Blog Candy and Loribelle Bags

My wonderful friend in Texas has started her own company making beautiful purses. Isn't this one pretty?? I love the pink and black. Just adorable for a tween or young lady. I think I like it because I have 2 boys and would love to buy this purse for a girl..but who?? It's cute hey??





I hope you will check out Lori's blog and Etsy store!! You will be glad you did.



http://www.chefmamacrafts.blogspot.com/

Check Lori's Etsy store here
www.etsy.com/store/ChefMama

Hello Everyone and Happy Almost Thanksgiving!! I almost forgot to post this info and am a day or two behind! So goes my life! SU is having a huge sale..HUGE...many items are 30-40-50% off. SU is offering some very cool and special bundles that some of you might be interested in.

The Four Square Bundle retails for $30.90 in the catalog and is selling as a bundle for $15.45. One can NOT get enough scalloped punches and this one is a great one!

The Pendante Note Bundle sells in the catalog (items bought individually) for $39.85 on sale now as a bundle for $27.90. I personally LOVE these notecards!!!!

Catalog price for the Sock Mokney Set bought individually is $58.85. On SALE now for $35.31. Geez, I love that little feller.

Click any of my SU links to the right to go to my SU stie.

More fun Christmas Gifts!!!

I have a Little Elf working for me now...Mama Becky! Hehehe! She's been so busy helping me get a few things ready to sell for Christmas gifts. Below are a sampling of the Mama Becky line of Hartley Handcrafted.

I have 6 Post-It Note Holders that sell for $7 and include a matching pen. They make great teacher gifts, etc. What you see here is what I have on hand. Mama Becky will gladly take orders if we need more!

Mama Becky has also been busy making Gift Card Holders. The ribbon on each card slides off and opens up like the card on the far bottom right. The gift card slides into the little envelope inside. These sell for $1.50. I have about 15 of them..most of what you see here.

Here's a close up of a few...aren't they pretty???

Mmmmmm...chocolate., My favorite. Mama Becky has about 15 of these left to sell for $2.50 each. The big Hershey bar is included.

Pull the ribbon up, and out Mr. Hershey comes!

All these items make wonderful teacher gifts, Secret Santa gifts, Stocking Stuffers, etc....

If I run out of the items listed above, Mama Becky will gladly take orders for more fun stuff! They live out of town so there might be a small shipping fee if we are not going to their house or they are not going here.

Give a big Hartley Holler if you'd like to purchase any of these items. I'll likely have The Loft open soon if you'd like to stop by. Today was a big Craft Bazaar at a local church and The Loft items are still packed away in tubs!

Hope to see you soon!

Nugget Tins and more for Christmas!!!

This year I am making Nugget Tins for Christmas gifts. These hold 12 Hershey nuggets, each decorated to match the tin. Tins sell for $6 each and make wonderful Stocking Stuffers, gifts for Secret Santa's, Teachers, Bus Drivers, Music Lesson Teachers, Daycare providers, etc.

I also have lots of cards for sale so if you'd like a misc. box of 8-10 cards as a gift to give, I can work those up for you, too. Just let me know what you'd like inside....b-day cards, thank yous, sympathy, baby, welcome, etc! Cards run between $2.25-$2.50 each for these boxes.

Other gift ideas are listed in my Labels section on the blog.....down to the right. Just click on any topic and some idea will come up....coasters, tins, Christmas, monogramed stationary folders,etc......

Respond to this post, or call or e-mail if you are local.

Merry Christmassssssss............

Special Blessings!

I think this is one of my new favorite SU sets....Special Blessings. It's on page 50 of the SU catalog and comes with a cross, a dove and the words May God bless you......on your Special day...on your Wedding day...as you start your Married Life...on your First Communion...on your Baptism day. I made this for my Wedding stach.

I used Cameo Coral for the main image and used the Petals-a- Plenty SU embossing folder on Shimery White. It really sparkles IRL.

Baby Tin for Elizabeth!

I made this tin and 12 Thank You cards for my friend, Elizabeth, who is having a baby in about 6 weeks or so. They have waited and waited for this baby and have Dreamt about having another baby (their 3rd) for about 6 years. I had to put the words 'Dream' on their little one's tin. I hope this baby has lots of dreams in life and will succeed in everything he or she does. It is for sure already loved by many!

Christmas Smorga-Something!

So...if you know me you know I can't spell worth a hoot...and had trouble spelling smorgasbord in the title of this post. I mean...it's really not that hard of a word...Smor--which I love to eat over the open fire with choco and warm toasty mallows. Gas--well, we all use it or pass it, right?? Bord--wish I was bored more often but I keep pretty busy and don't have time to get bored...smorgasbord...did I get it??? Shew!!

You will have the opportunity to join me for a card smorgasbord on Thursday, November 19th. We will meet at 7 at my house. You will relish in dipping your fingers into the ink to taste 4 different cards, making a total of 10 cards in any combo you so choose (As long as supplies last for that particular card. The chance to make each card design will be on a first come first make basis). The cost of the class will be $15. If there are extra cards, you may choose to add more cards to your group of 10 and pay $1.50 per additional card.

Below are the samples. Please call to sign up. I have limited space this time due to some changes we are making in our home, but could work with 8 or 10 ladies. Remember, you can always make SMOR cards above and beyond your 10....I know we will have a GAS at this event (just don't pass it)...and you won't get BORD for one minute! Come join us!!! Call now or reply to this post or e-mail.

Smorgasbord'ya!

Beth

Altered Tins!

I love making these altered tins for people. I made this set for a customer. I'd put more details but don't want to give away the Christmas present..I doubt it will be found here but you never know.

The tin comes with 4 matching cards and my customer wants to add 8 more cards from my card bins. A tin like this sells for $35 with 8 cards (matching or other), and $45 with 12 cards.

You can custom order these tins in colors, themes, with names or monograms on them......just let me know! :)

Christmas in October Workshop

Hi ladies,

Are you getting in the mood for Christmas? I am! I had a few new stamp sets come in and played around with them today. These are the samples for my up and coming Workshop. I hope you will be able to make it!!!

Details:

Date: Wednesday, October 21st.

Time: 7:00

Place: My house

Fee: $5 for 3 designs (1 each) of Christmas cards.

Give me a call or send me an e-mail if you can make it. I have room for 10 ladies! Sign up now.. you won't want to be left out! :)

Also, if you host a workshop in your home, you can make 3 similar cards with your guests FOR FREE! Plus, you earn hostess dollars and will earn 1 free stamp set for a $150 show. Let me know if you are interested in hosting a workshop in your home with 8-10 or more of your friends!!!

Halloween Peeps!!! Free the Peeps!

So, I'm at it again with my Peep capturing. I saw these little ghosteseses and had to jar them up for my Halloween S'mores! Here they are for your enjoyment!

1 jar $12 or 2 for $20 These make awesome teacher gifts or a hostess gift to take to a Halloween Party. I love me peeps even though me can't stand to eat the things...ewwww...but if you love peeps, you will surely love eating these s'mores.

Terrific Tiles!

Here are a few double sets of tiles that I am making for a customer. I love the Halloween set! I used the retired Stampin Up! set Carved and Candlelit for the pumpkins, Pocket Silhouettes for the grass and the words came from a $1 bin at a local craft store.

This set was made using the current SU! set Upsy Daisy and I love how they look on these tiles. I also used the retired SU background stamp, French Script and an old, old retired set (not even sure of the names) for the verse from Proverbs, "A Friend Loveth at All Times". I inked around the edges of the tiles to give it a framed burnt look and I think it really adds a lot to the set. I hope my client loves these!

These retail for $2.50 for single tiles, $10 for a set of 4 tiles and $20 for a set of 8. I can personalize or monogram tiles as well so if anyone is interested in a set for gifts, let me know!

I've been working on Halloween Peep jars today so will post those soon. Free the Peeps! Free the Peeps!!!

Scrapbooking Craze!

Well, I'm finished with my scrapbook for hire and thought I'd share a few more pages from the book. I love how it turned out and hope my friend (and client) will love it too.

Scrap Pages with Petal Party

Hi everyone! I'm so in love with Stampin' Ups Simply Scrapping kits. I've never used one before and when I signed up as a demo, a kit came with my SU starter sales kit and I LOVE IT! Why didn't I hone in on these before? I'm so dense sometimes....shesh!

Well, some of you may think that SU only sells stuff for card making and rubber stamping...but they have expanded sooooo much that in October, they are coming out with My Digital Studio which has Stampin' Up!'s exclusive images in an easy to use software studio to make creating cards, photo albums, scrapbooks and other projects even simpler! I can't wait to take some time to familiarize myself with this new component of SU. I've not ever done a digital scrapbook...as you can see from the photos....I'm lovin' my hands on books. But, I will definitely give the digital aspect a look/see. You can find out more about My Digital Studio by clicking on the Holiday Mini Catalog over to the right of my blog. Scroll to the last 2 pages of the catalog to find the digital information.

Now, back to my hands on real life scrapbooks! I've been working on a book for hire for a friend. Isn't the little girl DARLING! Mom and dad aren't to bad themselves! These are 2 pages I did this weekend using the Petal Party Simply Scrapbook kit from Stampin' Up! The back ground sheets are from my local scrapbooking store, but everything else on the page is from SU. You can find the kits on page 164 of the Idea Book and Catalog.You can get to the catalog by clicking on the catalog over to the right above the Holiday Mini. I will for sure be getting a few more of these kits....they are FANTASTIC!

Inky Stampadoodle Scrap Samples.

I thought I should post the samples from today's party in case anyone is interested in having one in the future. The pages were 8x8. The mom bought scrapbooks for the girls as their party gift so they all had their own books to put their pages into right away. These were basic guidelines for the girls and it was super fun to see them take off with some of their own wonderful ideas. I left my samples a little 'bare' so the girls would take off and add a little more 'stuff' into their pages. They did and they turned out too cute.

Inky Stampadoodles Scrapbooking!

I had so much fun at my friend, Latrina's house. Her daughter had an Inky Stampadoodles Birthday party. There were 3 teens and Latrina...a her lil' son who had fun playing with our scraps! We made 3 8x8 double page spreads. I love providing the examples and then watching people take off. It was fun to watch the girls just explode with this....mama did too!

You can have an Inky Stampadoodles party, too! Just scroll down to my LABELS over on the right side of my blog. Click on Inky Stampadoodles and the other posts with more examples, prices and samples will come up. Feel free to respond to this post or e-mail if you have my e-mail address.

Country Morning Thank You!

Hello and Good Morning! Except it's night time here! :) I'll be saying Good Morning......well, er, uh, in the morning!

I am in love with this new hostess set out of the catty.....Country Morning. It's a Level 1 Hostess Set and can be yours, FOR FREE, when hosting a qualifying workshop in your home. You would need to have $150 is SU merchandise sales at your workshop and you can get this set as well as $15 towards other items in the catalog. When you book your workshop, you will get a new 2009-2010 Idea Book and Catalog for free. These retail for $10 and are full of card and scrapbook ideas.

I made these little Thank You's for some friends at work. They are just the right size (3x3) to attach to a little packet of greeting cards. I hope they like them!



I used my Bic Mark It markers to color most of this image. I really wanted to buy the entire slew of Copic markers a year or so ago and a friend told me to try the Bic's before I forked out a wad of mulah for the copics. I did and really like them. I did happened to buy my first copic this weekend, though, at our local United Arts and Education store. I had gone there to purchase some items for my classroom and saw a sign on their door that said WE SELL COPICS. So, of coarse, I had to check them out and get at least one. I bought the gray C1 and love it for shading around an image. I also used it with my gray Bic and the two worked together really nicely. So, now, huh..........I think I really need some more copics! I might have just found my new addiction!

Speaking of hostessing a workshop...here is the September Hostess Bonus:

You will not want to miss out on this Hostess Bonus for September. Host a qualifying workshop of $250 in sales and you, as the hostess, can choose anything out of the Holiday Mini Catalog for $10. In addition to this, you will also get $15 in free items out of the Idea Book and Catalog and will earn a Free Hostess Stamp set! What a great way to build up your stamping supplies!!
Call now to book your home workshop.

Fishy Friends

Fishy Friends....and I have quite a few, I tell ya! I have one friend who I adore who works in a hospital. On her floor, they have a FISH theme and she loves to place orders for cards with a fish theme. Here is one I made up for her to preview. She requested a card with sand and shells. I couldn't get a good shot without getting some glare off the ziplock bag that contains the shells and sand. But, I think you get the idea.

I love the way the cuttlebug worked on the background. My upline showed us this technique at our last stamp club. Ink up your brayer and roll ink on the side of your cuttlebug embossing folder where the design goes down into the folder....NOT the bumpy side where the design is raised. The ink will not go down into the crevices. Place your paper inside the folder and run it through your cb as you normally do. When you pull it out, the ink will be on the flat part of your paper, and no ink will be on the bumped up part of your paper. It is a really neat effect and creative way to do more with your cb embossing folders.

Remember, you can order most any card off my blog. Just leave me a message here or e-mail if you have my e-mail address. You can also place an order for Stampin Up items by going to my store. Click on the Idea Book and Catalog over to the right and it will take you to my store.

New Fun Stuff!!!

Well, I have some news to share for those of you that don't already know. I got a teaching job! So, I will be out of the childcare world and into the public school teaching world once again. I start tomorrow!!!! That is why there have not been any posts here for a few weeks....just busy, busy, busy shutting down the daycare and getting ready for my classroom. I'll be teaching Kindergarteners 1/2 day and Early Childhood Special Ed Pre-kers the other 1/2 of the day. It's been bittersweet....I will miss my daycare kids. Some have been in my care (they themselves or their older siblings) for 5 1/2 years. I will miss them all. But, I'm soooo excited for this new adventure and am thrilled to be on the same schedule now with our boys.


We had a family reunion this weekend at my Aunt's. All of my brothers and their families were there...minus my sweet niece who was on a mission trip. And, my sis and family and parents and cousins and kids and more kids and more kids! It was a total blast.


My bro and sis-in-law are expecting their first baby and we had a little family shower for them at the reunion. I made 20 of these Thank You cards as part of their gift. I know they will get lots and lots of baby gifts so will need some Thank You cards. They are from Texas so the cowboy was just right for their little Buckaroo!!!

Stampin Up! Just For Kids Promotion

Spend $35 on the Growing Up section of the Idea Book and Catalog (click catalog in right column) pages 74-90 and receive a FREE package of Stampin Up! designer buttons.

Also, here are a few pictures of my latest Stamp-A-Stack Workshop. I had a small but mighty group of great gals and we had so much fun creating our two sets of 5 cards.

The next workshop is coming up on September 17th. We will be making tumbled tile coasters so keep your eyes open for further details. To see samples, scroll down the blog to the Labels section and click on TILES.

If you'd like to host a workshop in your home, you can do so for free. Each person who attends will make 3 greeting cards and will have the opportunity to purchase items out of the Stampin Up Idea Book and Catalog. You, as the hostess, will earn free items from the catalog! Let me know if you are interested in hosting a workshop in your home!

As always, you can let me know if you'd like to place an order or you can order on line by clicking the catalog over to the right. It will take you to my Stamin' Up! store.

Kids Are the Cutest! A Challenge for You!

This has nothing to do with stamping....but all to do with kids. My mom sent this youtube to me and it's just darling. What a voice Tennessee Ernie Ford had and what a cute rhythmic son he had too. Love this old song! Now, How can I tie this in with stamping and scrapping?? Ideas? A good challenge coming up? I'd love someone to take off and run with this one.

Use this video as inspiration for some sort of card or scrap page!


http://carolynspreciousmemories.com/Videos/childrengo-tennernieford.html


If you post a link to your work using this as inspiration, I will draw names from the posts to win something....not sure what...something old...something new...something borrowed..something blue.....well, I'll figure out what that 'something' is! Enjoy and go for it!!!

Paula's Award!

Paula, you are such a sweetie to pass this blog award on to me. I feel so unworthy! Thanks so much. You all need to visit Paula's amazing blog here: Her work is incredible! Thanks again, Paula. You are a sweetie pie!!

www.cropnotesandcrafts.blogspot.com

This award is passed on to other bloggers who, in the opinion of the bestowed, feel the bloggers creations are brilliant. I certainly don't think my work is brilliant....maybe brilliant with a little DORK quality added in the mix....making it more dorky than brilliant! :) I do thank you all for visiting and for looking at my work.

The conditions or this award are as follows:
1. I must thank the person who gave me this award and post a link here for you all to go and visit her blog... you will be doing lots of drooling over Paula's work...it's simply scrumptious!
2. I must list 10 honest things about myself.
3. I must put a copy of the Honest Scrap logo on my blog.
4. I must list at least 7 worth bloggers to pass this award on to and list their links.
5. I must notify the blogger of their award.


10 Honest Things About Me

1) I love Jesus...just like Paula and Nina before her! :)
2) I love nice spring/fall weather.
3) I love to read except I always fall asleep...can't remember when I last finished a book.
4) I drink Diet Coke and Love Lipton Green Tea with a citrus twist.
5) I need to loose some weight! :)
6) I'm a dork!
7) I love chocolate!
8) I craft for therapy...it's cheaper..well, some months it is!
9) I just became a Stampin Up demonstrator about 3 months ago and LOVE it.
10) I run a daycare and naptime is my favorite time of the day! Quiet! Ahhhh! I do love all my little kiddies though..they are each one precious in their own sweet ways!

I bestow this blog award on the following bloggers:

Toni http://www.39thaveink.blogspot.com/
Holly http://www.hollysstampinmania.blogspot.com/
Karen Lynn http://www.karensdandypatch.blogspot.com/
Peggysue http://www.rosesbymywindow.blogspot.com/
Linda B http://www.mylittleyellowcottage.blogspot.com/
Linda M http://www.prettyinky.blogspot.com/
Lori http://www.chefmamacrafts.blogspot.com/
Wendy http://www.onepickyfamily.blogspot.com/
Traci http://www.tracimajor.blogspot.com/
Leona http://www.stampinwithbettyboop.blogspot.com/
Vikki Jo http://www.vikkijoscorner.blogspot.com/

Joyce www.1ashjoy.blogspot.com

I know, I can't count..but there are more than 7 amazing blogs out there! ;)

God is Near at All Times!

Back in the fall, one of my online Christian sisters posted a prayer request for a family in Canada whose 14 year old daughter had been murdered. She was walking home one afternoon and was murdered in broad daylight. The daughter's father happens to be a Baptist minister. I remember reading news articles about the incident. I sent a card to the family because this weighed so very heavily on my heart. I've wondered, on and off over the months, how this family was coping. Well, just the other day, my on-line sister posted an update.

Here is a link to another blogger who interviewed the father, Terry Stauffer.

http://www.challies.com/archives/interviews/god-gives-strength-as-needed-an-interview-with-terry-stauffer.php

I wanted to copy and paste part of it here but my silly computer is not letting me do that this a.m. I hope you will take a few minutes to read the interview as it is a moving piece. The article has helped me to see that God is much bigger than me and that He provides strength to those in need. I often wonder how, when tragic things happen in our lives...how one copes? I admit, my life has been pretty easy compared to loosing a child. I know in my heart that God will give strength, His words ring true!!! But, as a mom with kids..I don't know how I would make it on my own without God's strength.

" He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak." ~ Isaiah 40:29

"Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord." ~ Psalms 31:24

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through HIM who gives me strength" ~ Philippians 4:12, 13

All these thoughts this week have reminded me of a card I made up when I was at my mom's. She had just had knee surgery and I was up there helping. She had set out some scrapbook papers, etc, on the bed and said I could create and play and make up a few cards. Well, you know me, I couldn't turn down that offer! So, here is a card I made at that time. I think it fits so well with all these thoughts....when we don't know where God is...or we are so consumed by our pain...He is there and comes and searches out for us!



I hope that no matter what you are going through today, that you will find strength in God's promises and if you can't find Him, that you will let Him find you! He will!

The Train to BONKERS!

I love this stamp set from SU! My mom brought her set down a month or so ago and my 8 yo son LOVED playing with it. So, I ordered it! He didn't know I ordered it though. When Mr. Brown came a few weeks after, he was jumping up..."Did you get the train set, mom? Did you??" YIPPY! He was so excited. So here are two samples using this set. One is a birthday Thank You for our younger son. He turned 6 a few weeks ago and these are Thank You's to send out to his guests. Now, it will probably take us 6 weeks to fill them out, but, hey..it's good for him! :) I made 17 of these yesterday...I felt like I was on the train going to Bonkers!

The other card is for a friend who turned 40 this week. He will love it!

This set is called Choo Choo and can be found on page 83 of the new catty. The train track is a SU wheel and can be found on the same page and is called Right On Track. If you'd like to order this set, contact me, or place an order directly on my SU site by clicking the gold SU catalog on the right side of my blog.

As always, you can order most any cards you see on my blog. Price ranges are from $2.50-$3.50 depending on style, construction and design. OR if you'd like to make similar cards, check out my class offerings or you can hold a class in your home with a few friends. Typically, for in home classes, we will make 3 cards each and you, as the hostess, can earn free Stampin Up! items.