{One week of My Life}

As I mentioned to some of you, I spent the last week or so cleaning (shoveling?) out my craft room. I even moved the furniture to vacuum! I found some treasures doing that.

Anyway, every time I walk in there, I just smile. I'm posting pictures to share my smiles anyway.

I should have taken a before so you could see how mess I get when I work. Suffice it to say that it's a completely different room now.

Do you like how much paper I have? And do you think there's any danger of having to make a card without ribbon?

I LOVE it!

{If He Gives You a Hard Time}

If and when the day comes your significant other gives you a hard time about how many stamps you own, show him this:

Poor Jared.

And I mean that literally.

{Big Blooms Goes Little}

Another personal challenge! I picked out a color that I don't normally use (can you guess which one?) and then randomly picked other colors to go with it. I like how it turned out; do you?

Ever since I saw this set, I've wanted to shrink it down!

Big Blooms is in the Summer Mini catalogue, so it's only available until the end of March. The sentiment inside is from Lots of Thoughts, another one of the free Saleabration sets! That one is a set of six and each stamp has four sayings on it, making it a real winner!!

The swirls in the background are from Friendship Flowers, another free Saleabration set! Gotta have them all!

{Shake Your Birthday}

This card was a personal challenge - not colors I would normally pick out to use together, but decided I was going to use a blue! I like how it turned out. I borrowed the layout from one card, the colors from another, changed the dimensions a bit, and then added the shaker element. So thanks to all those crafty ladies out there who let me borrow bits and pieces off of them!

This card features that very cool and fun shaker pocket with clear microbeads. We popped up the center gift so the beads sort of catch on it, adding a visual interest.

This set is one of the Saleabration sets, one of the free ones during January and February with any qualifying order or workshop! This is truly the best sale Stampin Up! has during the year - take advantage!!

And also a great time to sign up or to buy the starter kit! Not only is it 10% off, but you also get to pick any set out of the catalogue for free up to $95!

Don't you love that new wide ribbon? It's in the Summer Mini Catalogue.

I have missed writing on here, so this is just a small update.

I've been busy cleaning out my house, room by room. About 1/3 done . . . my craft room alone took four days. and my children's rooms took seven garbage bags. How sad! Ah, well, something always gives in life and for me it's been the housework in the last year.

So last night we had an nontraditional class, more of a party, really. I had my living room covered in my off-casts from my craft room. We played three games and had one card challenge.

For the challenge, I gave each guest a bag of my stamped scraps and let them make something. Oh, the complaining!!I let my two youngest daughters pick the winner, and Nadine who used a butterfly image, won the show. Appropriately, she won Reason To Smile, a hostess set featuring a butterfly! Nobody wanted to take any of the leftovers home, and some even left their works or art behind. Now that's never happened before . . .

We also played a technique matching game, which Rachael won hands down. Those who have attended my classes for a long while were at an advantage on that one. Rachael won a $10 gift voucher.

Next we did a silly party game where we passed around a goody bag with a silly story. Anne-Marie got that little prize.

And last, I stamped out a sheet of paper with various images from various stamp sets. Name the stamp set. It proved to be quite difficult. Many were glad Tui was not there to compete with them. Eventually I gave everyone a catty to look at. Rachael beat the clock on that one and won a treat pouch with Jolly Ranchers. Wasn't she so nice to share with everyone?

{A Gift for my Stamping Team}

I can't believe it's been a month since I've posted!

Well, we've been busy, busy, busy preparing Extravaganza for you, so there's been no slacking off here.

These are some shots of the little Christmas treats I made for my team this year. I used two of the Sale-A-Bration sets (you know, the ones you can get for FREE during January and February) to make the cards.

The "ice cream bar" is actually white chocolate with a raspberry truffle inside. They looked so adorable and so YUMMY, I picked them up a while ago with this project in mind. (I said they looked yummy. No, I didn't eat one. I have to be very, very good) I took the ugly wrappers off and re-wrapped them in clear cellophane and tied with a ribbon - easy!

If you join my team, you too could get a white chocolate raspberry truffle.

That's my husband and my middle daughter asking me if there were any leftovers . . . .