Happy Birthday on St. Patty's Day!

Had a request for a friend who has birthday on St. Patty's Day card...so this is what I came up with.  Background paper is the Happy Birthday song with the person's name--the bagpiper is a Sassy Cheryl's image (too cute I think!), and the shamrock is from Close to My Heart.  Forgive the poor lighting!

Inside...got a *little* extra embellishement when the "So Lucky" stamp had a tiny smudge.  A shamrock covered it right up and no one (well, almost no one...!) will ever know! 

Until next time, happy stamping and scrapping.

Blessings, Sharon 

Home Grown!

HOW cute is this?!  This is *one* out of the "bunch"!  There are many more that need to be embellished!  Thanks...to Theresa for loaning me her punch this afternoon (I promise to be careful! I, um, have some super powers evidently when it comes to craft supplies...and breaking them!).  These will be filled with treats for Easter.  Thanks, too, to Karen, a fellow Close to My Heart consultant who gave  me a great deal on the "Bunny Love" stamp set and shipped it like super fast (I ordered it on Sat-she's in FL--it was in my mailbox today!  How'd she do that? I *meant" to order it from CTMH in my last order--put in a wrong code by mistake--so Karen was kind enough to play let's make a deal!)   In case you are wondering...I used CTMH sunset cardstock (perfect carrot color-thanks, BB ladies for the advice on that as well!), and pear for the leaves. Stamped the sentiment in sunset...the bunny well, I wanted different colors *fast*--so I used a kaleidoscope multicolored pad (creole spice)  vs. the sponge dauber method.  I really wanted to wrap some twin around the carrot and attach the tag...but it was next to impossible to get it to stay on the tapered surface and since there are so many to do--I decided on the easy way out-just add a twine bow! I ran the pear paper for the "leaves" through the crimper first and my paper shredder second. That was an EASY way to make them.  I then punched two small circles-one solid and one with a smaller hole in the center... which I ran through the Xyron sticker machine.  I then "fed" eight 6" strips of green into the "donut" shaped circle and secured the ends.  The solid circle I put over that side so it had a finished appearance when you opened the carrot...

7uy6ujhy (pardon me- that's not a secret code-it's just a cat wanting to be fed walking across the computer key board...)

The petal die I used for the carrot shape (Theresa gets credit for the idea!) is from Stampin Up-get yours from Theresa: http://www.artful-whimsies.blogspot.com/.  When I ran to her house to get the punch, I stopped at that WM store and got some goodies to use this same die for some ladies tea party favors...I am thinking victorian paper, some moss, a small pot, a little potting soil, a package of seeds...hmmm...but then....I also got some chocolate foil-wrapped eggs and thinking a nest with a little bird and some leaves would be pretty, too.  But then...some daisies and another stem of flowers called to me, too...so WHO KNOWS what I will come up with! Gotta finish "cooking the carrots" first though! Right now, I'd better feed the cats that are driving me crazy!  Until next time, happy stamping and scrapping. Blessings, Sharon

Oh, pleeaaa-zzze Martha--can you make it any harder?!

Ok. I have been working today--cleaned 4 rooms, 4 loads of laundry-still have to remake the bed. I was taking a break. I've been through all my "normal" blogs...so I decided to hop on over to Martha's page. You know-that crazy lady that does everything over the top and has a staff of God only knows how many behind the scenes that actually DOES the work-?!  Anyway---her site.  I clicked on the glittered egg video. I have a lot of her glitters. I splurged one day at Michaels. The only ones I've used were one red and all the clear so thought maybe this would be pretty!  Her "craft guru" was telling how to do polka dot glittered eggs. Ok. So I *THOUGHT* I had that figured out---I mean MY LIGHTBULB went on the minute she said it.  But wait---oh no-if it doesn't take 10 gazillion steps and hours...it's not MARTHA...! She says...take a pencil, dip the eraser in white glue. Dot onto egg. Then apply glitter and, I assume-let dry. I quit watching at the dip the pencil eraser in white glue part....Can you make it any harder Martha?! I can see it now. There's wet glue here-and then glitter-turn egg, smudge glue and glitter-now you have streak and smears instead of pretty polka dots...toss egg out. Or throw at computer screen...get new egg.  Repeat process--only now you have second color glitter mixed in with smudges from the first you couldn't get off your hands and face and the glue is leaving cruddy black gluey marks...Give me a break!    Here's my version-not tried it---yet---but tell me this wouldn't work and be 1,000 times easier...

1. Take egg.

2. Apply GLUE DOTS.

3.Sprinkly on glitter.

PRESTO! GLITTERED EGG! DONE!  10 seconds or less-wanna bet? How easy-peasy is that? Get a grip, Martha!  And fix your *awful* punches while you're at it (she must be related to Tim Holtz!)  Let me know if you try her way or my way-and how it works. Me? I gotta get back to cleaning. Sheesh. The woman gave me a headache! Until next time-staying away from Martha-and happy stamping and scrapping! Blessings, Sharon ps/she had a cute finger puppet bunny Easter card-the rest of them? My goddaughter did better at age 4?!

pss/I would also venture to suggest that, given that they are quite flexible, you could use Close to My Heart rubber stamps to STAMP designs on eggs as well. Hmm...now THAT I might have to try when hubby gets back from the grocery! ; )

Carrots, Cats, Crab Soup & St. Patty's Day Cards!

Whew! I am worn out just thinking about all that!  It's been a BUSY but productive day in the Stamp Queen's kingdom today!  First up...I decided to work on the carrots I promised to make as Easter treats for the preschool director.  28 of them....and then some more will go to my husband's office for sale.  They are not embellished-but the carrots themselves are put together.  I had help, of course.  There was a little black rascally "rabbit" in the carrot patch--funny thing, tho-his ears are a little too short?! In the middle of carrot production (slowed by the keeper of the leaves--he decided that sitting on my "grass" was a good thing!),

 I had to run to the Oak Island Restaurant to try and get a bowl of this...the item on the RIGHT...they SOLD OUT yesterday before I could get any--they told me to be there when they opened at 11 this morning if I wanted to be sure to get some! The line was 3 deep at 11:10 and EVERYONE was ordering it!  It was nice of them to feature it--and I remembered to get pics of the restaurant, etc. and even got one of the blue ribbon winner sampling their version...the verdict? While their's was good...it was a little thin and my hubby thought the onion in it tasted a little burned.  Hmmm. I did have to pick through some crab shell as well but it was good.  The red pepper in it was just right so it had just enough "zing".

.

Then since the mailman kindly brought my SO LUCKY Close to My Heart stamp set, I went to work on St. Patty's Day cards.  Here's what I came up with:

Maybe tomorrow I will try and post the pics with the inside of the cards! Blogger and my photo programs are fighting me tooth and nail. It's time for some refreshment and relaxation.  Maybe one of my many helpers will fetch and serve some for me...

somehow...I doubt it! Lol!

Until next time, happy stamping and scrapping! Blessings, Sharon

Beautiful...

Love is.  The newlyweds are only about to celebrate their first anniversary...and I am *just now* getting their wedding present done! Ahhh, well....as I've said before, let the celebration linger...Got the shadow box frame at Michaels, used the Wings Close to My Heart papers and the Find Your Style stamp set (butterfly, Beautiful, Love) and the Journey set (just the word "is" at the bottom). Of course I used Pop-Dots-in real life that butterfly is layered twice and looks like it's in flight!  And the photos are layered and pop-dotted as well to give them some extra dimension.  I had a heck of a time deciding what to do with the photos--I liked my page layout (several posts back)--but the "gap" in the middle of the smaller pictures didn't set well with me for the framed page.  I liked the "nip" in the corner of the photos that I created with my Stampin' Up punch (I think it's ticket corner?) and  I had put brads at the corners-but that was too much...sigh. What to do? I now had holes all over my base page from the brads!  I cut off the top portion, adhered it to another base sheet, and layed my photos out closer together. That's ALL it needed! Leave it alone, Sharon!  So I think it's ready for me to clean the glass one more time, adhere the page to the back of the frame and ship it off...

Gotta say a "thank you" here to Theresa. Yet again-she saved my sanity!  I think know I am going to go quite insane dealing with health issues and doctors and not getting "all the facts"---she and my husband deserve medals! I may make them some, too! It's all going to work out...it's all in His hands...they keep reminding me of that!  For now, I'd better go get ready for work!  Until next time, happy stamping and scrapping! Blessings, Sharon

God is good...

Ok.  So I threw a "Sharon fit" with Him last night.  And I put out a prayer request before that even.  You see, the test result (mid-Jan.) was "abnormal."  Need another test. Need another dr. to do another test. Hurry up and wait...only to have said test not happen as planned.  I am a Type-A personality. I worry.  I also buried a husband with cancer.  If something isn't right-I don't care that 99.9% of the time the second test is normal.  I want to KNOW and I want to know NOW.  So finding out the test wasn't going to happen tomorrow...that I was faced with another 2-month wait with that dr. (whom I knew nothing about)--and an even longer one with a highly-recommended physician....it was the last straw yesterday.  I lost it.  Totally.  Today...Linda, from my primary care physician's office, called.  I have an appointment in 2 weeks...with the physician I thought I was going to have to wait 3-4 months to see!  I don't know how she did it---but she did.  I am not sure what I will do to thank them--but I will do something! They listened.  They heard my frustration-not to mention fear-and acted on it.  And I am appreciative.  Particularly to those around me who interceeded on my behalf.  Prayer works!  Maybe now I can go finish that scrapbook page.  Right after I thank Him one more time.  Have you...counted your blessings today? Hmmm...until next time, happy stamping and srapping. Blessings, Sharon