Getting creative!

My box of new catty goodies came this week!
I finally got them trimmed and have been able to stamp a bit.

Here's a kick stand Easter frame card.


I used pink polka dot patterned paper from Berry Bliss Designer Series Paper and stamped the egg on it. Then I stamped flowers in Close to Cocoa all over the egg. On a floral patterned paper from the same Berry Bliss DSP, I stamped the zigzag in Chocolate Chip, trimmed it out, and glued it on the egg, leaving the left end of the zigzag unglued.



The egg was then trimmed out roughly and glued onto Whisper White cardstock for thickness. I carefully cut around the egg. On a scrap of Whisper White, I stamped the egg in Close to Cocoa. The chick was colored with Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write Marker and Apricot Appeal Stampin' Write marker and stamped into the middle of the egg. The egg was trimmed out and attached to the other egg with a small scrap of Whisper White cardstock. On the inside of the egg, I stamped "You crack me up."


Here's another quick card I put together.


I used mostly scraps for this card. I am low on different pink cardstock, so I stamped the flowers in different shades of pink. I used Boho Blossoms punch for the flowers and the scallop punch for the medallion up on top. The little flower in the middle of the medallion was cut out by hand.

Happy Stampin'!

I've been tagged!

1. My 2 favorite scrapbook topics are: My children and my life.
2. The 2 best places I’ve been to are: Hawaii and Disney World. New York and Japan too.
3. 2 things I do everyday are: Play with my children and surf the net.
4. The 2 things everyone knows about me are: I demo for Stampin' Up! and I teach preschool.
5. The 2 places I wish to visit are: Canada and Europe (Ireland, Austria, Italy, France).
6. 2 things you may not know about me are: I lived in Hollywood for 2 years around the corner from the Mann's Chinese Theater. I used to be a Japanese speaking travel agent for Japanese travel agencies and also worked for American Express SBT.
7. My two favorite foods are: Asian cuisine and Japanese sweets
8. My two favorite musical artists are: Celine Dion and whoever suites the mood I'm in
9. My two favorite characters are: Calvin & Hobbes (I couldn't decide who I liked better) and Pochacco (I LOVE Sanrio).

I am going to tag Carolina and Jan. Please answer the above questions and add one at the end, then tag 2 more people!!

Days gone by

I started custom scrapbooking for others last year and just finished up my 9th album right before Christmas. Strangely enough, all of the albums I have done are for people who have recently lost a loved one. It gives me a sense of purpose and satisfaction in working with these layouts, knowing how much these albums will be treasured by their new owners.

Here are a few pages from my latest album. I received the pictures and the supplies a couple of weeks before the deadline, but the boys and I were sick for about a good week before I could get started. I had about 5 days to complete this album before having to hand it over. It was a challenge because I had to scrap using specific K & CO paper that was out of stock and no longer being carried at local scrapbook stores or Michael's. My client also wanted elegant and "wallpaper" style layouts... something I am not used to. It was quite an interesting week to say the least. I am pleased with the way the album came together. The finished pages can be viewed on the slideshow that is at the bottom of this blog. I hope you enjoy the layouts! Let me know what you think.












Cheers,
Jane

Rain, rain, go away...

We had a storm forecasted for today and the next three days, but I was not expecting the downpour and fierce winds. We heard a huge "boom" and this is what we saw when we looked outside the boys' bedroom window:



The fence that separates our yard and our neighbor's yard fell down. I haven't been able to go outside yet to see if the rest of the fence along the side of the house went with it.

At least those pesky squirrels that were making all kinds of noise on our roof are gone. (I hope they were squirrels and not rats. I don't care if it's the year of the Rat. They are not welcome in or on my home!)

Time to snuggle with my boys under the blankets and watch a good movie. Ratatouille, anyone?
:) Jane

Scrumptious!

Carolina (craftycaro) made this gorgeous calendar for me.



It's absolutely perfect for me. I love it! Thank you, Caro!
Can you see what it says on the side?

Live with intention.
Walk to the edge.
Listen hard.
Practice Wellness.
Play with abandon.
Laugh.
Choose with no regret.
Appreciate your friends.
Continue to learn.
Do what you love.
Live as if this is all there is.
~ Mary Anne Radmacher



And look what Stephanie (Stinkerbell) dropped off on my doorstep yesterday!



Is this not the most yummiest eye candy? The photo doesn't do it justice. Thank you, Steph!

What a way to kick off the new year!

***************************************************************************

We have a special birthday to celebrate today!
HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY, GABRIELLA!

Here's a card I made for Gabriella last night, inspired by Carolina's Bloomin' Birthday card.



Happy 2nd Birthday, Gabriella!


Ken pouring tea at Gabriella's tea birthday party:


Happy 3rd Birthday, Gabriella!


Lots of My Little Ponies to play with:


Happy 5th Birthday, Gabriella! We had such a great time today!


This cake was SCRUMPTIOUS!


Love your smile!


Look! Over 42" tall!


Cheers!
Jane

Happy New Year!

Shinen akemashite omedeto gozaimasu!
Happy New Year!



“The way to find out about happiness is to keep your mind on those moments when you feel most happy, when you are really happy — not excited, not just thrilled, but deeply happy. This requires a little bit of self-analysis. What is it that makes you happy? Stay with it, no matter what people tell you. This is what is called following your bliss.”
~ Joseph Campbell

Happy New Year, everyone! May it be full of love, light, grace, and joy... filled with bliss!

Rock-a-bye baby...

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!
My days this week have been one big blur. But I can not wait for tomorrow! My lovely friend, Anna, and her beautiful daughters and husband have driven down from Reno for the weekend. We get to spend the day with them tomorrow before they have to head back home.

If you ever get a chance to stop by SplitCoastStampers then you should try to check out their challenges under "Stamping Stuff." One of my favorites are their color challenges.
Emily posted a "Basically Soft" challenge about a month ago and my dear friend, Carolina, made this yummy Time Well Spent With Friends card. What an inspiration! I had to make a card for a swap that I am in, which is due this Monday. I am not sure if it's the sheer exhaustion from the Christmas craze, or the relatively new medication I am on, but I could not come up with a card for days! I turned to Caro's card and Emily's color challenge and this is what I came up with:

Stamp sets: Nursery Necessities, Bundle of Joy
Paper: Basic Grey, Certainly Celery, Soft Sky, Whisper White, Le Jardin DSP
Ink: Basic Grey, Certainly Celery, Soft Sky
Accessories: small corner rounder, slot punch, 1-1/4" square punch, 1-3/8" square punch, 1/4" Whisper White grosgrain ribbon, 5/8" Certainly Celery grosgrain ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Crafter's Tool Kit (paper-piercing tool, paper-piercing mat
Techniques: scalloped edges using corner rounder, faux stitching along edge of card & the boat

Cheers!
Jane

Out with the old and in with the new...

One of my favorite stamps this Christmas has been from the "Tags For All" set.
I used Old Olive, Real Red, and Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write markers to color in the leaves, berries, and branches. Then after punching the 3 windows in the cardbase (1-1/3" square punch) and creating a separate template with a large border to stamp over, I "color, huff, and stamp" over each window. Add a Purely Pomegranate Satin ribbon and voila!



A large star punch is coming out in the new Spring/Summer catalog!
I used it to make this 3-D star ornament.



Eight more days 'til Christmas!

A long list of accessories that are going... going... gone.

Here it is! The long awaited Fall/Winter Retired Accessories List.
I'm sad to see a few of the items go, but am looking forward to seeing what will be replacing them. If you see anything on here that you are interested in getting, let me know asap! Items in red are no longer available.

* Updated 6p PST 12/17/2007
Item # Product Description
109198 Accents & Elements Borders & Blossoms
109199 Accents & Elements Little Reminders
2109197 Accents & Elements Tagged
100700 Album Leather Post Black 8-1/2x11
105385 Album Linen Post Mellow Moss 8-1/2x11
104520 Album Linen Post Natural 8-1/2x11
104517 Album Linen Post Navy 8-1/2x11
105382 Album Linen Post Real Red 8-1/2x11
105392 Album Linen Ring Mellow Moss 8-1/2x11
104510 Album Linen Ring Natural 8-1/2x11
104513 Album Linen Ring Navy 8-1/2x11
105388 Album Linen Ring Real Red 8-1/2x11
105067 Boxes & Tags Pockets & Pieces Assortment I
105068 Boxes & Tags Pockets & Pieces Assortment II
108798 Boxes & Tags Tiny Takeout Confetti White
107246 Boxes & Tags Tiny Takeout Kraft
105747 Boxes Stamp & Supply Extra Large
105748 Boxes Stamp & Supply Extra Large Divided
105744 Boxes Stamp & Supply Extra Small
105749 Boxes Stamp & Supply Jumbo
105734 Boxes Stamp & Supply Large
105746 Boxes Stamp & Supply Medium
105745 Boxes Stamp & Supply Small
101052 Brayer Attachment Foam
107293 Cards & Envelopes Greeting Very Vanilla Medium
109149 Designer Series Paper Brocade Background
109161 Designer Series Paper Cerise
109162 Designer Series Paper Charbon
109155 Designer Series Paper Creepy Crawley
109152 Designer Series Paper Darling Doodles
109150 Designer Series Paper Dashing
108503 Designer Series Paper Petals & Paisleys
109156 Designer Series Paper Linen Prints
109147 Designer Series Paper Notations No. 2
109148 Designer Series Paper Outlaw
109158 Designer Series Paper Uptown
109157 Designer Series Paper Wintergreen
107285 Envelopes Open End Very Vanilla Large
107284 Envelopes Open End Whisper White Large
107296 Envelopes Shimmery White Medium
107287 Envelopes Square Vellum Large
107310 Envelopes Square Very Vanilla Mini
107294 Envelopes Vellum Medium
107290 Envelopes Very Vanilla Large
107291 Envelopes Whisper White Large
101016 Eyelet Tool Kit
105317 Eyelets Bold Brights II
105379 Eyelets Silver
105315 Eyelets Soft Subtles II
107282 Fancy Fibers Bella
107283 Fancy Fibers Elizabeth1
03352 Stampin' Glitter Romantic Red
103349 Stampin' Glitter Silver Shine
106650 Greeting Glue
102620 Liquid Glue
103145 Page Protectors Post 8-1/2x11
104523 Page Protectors Ring 8-1/2x11
103598 Paper Vellum 12x12
105543 Pastel Refills Bold Brights
105544 Pastel Refills Earth Elements
105547 Pastel Refills Neutrals
105545 Pastel Refills Rich Regals
105546 Pastel Refills Soft Subtles
105962 Perfect Layers Tool
104184 Post Extenders
106522 Punch Spring Bouquet Flower
109722 Simply Scrappin' Creative License Hostess Level
1109611 Simply Scrappin' Happy Me Hostess Level
3109596 Simply Scrappin' Out & About
109626 Simply Scrappin' Primary Colors
109649 Simply Scrappin' Round Up
109635 Simply Scrappin' Secret Garden
109663 Simply Scrappin' Winter Bright
107415 Simply Sent Friendship Shapes
109230 Simply Sent Happy Day
105580 Spectrum Pad Blue Frost
101492 Spectrum Pad Celebration
105579 Spectrum Pad Cotton Candy
101336 Spectrum Pad Pumpkin Patch
100000 Spectrum Pad Un-inked
103953 Stamp-a-ma-jig Imaging Sheets Refill
104432 Stampin' Around Cartridge & Ink Refill Clear Embossing
101460 Stampin' Around Cartridge & Ink Refill Whisper White
102391 Stampin' Around Ink Refill Clear Embossing
103017 Stampin' Around Ink Refill Whisper White
103151 Stampin' Emboss Powder Hologram Highlights
105677 Stampin' Kids Pad Bear Brown
105676 Stampin' Kids Pad Beetle Black
105675 Stampin' Kids Pad Boxcar Blue
105674 Stampin' Kids Pad Gumball Green
105673 Stampin' Kids Pad Poppin' Purple
105672 Stampin' Kids Pad Princess Pink
105671 Stampin' Kids Pad Robin Red
105670 Stampin' Kids Pad Yahoo Yellow
103174 Stampin' Pastel Applicators
100852 Stampin' Pastel Erasers
100081 Stampin' Write Marker Going Gray
100945 StazOn Ink Refill Timber Brown
103088 StazOn Pad Timber Brown
107235 Tag Sheets Bold Brights
107239 Tag Sheets Confetti White & Kraft
107236 Tag Sheets Earth Elements
107240 Tag Sheets Kraft
107237 Tag Sheets Rich Regals
107238 Tag Sheets Soft Subtles
100894 Watercolor Brush Flat
101551 Watercolor Brush Medium
101331 Watercolor Brush Small
105395 Wire Works Metallic
105652 Wrapping Paper Whisper White

Stampin' Around wheels
100360 Acorns
109812 All about Birthdays*
109690 All about Christmas*
109812 All about Gratitude*
109676 Autumn Dots
104070 Bloomin'
107466 Bodacious*
105750 Bouquet*
107481 Butterflies & Blossoms
104065 Fishy
100267 Happy Jacks
107563 Ho Ho Ho
104312 Hot to Dot
104279 Leaf Prints
106062 Leaves Awash*
107479 Rough around the Edges*
101927 Snowman Fun
107465 Speckled*
105521 Spooky Skyline*
108979 Spotted*
107480 True Hearts
105033 Wings & Things*
* Jumbo Stampin' Around wheels