Moving

So we can move in to the house anytime after noon tomorrow. However, we won't actually own the place until closing which has yet to be scheduled. The sellers screwed up (yet again) and delayed our closing (again) and we made them let us move in anyway since it is a 4 day weekend for us and we won't be able to move at a later date.

This is frustrating because while I get to move into my place, I don't feel as though it IS my place, and therefore my excitement is a bit trampled on.

BUUUTT.. here is a card I made this week, look at it and love it and send me so loves cause I certainly need it right now.

Front of Christmas card:


Inside top of Christmas card:
And I realized I had to do this because I was going to send out "We've Moved" cards, but it is also time to send out Christmas cards.... this way I can do both at one time!

Furniture shopping

Yesterday Peter and I went down to the house to measure the dining room. We CLOSE in a week and a half so we figured why not make use of the "Going out of Business" sale down at the local furniture store. We know we need a dining room set so we went to pick one out. I guess I had it in my head that we were actually going to BUY one, what a dummy I am. We get to the store and pick out one that, frankly, while the best of their selection, was not really the best ever. I start to get cranky (from lack of food) so we leave and get lunch. Next stop, another furniture store, this one not going out of business, but one of the ones Peter dragged me out to this summer. I really, really had issue with shopping for furniture when we knew we weren't going to buy it, like over the summer when we had no idea when the closing would happen, or if it would.

But I really thought we were going to get something today, and when Pete kept shooting down my pick, grr, I just don't know what to say! First he said he didn't want to spend a large amount of money when we didn't know what our closing costs would look like. Then he said that the quality of the furniture was not as good. But what drives me nuts is that the "leather like" chairs, aka vinyl, was his pick, and I thought we had a standard as a couple that fake leather was not allowed.

And he's the one that has to shop with a big brain! It makes me crazy, yet I appreciate it when appropriate. He wants the dining room table to fit in the room, with the maximum amount of pre-allocated walk space around it on all sides. He wants the table to fit in with the decor of the house, not the decor that we decorate it with, but the style of the house from when it was built. And since the house was "built in 1950, it suggests a Post-war consumeristic, hopeful outlook" and is the exact style of furniture we need to buy.

We can't agree on any table or sofa or bedroom set. I feel like I should just let him go shopping with whatever brainiac information he wants to base his purchases on, and I should stay home and not have a say on what our furniture will look like. Everything I like he hates, and visa versa. He really justs wastes my time dragging me around those furniture stores, with those annoying sales people that follow you around and listen to your personal arguments.

Either that, or we can just use the crappy shit furniture I have in storage and be done with it.

Here's the one I like:
http://www.raymourflanigan.com/catalog/details.asp?ID=99184#

Holiday Card Pre-Order

I have 3 cards that I am making in packs of 10 along with envelopes available for purchase. Choose from 3 different designs.

$25 for 10 cards





$20 for 10 cards

Wedding Web Site

hello

I spent this weekend (as well as much of the last 2 weeks) thinking about my wedding. As I just passed the "one year to go" mark I have been struggling to figure out what I want my wedding day to look like. Anyway, I have lots of ideas swirling around in my head and it seems that blogging about what's in my head is usually a somewhat therapeutic way to deal with it.

SO... I thought that I would start a thread of wedding related blogings here and see what happens. I know I intended to make this blog only about my creative aspects, but as it turns out, my wedding will be the BIGGEST bit of creativity I will ever display all at one time. So it does seem appropriate that I talk about that here.

um, ok so I have started a wedding website, but I think, as with most free things, it lacks in some areas. Mostly, I think it should have a blog area for my ramblings on planning the big day. But as it does not, this here blog spot will have to do. In the mean time, and for whenever you want to check it out, here is the link to my wedding web site.

http://kandracandhall.weddings.com

Simple Birthday

Doodle this birthday card.

Bravo Burgundy card base with Basic Black layer. Then topped with Green Galore. The doodle is stamped in Bravo Burgundy at random. The flower is stamped on Glossy White paper in Staz-on, then water colored with Green Galore. Cut out and popped off the card with a Stampin' Dimensional.

Super Simple.

Hope this inspires you to do something simple. Don't forget, Stampin' Up! has select birthday sets on sale at 20% off this month. I'll make and post some samples to get you excited within the week. I can't wait for my shipment on Friday!

Cousin's Wedding

I made 2 cards, not sure what I liked. I decided to give the one I liked least to my mom
to give to my cousin. Anyway. Both cards were CASED from Splitcoaststampers. the colors were chaged, I think these are the colors of the wedding party, but I'm not sure about the kiwi kiss.

So yes, I used Kiwi Kiss and Chocolate Chip.

Card one. Together Forever set with Polka dot background stamp. I also used my Big Shot with the swiss dots embossing folder for the main background. The card I cased from SCS was in Orchid Opulence and Black and it made a much better card. I also used the co-ordinating wheel with this, and the retired (from spring 08 mini catalog)
chocolate chip 1/4 inch twill ribbon.


Card two, the one that will be from me to my cousin and his new bride... I believe this is nearly exactly the same as what I saw on SCS but I changed the colors. Also the ribbon is different. Here I used Kiwi Kiss and chocolate chip. The ribbon is actually stacked. Layer one is the 5/8" striped grosgrain in color ribbon. Layer 2 is the retired Twill chocolate chip ribbon. I thought for sure they would have kept this :(

I used the Lovely Letters L (for my cousin's last name) inside the flowered circle from Together Forever and stamped them both -using the stamp positioner - on the envelope to have a co-ordinating set.

I hope I have the colors right.
Enjoy, I hope to have more cards to upload for you soon.

Keep on stamping!

What we'll make today

For World Card Making Day


Thanksgiving Card
Using Brocade Basics and the large Oval Punch











Halloween Card
"Moonlighting" Technique. This card uses the set House of Haunts, and Ghostly Greetings DSP.








Winter/Snow Card

More Pacific Point! Here, we use the large snowflake from Winter Post and the small snowflake from Season of Friendship. Both of these sets can be found in the Winter Mini Catalog.




Noon to two at Lawrence Township First Aid Squad Building 165 Pilla Ave Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
Donation at the door is $5 which goes towards my sister's Breast Cancer 3 day walk in two weeks. To make these projects (and more) an additional make and take fee of $15 is applied.

Hope to see you there!

"You could hurt somebody with that!"

Ok so I waited 2 days from when I drowned a few jalapenos in a jar of vodka. Last night I strained the jar, using the method I use when making cordials. Of course, I didn't have to spend hours or even days straining it, since it was only halved jalapenos and a few floating seeds.

As you can see, the once clear vodka already has a greenish tint.


The next step, as per my cordial making process, is to bottle the liquid into a pretty bottle. I like to use my purple funnel.

After bottling, I like to decorate or label the bottle. I do this of course with my fun Stampin' Up! supplies. Here: silver hodgepodge hardware 1 inch circle, with old olive 1/4" ribbon.

And now we have the sampling: Peter and I tried it first. In a rocks glass, heavy on the rocks. Now Peter enjoyed it, but stated that it had a nice kick. I also enjoyed it and noticed the kick also. Now maybe it was the sore on the tip of my tongue from when I bit it the other day, but I definitely noticed the flavor there first. After I swallowed, I noticed the kick in the back of my throat too. While harsh, it was not painful. But then again, I only had a drizzle.

I imagine it would be brilliant with some V-8 juice. Is that all I'd need to make a kickin' Bloody Mary? hmm, I'd have to get some blue cheese stuffed green olives to go with it, maybe I can try that next week.

Since my dad was home when this little experiment was going on, (and cause he always has something to say about my "Jungle Juice"or "Moonshine") I thought: I need to get my dad to drink this! But first I grabbed the camera!

His comment:

"You could hurt somebody with that!"

60th Birthday beauty

Fixin’s:
Mother’s request for her best friend’s 60th birthday card.
Elegant Eggplant card base
Kraft DSP from the Hostess set Prints Pack
Basic Black, Lavender Lace, and Glossy White Papers
Craft Black Ink with Black Embossing Powder
Elegant Eggplant ink and Ribbon 1/4” Grosgrain
New Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware designer label with same punch
Re-inkers: Purely Pomegranate, Wild Wasabi, and Elegant Eggplant

Wacky Purchase you never thought you could use for crafting:
One baby wipe, minus the baby’s bottom

Stamp Set:
Upsy Daisy

Procedure:
fold the wipe into quarters and drizzle the re-inkers onto the fold.
wipe across the surface of the glossy white paper, being careful not to touch the paper too much.
let dry
Stamp and then gently heat emboss the flowers from Upsy Daisy
I didn’t know how the glossy paper would react to the heat gun, so when I say “gently”, I mean it.
Marvel at how cool your image looks.
Assemble card

Regret:
not having any good colors in re-inkers. Be sorry for the 2 retired colors, but know that you are putting them to use now, so it justifies you having bought them 5 months ago.

Last step:
show off this wonderful card and really admire how you pulled in the Vanilla Hodgepodge hardware piece with the dark image.

Oh and the very last step is to bask in the approval of this card and feel proud when mom tells you that her friend loved the card and passed it around to everyone at her party!

Thanks to:
me. For finally breaking down and getting this set even though I tried to ignore the need for it. Even though I tried to pretend that when I first saw it in August I didn't know I HAD to have it.

I know it is hard to purchase a set that has only one image, but Stampin' Up! wouldn't put out a set that was lacking. Upsy Daisy has 3 really good greetings, but it's that image, that one, single image, that is just to die for! Buy Upsy Daisy, it is more versatile than you think!

Vodka Infusion

So I'm home alone for dinner and instead of cooking up yet another batch of spaghetti and tossing it with some jarred sauce, I opted for something different: like starting with all that ignored stuff in the freezer and basement food storage. I went into the basement to dig up a can of tuna and believe it or not, we didn't have any. But I did find a can of Amy's Vegetarian chili that happens to be Gluten Free (I'm allergic to Wheat).

I put it on the stove, then remember that the reason this can was in the basement was because the chili was really on the bland side, really. I went to my neighbor's house and asked them for one jalapeno from their garden. They gave me 4. I know my DH2b would love them, but he already has the 6 that the neighbors gave us over the last few weeks. SO I cut up one and put half of it into the chili. I also added a salmon burger (God only knows who thought that up) that has been in the freezer for some time.

Next, I cut a hole in the top of a garden tomato, one of 11 in the house, and ladled the chili into it. So that was my dinner. It wasn't great, but I ate. It wasn't great, but I used up some of the mass of food that we have in the house. It wasn't great, but at least it wasn't potato chips and mini Baby Ruths.

Anyway, on with the meat of the post.
While eating, I wondered what I could do with the remaining 3 and a half jalapenos.
Infuse them with vodka of course! I googled and found http://www.infusionsofgrandeur.net/ The Mad Scienticians. They helped me figure out that I wanted to cut the jalapenos in half and shove them into the jar of vodka.

Doing this made me think about my trials making Fruity Cordials. It was never as easy as one slice, you're done! Oh well, I'll wait a few days and try out the vodka. Then, after I go out and buy more vodka, I'll try infusing it with sticks of vanilla and maybe coffee beans. I always complain that when I decide to try a fancy martini at a bar or restaurant, I have to suffer with the non flavored kind because of the grain used to make the lower shelf vodkas that are in those drinks.

You see, since I am intolerant to Gluten (found in wheat, rye, barley, and oats) I can not eat or drink anything made with or near wheat. Vodka is not normally my top choice for drinky-drinks, but when I do want it, I always have to upcharge to Chopin or some of the other spendy ones that are made from potatoes or grapes. The DH2b and I ate at the Cheesecake Factory the other night and I seriously had a martini that (while splendid!) was nearly $12!

I very much look forward to infusing things into vodka, and maybe some other liquids as well. I suppose I can do this in the winter, unlike when I make cordials. The fruit does not react as well when it's cold.

Please join me as I try new liquid creations... it will be mixed in with my paper creations, but you know me... crafty, no matter what the topic!

2 parties, one weekend

I have 2 card making parties scheduled for one weekend. Saturday October 4th and Sunday the 5th.

Saturday I'll be having a good old fashioned workshop with my friend Tracey as the lovely hostess.

Then On Sunday I'm having a Stampin' Up! Open House for World Card Making Day. I'll post the flier when it gets rewritten (for the 4th time) and after I'm done chattin' with my DH2b.

I'm also fighting a cold here, so I apologize for the slow go!

Spinner Birthday Card

I made a spinner card, finally! I always wanted to try this out and as soon as I saw "wow flowers" in the new catalog I knew this was the card to make. It was exciting to be doing this card.

The card base is Pixie Pink and all the other materials are Tempting Turquoise. I used the word window to make the track for the spinner, and to make the spinner itself I got to use the new Stampin' Up! Big Shot! The Sizzlets die I used was the "sparkle" which co-ordinates nicely with Wow Flowers.

To make a Spinner you need two pennies and some Stampin' Dimensionals. I sandwiched a dimensional between the 2 pennies and then put another one on top of the stack. I put the sparkle on top of the top dimensional and then added some glam with silver chunky glitter.

You'll need to bend the track a bit to fit the penny into it and after you stick down the track to your card, using dimensionals, you will have a fancy spinner card ready to get tilted!

To see step by step instructions, you can look on SplitCoastStampers.com. I'll try to post a link when I'm not in a restricted internet zone.

Here's that link. You can tell from my details above that I altered the instructions from the link. I think these instructions were made before the Word Window Punch was released.

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ee/index.php/resources/tutorials/spinner_card/

enjoy!

shipment

I got 4 new stamp sets yesterday, and tonight I mounted them while I drank half a bottle of red wine. So then I felt compelled to make a card with a set I was dying for for a VERY long time. So I made a "get well soon" card of sorts for a school co-worker who caught the first bought of first grade cooties from her kiddies already!

I finally got "Loads of Love" and made this diddy. Tempting Turquoise and Kraft papers. TT ribbon with the slot punch. I also added the ticket punch on the corners of the Kraft. I watercolored the truck using the TT ink pad and by using the Water color pencils from Stampin' Up!



I'm gonna toss it into her mailbox tomorrow and then I'm sure I'll feel silly for doing it. She's not like my best friend or anything. But, maybe I'll make her feel a little better and it will all be alright!
.................................

Tonight I also worked on a flier for World Card Making Day. I'm having Writer's Block I think. I'm a bit nervous about it. But I'll work on it a bit more tomorrow then off to the printers! I have to get this flier out if I want any business for the big day (October 5th)

thanks for looking
'night!

Bridal Shower Card

Very Sparkly




I made this card for my cousin's fiancee for her Bridal Shower tomorrow. I used Close to Cocoa paper with the Sweet Always Designer Paper, and Chocolate Chip Twill ribbon. The heart is from the set Always and I heat embossed it with chocolate chip craft ink and then I used Heat and Stick Powder with Dazzling Diamonds Glitter.



You like?

hello

Hey there, just startin out, this will probably take me a few weeks to start posting something really good, but I hope you will hang in there with me.

this will be my house one day.. hopefully soon.


thanks