that's SWELL!

How was your Thanksgiving weekend? We had a GREAT time, although the kids both managed to get another cold! Our Christmas tree is up, and mostly decorated, and the Christmas Village is up (thanks to my wonderful husband who puts it up every year.) Our tree is going to look. . . unique this year, with a giant baby gate wrapped around it, and one section (that's too close to the gate) with NO ornaments on it, because they are within reach of a grabby-handed little one-year-old. I'll try to get some pictures up soon, when we get the tree finished up.

This little card is featuring papers, the ADORABLE chipboard cat clock, and sentiment sticker from Modern Homemaker by October Afternoon. The cardstocks are Berry Red Doublemates, and Soot from Discount Cardstock.

We are ready to hit the ground running this week. We are going to SeaWorld, this weekend, for Mr. B's birthday, and there's lots to do before we leave! Then, the following weekend is Superhero Training Academy (AKA Bryce's birthday party! So fun!!!!)

Have a great Monday!!!
XOXO

Love love love love!

I LOVE this time of year!!!! The anticipation of the season as a whole, and having so many fun activities to look forward to, and participate in! The weather is cooler (although not REALLY cool yet .. . .it's supposed to be 80 degrees on Thanksgiving! YUCK!)

Today we made an early morning run to WalMart, (and picked out a new bike for little man's Christmas gift!) and then came home to make pumpkin cheesecake, and put up the Christmas lights! The boys decorated the driveway with an assortment of chalk drawings, and I am decluttering toys from the living room, to make room for the Christmas tree which we will get later this weekend.

This card is my CPS card for the week, featuring stamps from Kitchen Sink Stamps. I think this is my favorite of the multi-step stamps that I have used from KSS. I used a few different shades of ink, and paired the image with the November kit from Discount Cardstock. (cardstock, ribbon, and button are all from the kit.)
In other news, there have been a TON of amazing deals lately, and it seems like every time I check in online, there's another great deal. Here are a few of my favorites:

Hallmark - $10 off, when you spend $10!!! (And I am sorry to report, that when I just went to link ya up, the deal has expired! So thankful I printed my coupon last night! PHEW!)

Scholastic Books - so many great books and games for kids. Discount code for free shipping, and 20% off!!

Discount Cardstock - free shipping on Black Friday! Use discount code 100%FreeShip

Kraft coupons and More Kraft coupons - holy cheap cheese (and other stuff), Batman!!!! Match these babies up with some sales, and you can score an awesome deal!!!! LOVE Kraft Q's!!! I got shredded cheese for 30 cents a bag yesterday at Target, thanks to some awesome coupons!

Okay - back to the festivities and cleaning!!!! I hope you have a MOST blessed Thanksgiving (and successful Black Friday shopping!) I am thankful for YOU! Thanks for stopping by today!!!

the tough stuff. . .sorry and sympathy cards

I find one of the hardest kind of cards to create (aside for cards for teenage guys) are sympathy cards. I worry about them being too much of an extreme in either direction. . .too bright, too cheery, or too depressing, and too dull. It's hard to find a balance.
I thought that this patterned paper, (Magnifique, from Close To My Heart) was a pretty good happy medium. And this stamp set from The {Stamps} of Life is a terrific set to have in your stash, for all the "I'm Sorry" kind of cards you need to make from time to time.

I tried to keep all of these cards pretty simple (oh wait, that's what I always do!) I wanted the focus to really be on the sentiment. On this first card, I paired the stamp, and CTMH paper with cardstock from Discount Cardstock. And the button and string are also from there, in the November kit. I tied a big sort of. . .double bow of sorts, through the button. I am not exactly sure how I did it, but I love the way it turned out!

More of the same CTMH paper, and DCS cardstock on this one, and another funky bow through a tiny button - this time I attached it onto a stamped circle (also from TSOL) which I thought was a nice little accent.

But I think that THIS one is my favorite. That red cardstock is the Doublemates cardstock from DCS . . .it's a lighter shade on one side, and I LOVE the way it looks when the edges are torn! Isn't that cool? I traced alongside the flower image with a white colored pencil, just to add a little more dimension and detail.

Hopefully we don't have to create too many cards to share our condolences. . . but it's awfully nice to have a few to turn to, just when our loved ones need them!

I promise I will be back soon with some BRIGHT CHEERY HAPPY CARDS, okay?! Don't get bummed out, with all this talk about sympathy, okay? ;) Hugs! Thanks so much for coming by today!

(card supplies: patterned paper - CTMH Magnifique, cardstock - Discount Cardstock (Berry Red Doublemates, Posh Aqua Satin Sparkle, Posh Felt Chocolate - all from November Kit, also Kraft and Ivory, stamps - The {Stamps} of Life Sympathy4You)

have i not shown these to you yet?! ACK!

(Unity Stamp Co sentiment, and The Stamps of Life banners)

Hey friends! I'm finally back. For a minute. Before I have to start running again. We are having family pictures taken this weekend, and it is going to be the DEATH of me. I've been here, there, and everywhere trying to find clothes for us all to wear. I just needed a few new pieces to work with what we already have. . . but it became this HUGE production, and the kids don't have shoes to wear, and Tanner needed a haircut (which Eric and I are working on, a few snips at a time) and frankly, at this point, I am just ready to have it OVER WITH!!!! Hoping everyone will be clean and pretty tomorrow, with no scrapes, scratches, breakouts, or black eyes (because you never can tell, with boys in the house!)

Plus B has a Thanksgiving shindig at school today, so I'll be wearing my Room Mom Extraordinaire hat today, and try to make things run smoothly!

The cards I'm sharing with you today are all from the Discount Cardstock Posh Paper November Kit. The colors are . . .. amazing. LOVE them. The perfect combination of bright, and subdued. I have made oodles of cards with this kit - it really is full of LOTS of paper and ribbon and buttons! I hope you'll check it out. The December kit is on it's way to me RIGHT NOW, and I can hardly wait to see it! I know it will be fantastic too!

So last night, I cooked spinach for the first time. Spinach. Seriously. I had never cooked fresh spinach. Only the kind that's all chopped up and frozen, and you just dump it in soup. Well, the recipe I cooked is called Elegant Orzo with Wilted Spinach and Pine Nuts. And it was QUITE delish! I highly recommend it!

(stamps are from Kim Hughes Collection and Cornish Heritage Farms)

(Unity Stamp Co stamps on this one!)

Well it's time to get the big boys up, and get the day started! I hope your Friday is TERRIFIC!
XOXO

One of the coolest things. . .

Perhaps you may have noticed, but for AGES (like since the day they opened their doors. . .actually even before that, when they only designed stamps) I have been SMITTEN with October Afternoon. (Then again, who isn't?)

So a few months ago, when they started their "Designers We Love" and I was invited to BE a DESIGNER THEY LOVE (gasp!) I was totally tickled pink!!!!

Last week, I got a MONDO. . .seriously big, box of October Afternoon product in the mail. Out of the blue, a total fabulous fun and SURPRISING surprise (surprising. . .that's what surprises usually are, aren't they??) ;)

We were out of town for the past few days, so I've hardly had time to REALLLY dig into it, but here are the first two cards I've made, using the Modern Homemaker line. It is retro and bright, and totally adorable!
I paired these sweet patterned papers and embellies with cardstock from Discount Cardstock (of course!!!) The Frosted Teal Prismatic, and the Gray Prismatic match quite nicely with the retro colors in this paper!

I hope you've had a GREAT week, and a fabulous weekend. I've got to hit the ground running every day for the next two weeks, to accomplish all I need and WANT to do!!!! Lots of fun stuff going on, and I am feeling QUITE festive and excited about the holidays!!!! Thanks so much for stopping by! I'd love it if you'd leave a comment, and let me know what fun stuff YOU are up to!

XOXO

wishing you a sparkling holiday!

Okay, so in other news. . . . PATTERNED PAPER. At Discount Cardstock. BoBunny. How cool is that? Midnight Frost, Crush, and Crazy Love. 6x6 pads. Yes, 6x6. I LOVE 6x6 pads of patterned paper! And they are even on SALE. Do go check it out!!!

And now, an update on my baking endeavors this weekend. First of all, the cranberry drying. . .it worked. I think. I haven't tasted them yet, but they look . . .dried. If you follow the instructions on the link I shared, I'll warn you - it took about three times as long as they said it would. I dunno.

And the cheesecake. . . .oh my GOODNESS, I am SO pleased to report, it turned out AWESOME!!!! The graham cracker crust stuck to the bottom of the pan a bit. But other than that, it was amazing. It is seriously yummy. And all I did, was follow THIS recipe. I'm kind of excited to try some other varieties of cheesecake now. I'll just have to find lots of friends to share the calories with!!!!

We are going on a quick trip to visit my parents in a few days, to celebrate three birthdays, plus an early Thanksgiving, all smooshed into a two day visit. It should be fun, minus the fact that Tanner has decided once again that the sleeping thing is highly over-rated. And don't get my started on the time change. The LAST thing I needed was ANOTHER hour to listen to screaming in the middle of the night. And now both boys have been up for the day, during the 5:00 hour, this weekend. That is SUPER UNCOOL.

Which is why, I am off to get breakfast started. . . .along with the COFFEE.
Have a terrific day, and a terrific week!
XOXO

Lovely Fall

This is one more of the cards I created with October's Apron Strings Card Kit. It makes me think of fall. . .all warm and snuggly. It got COOL here last night!!!! Although the sun isn't up yet, I can tell it's going to be a GREAT day! Despite the sniffles, and a few other bumps in my path, I am ready to spend some time in the kitchen, and do some cleaning - all with the windows wide open, enjoying the weather! I am going to attempt two firsts in the kitchen - baking a cheesecake (pumpkin cheesecake to be exact) and drying a big bag of cranberries. (I'll be using the oven instructions here.) Wish me luck!!!
The days, as always, are whizzing by, and I am doing my best to stay focused on the must-do's, and repeat my mantra, "do-not-procrastinate!!!" so that I can spend more time doing what I want to be doing - enjoying the season!!!! So my blog posts may be a little less frequent - but I'll be around. I've given up the idea of being a "big-time, tons of readers, update every day, always something fabulous to post" blogger - I'm glad I have a blog, but really, dear old blog. . .what have you done for me lately? Is it really worth spending quite so much time? (Certainly no offense to the six of you who read my blog. I am QUITE happy you stop by, and I hope you will continue to!) So look for me once or twice a week, and perhaps posting less frequently will allow me more interesting things to say!!!
HAPPY NOVEMBER!!!!!!
XOXO

my trick or treaters. . .

Here are my two little munchkins, last night. (This was before Spider Man put his costume on, and after my train engineer lost his hat - the hat which lasted all of 2 seconds, as you would expect!!)
Hope you all had a fun Halloween!