Burgundy
Accessories: Spellbinders Standard Circle Large (S4114), Standard Circle Small (S4116), and Classic Scallop Circle Large (S4124) dies, hunter green organza ribbon, Cuttlebug Traffic Jam embossing folder

Time to Stamp?

Oh my goodness!! With all the holiday stuff going on, AND with the kids being out of school, I have had very little time to stamp just for fun! Shoot! I am even behind on my butterflies!! I finally did LAST week's card yesterday! Which means I am already needing to get going on THIS week's card! Gotta turn my brain on! Good thing I got some new butterflies for Christmas!

I was trying to think of something that would look wintery AND kinda New Year's-y, and this is what I came up with. Kinda funky, I know, but this DOES put me up to #70 in my "Follow the Butterflies" challenge (there's a link and a slideshow to the right if you want more info on that). Seventy butterfly cards! I can't believe how quickly the time has gone!! Eight more months and about 34 more cards to go (give or take). I have soo many new butterflies, that I should be good to go for at least 3 months or more!! Hooray!!

Have a terrific week! I'll be back soon!

Stamps: Vintage Butterflies by Cornish Heritage Farms, Weathered background stamp by SU
Paper: Basic Black, Brushed Gold
Ink: Gold Encore, Basic Black craft
Accessories: Martha Stewart branch punch (hate to admit how much I LOVE this punch!), glue dots and pop-up glue dots, gold-edged organza ribbon from Papertrey

Happy Christmas to All!

Just wanted to wish you all the happiest, safest and most love-filled of holidays! May the spirit of the season fill your hearts with joy and may Santa's elves fill your stocking with wonderfully crafty things!



Stamps: Butterfly Happiness, Year Round Sentiments and Let's Get Together by There She Goes
Paper: Ruby Red, Old Olive, Shimmery White
Ink: Old Olive, Certainly Celery, Ruby Red
Accessories: 1 3/8" and 1 1/4" circle punches, Spellbinders Ribbons Tags Trio (S3150), red organza ribbon, Crystal Ice Stickles, Martha Stewart branch punch, pop-up glue dots

Keebler Elves!!

That is what my son says he feels like . . . one of the Keebler Elves! We spent the better part of the weekend putting together our neighbor gifts. Well, actually, my daughter and I made TEN batches of cookie dough on Saturday, then on Sunday afternoon my husband, daughter and son baked the cookies (each one has to be rolled into a little ball and then rolled in sugar before it is placed on the cookie sheet). While they were busy with that, I was stamping and cutting and printing out the labels. I usually just print out all the labels on my computer, but after getting this adorable stamp set from JustRite, I knew I was doomed to hours of assembly so that I could make these cute tags!!!

Actually, I also had a bunch of circular labels as well. I bought them for a project about a hundred years ago and never ended up using them, so they worked out perfectly! (You can't see them in the photo, but you can use your imagination . . . they just say "To: ____ From: The Weixler's." ) I really like how cute these turned out! I also love the 4-for-a-dollar glittery snowflake ornaments you can get at Target. I just about cleaned my local store out of the white ones! I made 55 bags of cookies (each bag had 16 in it!). Plus, I had enough for two extra bags, minus the ornament. I know, I know, 4 does NOT go into 55 evenly . . . I kept one of the ornaments for myself!!

I hate pictures of myself (boy, do I look tired . . . WAIT! I was!!), but my daughter took this one of me assembling the bags (I had already filled several bags by the time she took this, so about a row and a half of cookies are already missing!). Just thought you would like to see what nearly 950 cookies look like when they are all stacked together (they are literally stacked three deep). They are small, but oh-sooo-yummy! They have been a family favorite for years. I am sharing the recipe here with you, as I know you are all DYING for another reason to bake, right???

Lucky Pennies

2 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
2 t. baking soda
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. salt
3/4 C. (1½ sticks unsalted butter, softened)
1 C. firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 C. molasses
1 large egg
granulated sugar (for coating cookies)

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt. In a separate large bowl, use a wooden spoon to cream the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the molasses and egg and mix until well blended. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until combined. Cover the dough and refrigerate it for at least 1 to 2 hours or until firm enough to roll into balls.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Use a teaspoon to scoop the dough from the bowl and roll the cookies into about 1"-in-diameter balls. Roll the balls in a shallow bowl of granulated sugar. Place the balls on an ungreased baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between the cookies. Bake for 6 to 9 minutes or until the cookies are crinkled and set.

Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes. Using a metal spatula, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat until all the dough is used. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month and at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Makes about 8 dozen cookies.

Stamps: Christmas Ensemble by JustRite
Paper: Night of Navy, Whisper White
Ink: Silver Encore, Night of Navy
Accessories: (I cheated a little here . . . I did use my Spellbinders S4114 Large Circle Nestabilities to cut out the navy circle, but opted for my Mega Marvy circle punch to do the "Happy Holidays" in the center . . . it was slightly larger the the nestie circle, which is a perfect fit, but it saved me a lot of time, so I chose the lazy way out!), vanilla grosgrain ribbon, 1/4" circle punch, cello snowman bags, Target snowflake ornament

Winter's Butterfly

I have been finding precious little time to stamp ANYthing that isn't a neighbor gift or Christmas card or project that I am helping someone ELSE with for Christmas. I did get a chance to make this butterfly card for my son over the weekend, though (this makes card #69, for those of you who are counting). If you have no idea what I mean, see the link on the sidebar to the right for more details . . .

I HAD to buy this set as soon as I saw the sentiment . . . what could be more perfect??? Making butterfly cards in the winter is challenging, so this is a perfect fit!!

I was able to combine a couple of challenges on SCS, too! SC207 and HCE01 (which is the first of a series of challenges that started on Saturday for the holidays . . . like we all have EXTRA time to stamp, right?? HCE is Holiday Challenge Extravaganza).

Hope you are all ready for Christmas! I still need to pick up a gift certificate for the in-laws and do ALL my wrapping (which I plan to finish up tonight). My daughter is in Ballet West's Nutcracker all this week (starting tomorrow), so I have no choice but to get my act together!!

Have a wonderfully love-filled week, surrounded by family and friends and those you love!!

Stamps: Winter's Butterfly by Hero Arts
Paper: Whisper White, Soft Sky
Ink: Soft Sky
Accessories: Clear Ice Stickles, lt. blue organza ribbon, white embossing powder, D'vine Swirl Cuttlebug embossing folder, pop-up glue dots

Housework??!!??

Every year while I am in the rush of things for Christmas I SWEAR that I will NOT get so crazy again the NEXT year! So much for that!! I still have 10 pair of pj pants to sew (and half still to cut out!), neighbor gifts to make (and I have about 50 of those - TONS of cookies on my horizon this weekend!) and I haven't wrapped one single thing! Sigh . . .

Here's a card I made for There She Goes last weekend! I noticed that Christmas is also ahead of Housework AND Stamping in the dictionary! Sadly, this week it holds true!!

Have a wonderfully busy day!!

Stamps: Crafy Taglines by There She Goes
Paper: Old Olive, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Bella Rose dsp
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Ruby Red
Accessories: Spellbinders Standard Circle - Small (S4116), Standard Circle - Large (S4114), and Classic Scallop Circle - Large (S4124) Nestabilities, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, Offray brown microcheck ribbon

Goin' Green . . .

Imagine how surprised I was when the challenge for last Friday on SCS (LSC198) was to create a "green" card using recycled bits and pieces! The reason I was so surprised at the timing was that I had just gone to my book group Christmas party the night before, and during the book exchange, specifically picked the book I did because of the way it was wrapped. I LOVED the paper and ribbon and knew I wanted to make a card out of 'em!! Funny, eh?

The purple paper with the gold little fleur-de-lys-looking things came from (of all places) IKEA!! It feels like pressed paper and is very wonderful! The ribbon was also around the book, so it was the perfect touch. (I got a collection of short stories by Ernest Hemingway, by the way . . . can't wait to read it!)

The coolest thing about this "green" card, though, is that the silver parts of my snowflake medallion piece are actually cut out of a soda pop can!! (Hooray for caffeine-free Diet Pepsi!)!! YUP!! I ran those soda pop cans through my trusty Wizard and came up with this! Super fun and environmentally friendly!!

Speaking of the Wizard . . . check out this link! It has all the deets about how YOU could be on Spellbinders' Design Team starting in April!!

Spellbinders Design Team Contest

Have a great day! It's freezing here and we are expecting MORE snow! BRRRRRR!

Stamps: Short & Sweet
Paper: Brushed gold, patterned paper from Ikea, shimmery white
Ink: Elegant Eggplant
Accessories: soda pop cans, Spellbinders Snowflake Wonder (S4185), Small Pinking Circles (S4172) and Sunflower Set Two (S4158) dies, small oval punch, yellow rhinestone brad, pop-up glue dots, Versamark, Gold Glitter embossing powder by ClearSnap

#68 is Great!

#68? Could it really be possible? I have done 68 total cards for my "Follow the Butterflies" challenge! Unbelievable!! I can honestly say that time has shot by soooo quickly! (If you are new around here and are clueless as to what I am talking about, check the "Follow the Butterflies" link on the sidebar to the right . . . I even have a slideshow of all the cards I have made thus far!).

This is a fun little fold (and you KNOW how I am about those!). The cardstock started out as 3 1/2"x 11". It is about 1/2" shorter after it was cut with a scalloped circle Nestabilities die. It was scored at 4 1/4" and 8 1/2" from the bottom edge (the edge that was NOT cut with the die). This color combo is kind of fun and interesting, too! It is for CC196 - Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze, and YUP, you got that right . . . Taken With Teal (a color which often scares me off, but I kinda like it with these other colors!).

This is also a Spellbinders die fest!! I had NO idea i was gonna run so amok with those dies! One of the fun things about being a Spellbinders DT member is having access to sooo many dies . . . definitely a great perk! Not to mention that I got this fun butterfly set to show off for ya from Jessica at There She Goes (a perk for working with HER!). What fun!! I also used my "Butterfly Happiness" TSG set for the leaf-age in the background.

I FINALLY got my Christmas cards out the door late on Wednesday. HUZZAH!! That's why I haven't been around much this week! Sooooooo glad to have them off and on their way. The USPS guys have me a little freaked about the likelihood that my cards will reach their destinations, however. Not only are they "oversized" (5 1/2" square envelopes!), but since they have a ribbon on them, they almost made me pay for PARCEL postage (meaning that each card would have cost me $1.17 to mail . . . times 60 I decided I just was NOT gonna go there!). I actually stamped them with 62 cents worth of postage and they warned me that they could come back to me if they get caught in the machine! WHAT??? I mail cards with ribbon on 'em ALL the time and I have NEVER had one come back!!! Cross your fingers for me, will ya friends???

TTFN!!

Stamps: Bug Me Anytime and Butterfly Happiness by There She Goes
Paper: Riding Hood Red, Taken with Teal, Baja Breeze, Shimmery White
Ink: Ruby Red, Baja Breeze, Taken with Teal, Basic Black
Accessories: Spellbinders Lg. Pinking Circles (S4170), Small Pinking Circles (S4172), Nested Flowers (S4159), Scalloped Circle Large (S4124), Standard Circle Small (S4116) and Ribbon Tags Trio (S3150), Cuttlebug Swiss Dots and Houndstooth embossing folders, Offray microcheck ribbon, pop-up glue dots

Snowflake-y Challenge

Well, it was my turn as LSC hostess this last Friday, so I thought I would share the cards I made as samples with all of you!! My darling daughter, Amelia, helped me out once again by making a sample card as well (the red snowflake card is hers!)

Here were the official "rules" that I posted:

1. The only image stamps/embossing you may use are snowflakes. Yup! Only snowflakes (or something that looks like falling snow). No snowmen, snowwomen or anything, just snowflakes! The same goes for patterned paper . . . it must be snowflakes!! (Get the idea?)

2. Your creation must be monochromatic.

3. You need to add some sort of “bling” or sparkle to your card. Stickles, rhinestones, shimmery paper or ribbon . . . make it sparkly!!

4. Last, but certainly not least . . . sentiments may be ONE WORD only!

There were a LOT of fun ideas! Everyone is just sooo creative! Here is a link to the gallery if you want to see what my friends on SCS came up with:

LSC197 - "Let It Snow" Gallery

"Golden Winter" Supply List
Stamps: The Snowflake Spot, Snowfall (Papertrey for sentiment)
Paper: Shimmery brown, Shimmery gold, Very Vanilla
Ink: Gold Encore, Creamy Caramel
Accessories: Gold glitter embossing powder by ClearSnap, pearl sticker, 1 1/4" and 1" circle punches, gold ribbon (Papertrey), Snowflakes embossing folder

"Winter Blues" Supply List
Stamps: Snowflakes, Snowfall Additions (Papertrey)
Paper: Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Shimmery White
Ink: Blue Bayou, Soft Sky
Accessories: Martha Stewart Arctic Snowflake punch, small oval punch, Spellbinders Labels One dies (S4161), silver ribbon, lt. blue organza ribbon, rhinestone sticker

"Snowing Red" Supply List (Amelia's Card!)
Stamps: Snowfall, Small Script
Paper: Riding Hood Red, Ruby Red, Shimmery White
Ink: Ruby Red, Whisper White
Accessories: Large and small oval punches, Martha Stewart Arctic and Collectible snowflake punches, Emaginations snowflake punch, square rhinestone brad, rhinestone glitter embossing powder, Cuttlebug Snow Dots embossing folder

Magic of a New Day

My son sent me this picture several months ago. He actually took it of himself (not quite sure HOW . . . just know he has some thingy called a Gorillapod that holds his camera for him!). I think it is amazing, so I am sending it back to him, via a butterfly card. This makes card #67 in my "Follow the Butterflies" challenge (there is a link to the right of this post if you have no clue what I a talking about!).

It's pretty simple and straight forward, but it makes me happy!



Stamps: Sentiment from Word Collection by Stamp Oasis, Stampendous Butterflies
Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Basic Gray, Whisper White, Basic Black
Ink: Black Stazon, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Pumpkin Pie, Ruby Red, Summer Sun, More Mustard, Bashful Blue, Old Olive
Accessories: NONE (can you believe it???)

More Fun from There She Goes!

Jessica Knutsen, owner and creator of There She Goes Stamps, just released 11 new stamp sets on December 1. They are WONDERFUL!! One of the best perks about being on her design team is that I get a good portion of the stamp sets before they are officially released. What fun!! This set it called "Year Round Sentiments." To see the other new sets she has released, be sure to hit this link and go and check 'em out!

There She Goes Store

She also posted a challenge on her blog last week to have us decorate the INSIDE of our cards as well as the outside. I have to admit that I haven't done this hardly at all, so it was pretty fun. I like how it just "finishes" the card off. Just be sure to leave room to write something on the inside!!

Stamps: Year Round Sentiments by There She Goes
Paper: Always Artichoke, Sage Shadow, Soft Sky, Shimmery White, Wintergreen dsp
Ink: Always Artichoke, Soft Sky
Accessories: Marvy Extra Jumbo and Mega Snowflake punches, 1 3/8" circle punch, silver ribbon, paper piercing tool/mat

Cloisonne Butterfly

A few months ago I came across this lovely card by Birgit (Biggan on SCS). I loved the simple elegance of it. And that tree!! I saw from the description that it was by Michael Strong, so of course I immediately had to go and check out his website!!

Christmas in Green & White

I immediately bought not only the Christmas tree image, but this lovely butterfly as well (who woulda thunk it??). I've been meaning to do my own twist on this card for quite some time, so I used the challenge posting on Thanksgiving Day - WT194 - which was basically to make any sort of gratitude/thankful card.

And, by the way, this is card #66 in my "Follow the Butterflies" challenge (all the info is in the link on the sidebar to the right). I am starting to run out of butterflies!!! I have some more left, but am thinking I may need to start buying some of the ones I have just been thinking about. I have a LOT of butterflies, that's for sure!!

Stamps: Small Script, Cloisonne Butterfly by Michael Strong
Paper: Shimmery White, Basic Black, Perfect Plum
Ink: Perfect Plum, Whisper White craft
Accessories: Spellbinders Ribbon Tags Trio (S3150), Large Labels - largest die (S4168), Classic Scalloped Oval Large - 2nd largest die (S4113), and Classic Oval Small - 2nd largest die (S4112), White embossing powder, pearl stickers, shimmery white organza ribbon, Cuttlebug textile embossing folder