LMac's Catered Crops

Cockadoodle Rustic Rooster

I love this new hostess set, Rustic Rooster. I love the collage look you can get with the ensemble, and I thought it would be beautiful to use with the "baby wipe" technique. And, lastly, because the rooster image makes such a great focal point, I thought it would be fun to make as a tent topper card. Gee, that's like three techniques in one card - oooo, I love these kinds of projects. So, check it out.

 

Even though we Virgos are supposed to be modest, I gotta crow about this a bit (yes, pun intended). I love how it turned out.

Here's a link at Splitcoast Stampers that tells you how to use the baby wipe technique to make your own multi-colored ink pad. I used Robin Hood Red, Really Rust and More Mustard re-inkers to make my pad. Just a word of caution - whenever I use this technique, I always get a lot of ink on the wood of my stamps. I just think that makes the stamps look more loved, but, if you like your stamps in pristine condition, you may have to take extra precautions.

The paper is Kraft, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, and More Mustard that was run through an embossing plate. The pattern paper is the Robin Hood Red designer series paper. 

Tent topper cards like this one are easy to make.  To make the tent of the card (the Chocolate Chip/Robin Hood Red/More Mustard bottom part of the card), cut your cardstock 4-1/4" by 8-1/2". Fold that to make a 4-1/4" square. You can use any shape and size to top off your tent (my Kraft/Chocolate Chip/Robin Hood Red Designer Paper/Rooster piece), including a circle, oval, scallop, or rectangle. You just have to make sure you construct it so that the combined tent and top aren't higher than 5-1/2" or your card won't fit into our standard envelope. 

I realized I didn't have many birthday cards for men, so I attached a tag that says "It's your special day." I hope whoever I give this to gets all cocky about what a great card it is (yep, another bad pun).

The Traveling Cake

The Typepad program I use to create this silliness has all kinds of fun tools to see how many hits I get and how people link to me. Whenever I need a little ego boost (which is, I embarrassed to say, quite often), I check out how many people have visited me and where they've come from.

Well, seems my little cake is still a big attraction (Oh Yummers Chocolate Cake Box). I followed one of the links tonight and check this out . . . my cake is talking in some language I can't even read. I was so tickled, I took a screen print of this. Click on the picture and see if you can read the words.

 

Isn't that wild?! They may be saying something bad about me or my cake, but I don't care. I think this is freakin' amazing. I can't tell you how much that thrills me. I guess crafting really is a universal language.

Well, shoot, let's all eat cake together!

Butterfly Blessings

Forget the SAG awards, the Oscars and Emmies . . . check out what I got.

Dahlene Spencer over at Simply Thoughtful Cards was so sweet to grant me with this Butterfly Award. I'm always honored to receive a blog award. Thank you!

Okay, now, I'm supposed to list 8 other folks to receive this award. Gracious, that's such a challenge. I'm embarrassed to tell you, I subscribe to about 800 blogs, and I love them all. They inspire me with their creativity, humble me with their life challenges, make me laugh through their mishaps and silliness, and just make me want to be a better craft artist and person.

So, if you're a blogger, please consider yourself awarded the butterfly award for all you do to transform me from a ground-dwelling caterpillar to an aspiring butterfly. Please feel free to post this award on your blog. And, blogger or not, please take this challenge to leave a little love on the blogs you visit by just leaving a brief comment. Your howdies are what we bloggers live for and the best award of all.

Save the Date - February 21

I am so freakin excited about our upcoming StampSmith group Open House. We've never done this format before, but, instead of a small make-and-take, you'll have the chance to make an amazing gift set of tags, mini cards and full size cards in a darling box. Just go to Splitcoast Stampers and search on "stationery box" and you'll get a sneak peak of what we're putting together.

We're working out the details now, but I can tell you, the details include door prizes, free gifts to folks who RSVP, product demonstrations, project ideas and samples, and just the fun of getting away with a bunch of stampers for one afternoon. And, of course, since it's Sale-a-bration, we'll have opportunities for you to earn your free sale-a-bration stamp sets.  

So - Save the Date - Saturday, February 21, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM in the Behran's Ranch community building, off of FM 3406 in Round Rock, Texas.

Be sure to leave a comment on this post or e-mail me at [email protected] to request an invitation.

New Product Tips - Our Circle Cutter Plus

Whenever I'm in a new town, I always check out the local scrapbooking store. I know, others check out the scenery or the best eatery - not me - I head to a scrapbook store. I'm always a little disappointed if the store doesn't have some new something-or-other for me to experiment with - whether it's a new tool, medium, technique . . . So, you can imagine how freakishly excited I am about this new Stampin' Up! catalog and all the new tools we have to play with. Some of these have never seen a store shelf - they're exclusive to Stampin' Up! So, we all get to learn how to use these together.

My fantastic upline, Melissa Smith, sent me a bunch of links to help us in our education pursuit. My new Circle Cutter Plus is in the mail - I should have it it my hot hands soon. So, here's a video Melissa sent me to help me put it to work right away.

Stay tuned - she sent me a lot of great videos I'll be sharing with you as I check them out myself.

Meanwhile, Pillow alert! Caitlin and her Pillow puppy have gone back to Denton - trying to beat the winter weather advisory. But, before she left we took over 50 pictures of Pillow. Okay, so I won't make you look at all 50 pictures, but be forewarned that I will be subjecting you to some of my favorites, starting with this one.

 

Honestly - we did not pose this little Pillow power nap. Oh, and the teddy bear did not make it through the weekend - stuffing flew all over the living room!

Rustic Rooster Potpourri

Tonight's post is a bit of a potpourri - a tip about the new catalog, a Pillow video, my latest project, and a tease about an upcoming stamp camp - oooo, I'm excited about all of them. 

Since you've indulged me so long with my ramblings about Obama, Pillow, nursing home inspections, and just about anything, let me get you straight to the latest project. Hold on to your knickers, 'cause I freakin' love this project.

 

You're just dying to know how I made this, right? Okay, first, my stars were aligned perfectly in the galaxy when I found these frames at the Target dollar spot, three for $2.50. Then, I found this beautiful card among my blog searches, by The New England Stamper.

She used a technique from the Technique Junkie Newsletter called Faux Designer Paper. It works like this:

1. Stamp several of the swirly images (those that appear white) with Versa-mark on Very Vanilla card stock and heat emboss with clear embossing powder. 
2. Sponge More Mustard, Really Rust, and Robin Hood Red classic ink and then stamp the french words in Really Rust.  (The clear embossed areas resist the ink). 
3. Remove the clear embossing powder by placing a piece of printer or copy paper over the top and heat with an iron. 
4. Finally, stamp the Rooster on top with black Stazon and sponge the edges with the More Mustard, Really Rust and Robin Hood Red ink.

I framed the image in Robin Hood Red and Basic Black cardstock, and then also in Barely Banana cardstock run through the Big Shot with an embossing folder. Add a little ribbon, and it's finished. I love this project because it looks so difficult, but really, it's so easy.

So . . . onto some catalog news. The project index that used to be in the back of the catalogs is not in the new catalog, which, at first may seem like a bummer. I mean, really, the catalog is such a great idea list, and, with the list of ingredients in the back, we could copy the projects without a lot of brain power. So why, Stampin' Up!, why?! Okay, they actually had a pretty good reason. 

Taking out the index list meant more room for more goodies! Hooray! The project index is still available, though, and with little thumbnail pictures so you don't have to thumb back and forth through the catalog to connect which ingredients go to which projects. Hooray again! You can download the project list by clicking on the "Supply List" picture on my sidebar whenever you want. It will open up a *.pdf file that you can save to your computer and keep indefinitely.

My Caitlin and her Pillow pup visited us this weekend, and my son gave me a great Flip Video camera for Christmas. Here's a long-promised video of my GrandPuppy. My daughter is such a great puppy Mom, she's taught her little puppy to sit, shake and lay down, so here's Pillow showing off her tricks.

Are you still with me, precious readers? I just want to give you a heads up that I'm working with some of my fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrators to give you a fantastic Open House and Stamp Club in February. We're working on the details, and I'll have more news later, but if you're in the Central Texas area, be sure to mark February 21 on your calendars and save the date. You will NOT want to miss it. We're talking door prizes, freebies, classes, product demos . . . and just a lot of excitement.

A Yummy Sneak Peak - Just in Time

Funny story - Whenever a new catalog is coming out, I get to swap with this wonderful, select group of stampers. We all end up with beautiful samples of the new products, and, yes, I always stress about my projects. No one's been kicked out of the group yet, but I sure don't want to be the first. So, last night I stayed up late, got up early this morning and skipped breakfast and lunch so I could have my swaps ready by the time we were to meet today. I finished with just minutes to spare, drove to our meeting place . . . and no one was there!

Our meeting is tomorrow.

You know what's ever more ridiculous? This isn't the first time I've done this.

So, I've snarfed down some donuts, taken a quick nap, and I still have time to share one of my swap projects with you before they get shared with the group.

 

Sale-a-bration is just days away, and this Yummy stamp set is one of the free sets you can earn with a $50 order beginning February 1. It's a really fun set to work with because the shape works so beautifully with the Top Note Bigz die. And, yes, Stampin' Up! now carries embossing plates, so I got to add those little bumps tomake this look like dotted swiss fabric. Those flower embellishments are made with the new Sweetest Stem Embosslets - so much fun. 

I saw thiscard on Splitcoast Stampers by Julie Alberda. Isn't it beautiful? I adjusted it a little, using the Sweet Always paper to make a card to hold and match with the lip balm I got at the Stampin' Up! convention last summer.

Stay tuned, we always make three projects, so I have more to share with you later. Since I have my swaps done early - I get to go play with Pillow Pup. She's visiting this weekend - and getting too big for her bed!

  

Hitch Your Wagon

I love Sunday mornings. Tom and I are frequent visitors to Bedside Baptist - okay, my not so clever way of saying we don't make it to church every Sunday. On those days, we watch our favorite Sunday morning program, fix a big breakfast, and leisurely read the paper together.

So, this Sunday, I got to read the Parade magazine insert in the paper and Barack Obama's letter to his daughters. You can read the whole letter here. Here's my favorite excerpt:

I hope both of you will take up that work, righting the wrongs that you see and working to give other the chances you've had. Not just because you have an obligation to give something back to this country that has given our family so much - although you do have that obligation. But because you have an obligation to yourself. Because its only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential.

Wow, doesn't that just knock your socks off?! Since I was still in my jammies, I didn't have socks on to knock off yet, but if I had, they'd be in the next street. So, in honor of those patriots around and within us who hitch their wagons every day, I'd like to share a card my dear friend Jann Formica gave me on Saturday.

 

You know, it's one of those cards that, well, at least with my limited photography skills, my camera can't quite capture, but it just makes me swell with patriotism when I look at it.

Thank you, Jann! And thank you wagon hitchers.

Pillow Talk

Well, I guess all Granny's have to face it some day - their grandchildren go back home. Pillow and Caitlin returned to Denton on Thursday so they can settle in before Caitlin starts her last semester of classes at University of North Texas. 

 

So, you think I'm a nutty Granny, get this. My Tom was ready to drive the three plus hours on Sunday to go see them again. They hadn't even been gone a week. Yep, we're nuts about our Grandpuppy. Oh, yeah, and we kind of miss Caitlin, too.

Mailey Dog is quite happy, though, to have her kingdom all to herself again - that is, until she wants to play tug of war with the ball and there's no one to play with. I tried once, but that ball tastes awful yuchy and Mailey about yanked out all my teeth tugging on it.

Reason prevailed (that, and I was just coming up for air after all the misadventures at the nursing home), so we did not drive to Denton on Sunday. I'm sure we'll be making the trip soon. Meanwhile, Caitlin promises pictures. Wouldn't it be nice if she could package up some of that delicious puppy breath to send back to us?

Well, as usual, stamping comes through to perk me up. I got a notice from UPS that my new Stampin' Up! catalogs are due to arrive tomorrow. Oh, that's almost as fun as rubbing soft puppy bellies!

It's Been a Hard Day's Night

It’s been a hard day’s night,
And I’ve been working like a dog,
It’s been a hard day’s night,
I should be sleeping like a log,
But when I get home to you,
I find the things that you do,
Will make me feel alright.
                     - The Beatles

After Friday/Saturday's 27 hour work day, these lyrics are pretty dead-on. 

Our survey team (the most wonderful ladies I'd ever want to spend the night with) had already pulled some crazy hours inspecting this nursing home. We had several concerns and, well, they just kept getting worse. Our protocols (and human compassion) dictate that we can't leave a facility when we're that worried about the resident' safety, so . . . we've kept the facility company for some long, hard days and nights. Not to be criptic or anything, but I can't give a lot of details for now. I'm home now, but just staying in my jammies, trying to rest up for what's bound to be another crazy week.

So, needless to say, I don't have any fun projects to post. In fact, for only the 2nd time in the history of my Hostess Clubs/Workshops, I had to reschedule a workshop. (Thank you ladies!!!).

I do have some pretty amazing gossip from the Stampin' Up! Leadership Convention. Now I'm singing another Beatles song: Twist and Shout! (As always, stamping gets me through.)

Of course, if you watch as many blogs as I do, you've already heard about these. If not, better sit down . . .

The new catalog (I should have in my hands this week) has:

• lots and lots of new designer series paper including textured and glossy accents.
• Clear Sizzix dies so we can see where we're cutting on photos, stamped images or patterned paper. What genius!
• Texturz Embossing Folders. Oh, I'm going to faint! 
• 5 little embosslets.
• Oval Sizzix dies in three sizes and one with scallops - lots of layoring like Nestabilities!
• 3D die cuts to make pop-up cards. 
• stencil plates.
• a circle cutter.
• large heart and eyelet boarder punch.
• canvas cuts and corduroy buttons.
• beautiful new ribbon, including rickrack and spotted.
• chipboard owl images.
• jumbo brads.
• crochet flower embellishments.
• 8 individually sold stamp sets from $5.95 ot $7.95. 

And . . . on the horizon . . . drum roll . . . get the smelling salts . . . digital scrapbooking!

So, someone, right now, call Stampin' Up! and tell them . . .