More Secret Cupid Gifties!

Hey, Everyone!

I missed you all, but I was sorta busy with the birthday thing, and my grandbabies, and lots of fun family stuff! Ahhh, life is good, isn't it??!!

But I don't want to move on without showing you the rest of the AWESOME gifties I recieved from my Secret Cupid - LISACAT!! She is just the bestest!!!

On Day Two she sent me a beautiful tin full of chocolate candies, a decorated package of popcorn - my favorite food in the whole wide world! AND another Starbucks card! Woo-Hoo!

And on Day Three, as if she hadn't already completely OUTDONE herself, she sent me this outta this world little "milk carton" thingy - a handmade carrier with four little adorable "milk cartons" all filled with candies! It is the most gorgous thing and I am going to case it for sure!!! AND another Starbucks card!!!! AND a clear stampin block cuz she remembered that I went unmounted! AND a foam pad for stamping on!!!!! LisaCat, you totally ROCK!!!! Thank you for all the beautiful, fun and yummy stuff!

Secret Cupid Swap Day One - I Am Not Worthy!

Hi, All!

Today is Day One of our Swappers' Anonymous Secret Cupid Swap! I have been so excited since my box arrived on Tuesday, and this morning when I opened Day One, I was simply bowled over!

Did I receive one adorable item from my Secret Cupid? No-o-o. Did I receive two adorable items from my Secret Cupid? No-o-o. I received FOUR absolutely fabulous items from my Secret Cupid PLUS a gorgeous card!!! SOMEONE really rocks!!! Ohmygosh!

First I received the CUTEST little matchbox filled with yummy chocolate candies - oh those will be gone before breakfast!

Then I received the cutest little Top Note box filled with more yummy candy! (Saving them for lunch! ha, ha!)

THEN I received a stunning acetate box filled with INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED caramels - how awesome is that????

And if all that weren't enough, I received a gorgeous gift card with - woo-hoo! a STARBUCKS card inside!!!!

And to top it all off, the most beautiful Valentine card from my Sweet Cupid! OK, whoever you are, you have awed and amazed me on Day One! Can you believe there are still Days Two and Three to open yet??? Thank you, thank you, Secret Cupid!!

Stationery Box a la Jackie Topa

Hey, Everyone!

We made it through January! Blizzards, ice storms, colds, flu - hopefully the worst is behind us and we can start to anticipate warm weather and good health for all! Anyway, February is wa-a-ay better than January because - it's my birthday month! Woo-hoo! And this year I'm celebrating in a big way because my sweet sons are throwing a big birthday party for me - now how awesome is that??!! LOVE those boys! And my sweet daughter-in-law, too who is probably doing most of the work and planning! She is an ANGEL!!!

So perhaps you have all seen those gorgeous stationery boxes that everyone is making. I don't know who started them, but I learned how to make them from my upline Kelly using Jackie Topa's tutorial. These things are so fun and easy to make and I love how they turn out! Take a look at this one I made for my dear friend Ruthie - I love it so much I had a hard time giving it away! But, I can always make more, because even though they look like a lot of work, they come together really quickly.

Hoping you have a great week - hugs and blessings to all!

Pics from CHA!

Hi, Everyone!

Thanks to my sweet friend Christy (hi, Christy!), I was lucky enough to get to attend CHA, the Craft and Hobby show and exposition in Anaheim on Sunday and Monday. Wow, was that fun!It's still going on, but, back to work today for me.

Being a Stampin' Up girl, I'm not that familiar with all of the other products out there in the crafting world. So I'm not looking so much for the newest, latest thing, but I'm looking for crafting ideas - and there were plenty of those! The exhibitor booths were gorgeous and the make and takes were so fun!

The first day I just went up and down every row, taking in the beautiful exhibits. Yesterday I joined my dear friends Carol and Kelly (hi, you two!) and we had fun doing make and takes. Our favorites? Darling little bound books using the Bind It All and a yummy chipboard book embellished with lots of beautiful dies from Sizzix. Can I say I am SO happy that Stampin' Up has teamed with Sizzix to give us beautiful new dies and texture plates?!

And guess what Sizzix is coming out with??? 3-D dies!! Think pop-up cards with a little house on the inside of the card - fabulous! And oh, the beautiful things we can do with our dies - I really want to use them with fabric to make quilts, decorate kitchen towels - the possibilities are endless, and there were examples to die for at the Sizzix booth! But sorry, Sizzix doesn't allow pictures, so I can't show you any of them.

But here are two pics of items made with other products that I am going to make using my Stampin' Up products. One is a cute little wall-hanging thingy and the other is a beautiful book that I could make using my Top Note die.

Wish you all could have come with me to CHA - it was awesome! And thanks, Christy!!

Recipe Swap Page Peanut Butter Balls

Hi, Everyone!

Here is a fun 6 X 6 page I made for a recipe swap. I used the new Just Buzzin' By stamp set - yah, I know those little bee people freak some people out, but I love the hive! Also used some of my now-retired Georgia Peach paper - gotta use it up! I stamped the bee hive on some of the So Saffron designer paper, to add some dimension. OK, enough about the deets, I'll bet you'd like the recipe!

Peanut Butter Balls

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cup quick cooking rolled oats

2/3 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup flaked coconut 1 tsp vanilla

Combine sugar, butter, flour and milk in a saucepan. Broing to a full boil; boil hard for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add remaining ingredients and blend well. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Cool and enjoy!

Have a yummy day!

Good-Bye, Georgia Peach!

Hi, Everyone!

Here's a little card for you using one of my favorite designer papers, Georgia Peach from Stampin' Up! This paper has been discontinued, so I'm wishing it a sweet farewell. I will miss it, but there are so many pretty new papers coming out that I'm sure I'll be able to comfort myself with something new to play with!

The layout is a CASE of a card I received from Scrapbookmamma_14 in our latest Swappers' Anonymous Swap. I love this layout! Thanks for the great inspiration, Ellie!

I'll be back later this week with a pic of a recipe swap I finished this weekend, and a yummy recipe for Peanut Butter Balls!

Raspberry Tart DVD Tin

Hi, Everyone!

Are you buried in snow? Shivering in ice and cold? Wherever you are, I'm sending warm greetings your way! (No, I will NOT say that it was 80 degrees here yesterday! Dodging the tomatoes being thrown at me!)

Ever since I saw my first DVD tin two years ago, I've been wanting to make one. What took me so long? Well, I wouldn't want to rush into things, you know! Now I'm happy to report that I've made not one tin, but fifteen! They are so easy and fun - I think I'm hooked!

Here is one in the brand spankin' new Raspberry Tart Designer Series Paper - isn't it gorgeous?

So I'm set to have a leisurely stampin' day today - not that I don't have a ton of chores to do, but sorry, they will just have to wait until tomorrow. Today, it's me and my stamps, havin' a little party together!

Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, I hope you have a restful day and a fun and healthy week. God Bless!