This is my cooking PSA:
ALWAYS check the # of eggs you have and compare to what you will need for whatever you are making BEFORE you dump all the ingredients in a bowl.
Nothing is worse than dumping everything for pancakes in a bowl and realizing you have 1 of the 4 eggs you need. Darn it!
Wow - so this was going to be a busy weekend to start with. We had a little joint b-day party for Adam and Andy at the bowling alley with their friends, they had a belt test for Tae Kwon Do Saturday morning, and Sunday we had a date and then some family time to end Matthew’s last weekend at home.
And then the exciting part happened! We got home from the b-day party to find that we had no power. Apparently the transformer had blown and there were 12 houses without power. Fun! We ended up spending the evening at my Dad’s down the street (he had power!) until around 11pm. By then, it was supposed to be back up - but it took another 2 hours.
Matthew decided that since there was a crane lowering the new transformer into our neighbor’s yard - we should let the boys watch. So we all climbed up on top of their clubhouse in the back yard and watched the new one be installed. Adam ended up falling asleep on the roof with his head in my lap. Super fun family times, huh? Luckily, all power was on by 1am and everything was still frozen in the freezer.
Not exactly how we had planned to spend the day, but we had a good time. In light of all that - I’m a little behind on my posting. I still have the boys’ cards to share as well as the stamp pad holders to sell. I also have one more card from Gina’s release to share as well. I’ll get to all of those this week though.
For today, I just have a pic and some random information. My boys love sweet tea. McAlister’s Deli is one of our favorite places to eat - we all have a *usual* there. And apparently they have great sweet tea. I’m not a tea drinker, so I’m just taking their word for it. Andy got this shirt from their tea freak website for his birthday:
They have a promotion where they are giving away free Sweet Tea all day on July 23rd. So of course the boys are quite excited about this. They advertised this teafreaks.net website and we found *webisodes* leading up to the free tea day……they are quite……well, special. Andy seriously gets a kick out of these. Anyway - you can find them here if you care to watch…..remember, I did NOT say they were good!
And just because….I will leave you with a photo of Alex and I at his end-of-the-year party at school, enjoy!
Just a quick post tonight - we just finished up the Gina K Release party and WOW - the artwork gets more stunning every month! I thought I’d post a quick card now - one I just shared at the Release Thread. I had planned to share the boys’ cards, but they are drying still. We experimented with Kool-Aid watercoloring on them so they will smell good!
Anyway - this is for Matthew and I’s anniversary coming up in 2 weeks. It’s been 11 years!
supplies: Bug Me Anytime by Nina Brackett for Gina K Designs; sentiment from Many Wishes by Gina K Designs; black bling from $1 spot at JoAnn’s; patterned paper from SU; watercolor paper from SU; niji waterbrush; kiwi kiss, rose romance (yes, I still have this ink pad!), and pretty in pink reinkers; Palette Noir black ink; basic black and pink pirouette cardstock;long rectangle nestabilities and dimensionals.
Ok, off to play a little Wii with the boys before bed. I love *Summer Hours*!
Enjoy!
Well I meant to get back here to post the boys’ projects…..but we had a busy day of running errand in 102 degree heat. I was wiped out after that and took a nap. So I’ll share them tomorrow. For now I have a peek at the newest Buy 3 Get 1 Free (OFW3) set: Many Wishes. This is a really sweet delicate set. And it’s floral - what’s not to like?!?
I also chose to show off the newest addition to Gina K’s cardstock collection: Soft Sand. I think it’s perfect with this set!
supplies: Many Wishes by 
Gina K Designs; Ripe Avocado cardstock and ink from PTI; Prima flower; glue dots ; linen thread; Basic Grey Button; Soft Sand cardstock; New Canvas palette ink; sponge; Old Paper Ranger Distress Ink; Labels One Nestabilities Die; Cuttlebug and Birds and Swirls folder; SU scallop border punch; and dimensionals.
Ok, that is my last Pre-Release Party Sneak Peek! There will be many more at the Release Party {HERE} - be sure to stop by from 7-10pm CST. There is also more information and samples on Gina’s Blog {HERE} !
The Senior Design Team samples can be found here:
Carolyn King, Melanie Muenchinger, Jessica Fick, Lynn Mercurio, Erika Martin, Cindy Lawrence, Donna Baker, Joanne Basile, Kurtis Amundson, Cathy Tidwell, Lee Murphy; Asela Hopkins and Theresa Momber.
And the Center Stage Spotlight Designers for today:
Selma Stevenson and Pam Imholz
Enjoy!
I think this might be my favorite set from this release….well, there are just so many cute ones so that would be hard to choose. But I do really like this one! And the paper to match it is just too cute! I actually made a non-card item with it too! Y’all know that is rare!
My middle son, Alex, is very into origami. He saw another child make an origami box at church Sunday and just had to make one of his own. Well - I got to thinking….so I made one too! I’m giving it to him tomorrow, I’m sure he’ll like it - or at least he’ll like the chocolates inside!
FYI - I followed the directions at this site {HERE} to make the box. I used brochure/flyer paper from Staples to print the paper I used for the lid. Then I used Prism cardstock for the bottom of the box. To insure that it would fit together well, I cut the paper for the top to an 8.5×8.5 square. Then I cut the cardstock for the bottom of the box 1/4 in smaller. This makes the end result just slightly smaller than the lid so it fits together well!
supplies: Bug Me Anytime by Nina Brackett for Gina K Designs; brochure/flyer paper from Staples for printing digital paper; Bug Me Anytime digital paper pack; Pure Luxury layering weight white cardstock; Copic Ciao Markers; Memento Rich Cocoa ink; Turquoise Prism cardstock; Classic Circle nestabilities; and dimensionals.
Then for what’s inside! I started thinking about what little treat I could put in there for Alex. And I am always stocking up on Hershey’s Nuggets whenever I catch them on sale or whatever…you never know when you need to throw together a nugget tin or something as a gift! And I thought about stamping some labels for that….but I really didn’t want to color all those.
So I opened Nina’s green paper in photoshop and removed the green background……I just used the paint bucket option and clicked on the green part of the paper. Turned it all white! It worked really well! There were just a few spots of green left that I had to click on again to get them white….but it was really easy! Then I just printed that out - but put a sheet of Avery labels in the printer. Worked perfectly!
I am so happy with how it turned out and I can’t wait to give it to him tomorrow! I’ve also got a second post with Nina’s set to share tomorrow afternoon. The boys wanted to make some things with the cute bugs - and they get a huge kick out of me sharing what they made here on my blog. So watch for their creations tomorrow!
For more on the Sneak Peeks for today and other Release Party information - check Gina’s Blog {HERE} !
For other Design Team Sneak Peeks check here:
Carolyn King, Melanie Muenchinger, Jessica Fick, Lynn Mercurio, Cindy Lawrence, Donna Baker, Kurtis Amundson, Cathy Tidwell, Lee Murphy and Theresa Momber.
For Center Stage Spotlight Designers check here:
For Melanie’s Special Designers check here:
Denise Marzec, Selma Stevenson, and Dawn Lusk
And be sure to stop by the Release Party thread at Splitcoaststampers {HERE}! Gina’s parties are always fun, fast and lots of free giveaways!
Enjoy!
Today I have a Sneak Peek at Rupa Shevda’s newest illustrations for Gina K. And it is totally sweet! Seriously - it’s a really cute set and I think the images are adorable. Here’s what I made with it!
and another shot with different lighting to show all the sparkle….
supplies: 100% Sweet by Rupa Shevda for Gina K Designs; certainly celery, pink pirouette, and Pure Luxury layering weight white cardstock; Copic Ciao Markers: RV02 and RV10; Softly Spring Digital Paper by Emily Giovanni for Gina K Designs; Spica Glitter Pens: pink and clear; A Muse twinkle bling; sponge; pink pirouette ink; Palette noir black ink; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Label Four Nestability ; pink tafetta and certainly celery twill; and dimensionals.
Be sure to check out Gina’s Blog {HERE} and see more about the release! The actual party thread can be found {HERE}!
And all the Design Team has samples - so check out their blogs as well!
Carolyn King, Melanie Muenchinger, Jessica Fick, Lynn Mercurio, Erika Martin, Cindy Lawrence, Donna Baker, Joanne Basile, Kurtis Amundson, Cathy Tidwell, Lee Murphy and Theresa Momber.
And the Center Stage Spotlight Design Team:
Carolina Buchting and Jennie Harper
So tomorrow night (Tuesday at 12am) I will have a Sneak Peek of Gina K’s new release to share. And for some reason, I shared this card at her last release party and then never shared it anywhere else! And it was one of my favorites! I actually adore this stamp….it just appeals to me in every way. It’s flowers….it’s small….it’s dainty….what’s not to like?!?
Anyway, here’s the card….and of course it is one I like - it uses Purely Pomegranate! Wasn’t that an SU In Color from last year?
supplies: With This Ring by Rupa Shevda for Gina K Designs; Purely Pomegranate cardstock; Prima patterned paper; SU watercolor paper; classic rectangle nestabilities; Label Four Nestability; Swiss Dot cuttlebug folder; niji waterbrush; Antique Linen Ranger Distress ink; kiwi kiss, purely pomegranate, more mustard, and so saffron reinkers; dimensionals and May Arts taffeta.
So check back tomorrow night for Gina K Sneak Peek #1! If you’d like to see a few early peeks, check Gina’s Blog {HERE}!
Enjoy!
If you follow the SCS color challenges, you will recognize this card. Or if you were at the last Gina K release party, you saw it too. If not - this will be new!
Sometimes simplicity is best. Now, like most paper crafters, that isn’t always easy. It’s good to make yourself tone it down sometimes. A one layer card is a great way to do that. It’s a great challenge - you know, to stretch yourself! So here’s my one layer card (the challenge for this was a one layer card using white cardstock only).
Using Nestabilities is an easy way to accentuate your image and by just embossing with them. Here’s my take on the challenge:
supplies: With This Ring by Rupa Shevda for Gina K Designs; Versamark Dazzle Frost; Going Gray ink; heat gun; Iridescent Ice and Hologram embossing powders; pretty in pink and mellow moss reinkers; niji waterbrush; classic rectangle nestabilities; Pure Luxury Base Weight white; pretty in pink taffeta; White ribbon from Gina K.
I love all the sparkle both the Dazzle Versamark and the embossing powders add…..but then I went and stamped the sentiment crooked. Darn it! Oh well, I think it still looks really nice and sparkly.
Enjoy!
So it’s been awhile since I blogged, huh? For any of you out there who still check in here…..I am finally back to posting! And it should be pretty regular again! We’ll see how that pans out, but I am trying to get back in the swing of things. Life just kind of got crazy busy for awhile there. I think I spent every day of the last two weeks of school *at school* for some reason or another. Then the very next week after school got out, my sister Kimberly and her family arrived from China - WOOHOO! I have been enjoying spending time with them so much! And we just returned home from a whirlwind 5-day, 30+ hr drive to visit family in Missouri before Matthew deploys. Kind of a trip to say hi and goodbye.
And now we are home. It was great to see family, but I am very glad to be back in my own bed. Anyway, since the last month or so has been so crazy busy, I have hardly set foot in my stamp room. I do have a card or two to share from earlier that I just never blogged…..and I will do that this weekend. But today, to just get back in the groove of blogging, I thought I would share a few things I have learned/discovered since I last blogged. You may already know this stuff….but if not - I hope it’s useful info!
#1: Kimberly is a fab font maker - if you do not know about her fonts, you can download many of them for FREE (for personal use) {here}. The cool news - you can now get MY handwriting that she made into a font there! It’s kinda weird to see my handwriting on a website like that! Kimberly is forever finding stuff with her fonts on them - products at Michaels, ads for Half Price Bookstores, etc. She rocks!
You can find my handwriting font {HERE}.
#2: Lots of new Nestability dies have been added to Scrapbookpal.com! AND they lowered their prices on them! Sweet! They have the FASTEST shipping, and I love that! You can find their nestabilities {HERE}!
#3: I have waaaaay too much stuff in my stamp room. Seriously. Too much stuff.
#4: On that note, I have some stamp stuff to sell. Mostly things for locals only, but I will be putting them up here later this weekend. I have a white ribbon/ink pad rack, a few other things, and a few of my SIL’s CLEAR stamp pad racks - the acrylic ones you cannot get any more! Watch for those things - they will be local pick-up ONLY!
#5: There are many uses for a Cricut! While Matthew was packing his trunks for Iraq, he needed a stencil to spray paint his info on his bags. So we used the cricut to cut out all his info and then used the 12×12 sheet as a stencil for spray painting his bags. Worked like a charm!
#6: 30 is not enough sunblock. I just found some 85 and I don’t care if they say anything over 45 is pointless - I bought it anyway. I am a pasty, pale, freckled red-head. I need a LOT of sunblock.
#7: I want this Cricut Cartridge - Tags, Bags, Boxes & More! So many cute boxes and such - and you choose the size! I love it! It is definitely on my short list. I haven’t been buying anything stamp/scrap related because I told myself I wasn’t using my room, I can’t by anything else until I get back in there. So now I need to get back in there so I can buy this!
Ok, that’s all I got for now….we’re off to Tae Kwon Do and a day at the water park. I know, just what you wanted to do after a week in the car!
The release part for Gina K’s newest designs is tonight! You can find the thread {HERE} on SCS. Be sure to stop by - there is always plenty of chatter, samples, contests, and prizes!
And now for my sample for today! This card uses the newest Buy 3 Get 1 Free stamp set: Lazy Days of Summer. It’s the perfect summer stamp set!
supplies: Lazy Days of Summer by Gina K Designs; Bright Summer Grunge digital by Emily Giovanni for Gina K Designs; yo yo yellow and sahara sand cardstock;watercolor paper; palette noir black ink; SU scallop border punch; classic oval nestabilities ; circle Nestabilities;niji waterbrush; yo yo yellow, sahara sand, tempting turquoise, and green galore reinkers; and dimensionals.
So be sure to stop by and see more on Gina’s Blog {HERE}, and also on all the Design Team members here:
Carolyn King, Melanie Muenchinger, Jessica Fick, Erika Martin, Cindy Lawrence, Donna Baker Joanne Basile and Theresa Momber.
And our Spotlight Designer: Melissa Shultz
Enjoy!
