Happy Holidays

Hello stamping friends! I have had to push blogging to the back of the shelf like unwanted leftovers because my kids are home and I've not had much time to myself. I have been working on some things that I have yet to photograph, though, so once school starts again, I'll be able to get to that. We have been so very busy here and it doesn't seem like it will stop. I have a few quick Valentine ideas I'll want to share soon, too, so don't give up on me yet.

Oh, yes, I had a Card of the Week for A Muse, too. You can see it here, just go to the entry for 12/28. I have to say, it is quite a kick in the britches to see something I made in the newsletter, as well as at Angela's Happy Stamper (I have a Valentine's Day sample there right now).

I hope that everyone has a happy and healthy New Year! I'll be back very soon.

card info: notecard, images, sentiment by A Muse, cardstock by Bazzill, ribbon by May Arts, white gel pen, Spica glitter pen, Prismacolor marker-walnut.

Almost Ready (playing catch-up)

Last night I was busy, busy, getting packages wrapped and tagged. It is such a "job", but I love doing it. I'd love to have beautiful wrappings flowing from beneath my tree, but with kids, it doesn't seem worth it. But I do make some special and my eldest daughter wanted to make a sparkly one, too, so I snapped a couple of photos of tags to share:




Last week my daughter performed the "Penguin Polka" at school. I wanted to give her a little something special for this, so I made her a pair of earrings to wear.



She was so excited and showed them off to her classmates. She told one of the girls that I had made them in the oven, too. I love shrinky dinks!

And one final thing to share (sorry for the long post). For a teacher gift, I usually try to make something yummy for them to share with their families. I made some homemade (not-so)thin mints and placed those in old chocolate tins. I jazzed up the tins a bit with patterned paper and some stamped images. Here is a photo of the two canisters for the teachers:



Well, that sums up the better part of my previous week (aren't you glad I left out the not so good part? You'd have been here for quite a while!) I hope the remainder of your holidays are beautiful!

info: there is a lot here, so if you really want something specific, email me and I'll get back to you!

Round of tag

I forgot to play Geeta's game of tag the other day.  I've been busy with teething toddlers, so please forgive me!  The game was to share 7 random things about me, so here goes:

1. My TV is currently tuned to "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story."

2. I love the smell of Fritos, the old Band-Aids (from a tin), and a freshly mowed lawn.

3. I just heard my husband pull into the garage (Yay!  He's home from St. Louis!)

4. I have laundry I should be folding.

5. I just found out my LSS has a blog!  Check out the sidebar link for more.

6. My cousin Matthew and his wife, Melanie, just had a baby yesterday (gotta call him soon).

7. I make a mean rum cake for Christmas, too.

I have seen that there have been many people tagged of late, so, if you'd like, leave a comment with a random fact to share here.   

Cookies Up the Wazoo!

This was my dining room table on Sunday. It was filled with 27 different types of cookies that I made for our family holiday party (this isn't a cookie exchange). For some friends and neighbors, it was their first Shacochis Cookie Party and I got a lot of "Are you crazy?" thrown my way. But, I love to bake and I enjoy having our friends, family and neighbors come to visit for a little bit and let the kids run loose through the house or the yard. Every family leaves with a bag that has one of each type of cookie in it, too. So if someone didn't get to try something, they will at lease have the chance later. All the cookies that don't make it out of the storage bags, go into bags for the mailman, waste disposal specialists, teachers and various others. I was a bit wiped out after Sunday, plus I had lots of other things to get done before stamping, so I can only leave you with another picture of cookies (the 28th variety) that were special requests by the Red Sox fans in my house (there are actual green St. Patrick's Day uniforms, too!). The last photo is for the paper crafters - my centerpiece!

This Old House

Here is another ornament for you. I figured that I did not need to bother with a sneak peek today because you can see all of the new images right now, right here. So much fun! Let me know what your favorites are when you have a moment, I'd love to hear. Ok, so the ornament here is from a Martha Stewart kit found at Michaels. It had eight house shaped favor boxes. The boxes were cute, but I would have preferred these without the green windows and doors. So I just covered it with paper and added stamped images. I made the chimney from 4 stamped images (cut out with little tabs added), I cut out windows and adhered transparency film behind each, too. Here's a look at the one of the windows:



Mouser probably is stirring, looking for something good to eat! I am not 100% pleased with this, but I think there is potential in the project. It did come in a set of eight, so I might try out another idea when time permits.

I hope you all have a great weekend. We are supposed to get the dreaded "wintry mix" just in time for my Cookie Party. I will try to share some photos next week with you, if I remember to take any photos, that is.

info: images by A Muse, cardstock by Bazzill, pop dots, Diamond Dust, Prismacolor markers, transparency, house kit from Martha Stewart, stickles, black pen.

New Blog to Check Out

Just a quick not to A Muse fans out there: Becky now has a blog! I've changed the links on the right to reflect the change but you can also click here. She has a great "shabby chic" style that I really admire.

Also, thanks for all the birthday wishes. I've been receiving beautiful handmade cards from the A Muse Addicts for the last couple of days. I've never received so many handmade cards. It is wonderful and the cards are just so lovingly made. Thanks!

Anyone out there? I have a Sneak Peek!

I've been looking around at some other A Muse release sneak peeks and I hadn't seen this one, as of last night. I just love the sweet little girl stamps from A Muse, especially with the little socks and Mary Jane shoes. If any had a uniform and saddle shoes, I'd have to have it, too. Any way, I'm sure you're waiting for the peek-a-loo, so here it is:




Isn't she cute? I love her big Valentine, too. This might be my last of the sneak peeks. Tomorrow is my birthday and I have some cleaning to do around the house before our party on Sunday. I'll see if I can find some time to make another sneak peek for you, though.

card info: image, sentiment, ribbon, notecard and papers by A Muse, tag by Making Memories, ribbon by Offray, stickles, Prismacolor markers - walnut, deco pink, COPIC marker - baby skin pink.

Sweet Wishes SNEAK PEEK and an Ornament

Here is another peek featuring one of the new Valentine release stamps. I've used it here for a tag that could be used on packaged sweet treats for the Christmas season, but it could easily be transformed into a treat tag for any other holiday or season. I am currently thinking about cookies. LOTS of cookies. Over 1200 cookies! My family hosts a family friendly cookie party for family, friends and neighbors and it is this Sunday. I usually send everyone home with a package of one of each type of cookie that I made, too. These would be very cute attached to the bags. If I have time between cleaning and baking and frosting and being mom, I might make some for the doggie bags.

info: image and sentiment by A Muse, patterned paper by S.E.I., cardstock from my scrap supply, ribbon by May Arts, stickles, eyelet by Making Memories, Prismacolor markers - walnut, cinnamon toast, crimson red, deco pink.


Here is another ornament I made for one of my little girls. I haven't decided which will get it, though. I found these plastic ribbon slides at a store in Massachusetts, right down the street from my in-law's house, called The Stamp Act. Marie is a lovely woman and has such neat and interesting finds. I bought two of these without really knowing how to use either one. Since it had openings on both ends, it was perfect for a ribbon hanger and extra embellishments. Also, since it is plastic, I gave it a faux solder by adding a line of stickles along the sides to seal the stamped piece and slide together.
info: image by A Muse, ribbon slide (?), Prismacolor markers - avocado, ballet pink, sand, COPIC marker - baby skin pink, SPICA red glitter pen, beads, bells and earring hoops from Michaels, stickles.

S.W.A.K. *sneak peek*

Here's the next installment for you. I know, another black card, but this color scheme works for me. It just seems kind of chic, the exact opposite of me! I am NOT kidding, either.

I love this little heart peeking out of the envelope - as my cousin Lesly used to say, it's "kinda impish!" I was in such a hurry to make this one that I didn't wait for the black ink to dry to color it in before adding the stickles, but I really should have done that - it makes a big difference.

card info: image and cottage note tag by A Muse, cardstock from my supply, ribbon by May Arts and from my scrap supply, stickles, pop dots.

YAY! Sneak Peek Time

I am doing this VERY early for all the east coast A Muse Addicts out there. My third child woke up at 5:40 am this morning, so I figured why not? Gotta feed the addiction, right? This new release is for Valentine's Day. So, after you have finished all of you winter cards to send to family and friends, you can get started making your sweethearts cards, too.

These images are all so cute and there are lots that are perfect for kids' Valentines. The one I am sharing today would be great for a boy. This was one of my favorites, too, he's just so FUN!



I hope people get this one. It also is difficult to use almost all black for a Valentine's Day card. I had the idea for this a while ago, but it isn't exactly "simple" because I had little details I wanted to add, like the rounded corners of the spotlight and the shadow of the burglar. Plus, I had to commit to using quite a bit of ink direct to paper. I tried to make the sentiment have a shadow, too, but I probably wouldn't do that again. Here's a peek at the shadow:



I'm only allowed to share one peek a day with you, so check out my fellow designers and instructors for peeks today. Happy drooling!

card info: notecard, images and sentiment by A Muse, cardstock from my supply, quickie glue pen, glitter by Stampendous, Prismacolor markers: cold stone, crimson red, warm grey 20% and 40%, COPIC: baby skin pink.

Paper Mache Box Ornament

Last year at a Paper Source store I bought these beautiful paper mache ornaments that I decoupaged with patterned paper. I really want to get back to one of those stores, but I don't know if I can. If I ask my mom, I'd bet she'd go with me to help keep the girls quiet. Since I can't make it there yet, I bought a paper mache oval box at Michaels and made it into an ornament. A Muse and ovals go hand in hand, so this worked out great (well, I think so, anyway).



I added the little bell to the bottom, just for interest, but it would have been better if it were a wee bit bigger. I also added detail to the lid:



I have another idea brewing for some Martha Stewart product I found while I was at Michaels, too, so stay tuned. PLUS! Don't forget to check out all the A Muse designers' and instructors' blogs Monday for sneak peeks for the new release!

info: images by A Muse, box, ribbon, jump ring and bell from Michaels, paper from my scrap supply, Modge Podge, eyelet by Doodlebug, quickie glue pen, glitter by Stampendous, Prismacolor markers: sky blue light, leaf green, crimson red, sunburst yellow, Copic marker: baby skin pink, Signo silver pen, paint.

Holiday House Ornament

As promised, I have another ornament to share today. I used some product packaging to make this one (May Road). It is very small, just perfect for A Muse images! In the close up, you can see that I stamped the image twice so I could give it some dimension with pop dots. I thought about adding some Dazzling Diamonds to the bottom for more snow, but passed on the idea because it is a very small space. I think that a bigger tin would be better for that.



info: image and paper by A Muse, Spica glitter Pens by Copic, liquid applique, glitter by Stampendous, Prismacolor pens - sky blue light, susnburst yellow, cinnamon toast, avocado, deco pink, pop dots, Maya Road tin, ribbon by Michaels.

Interesting Tidbit (and MORE!)

So here it is:
Here in the Washington, D.C. Metro area, we have had snow fall on December 5 four times in the last six years! I think it is officially the "snow day." That being said, being out on the roads is not fun. Many people panic and drive too fast or too slow. And, for some reason, everyone leaves their house at the same exact time as everyone else. So, what should one do when she doesn't want to leave the house? Stamp (and photograph stamped items)! I was busy doing so, however, the two year old in my house has decided to reject the notion of nap time lately, so my quiet time is very short these days. I will share something with you today, and, hopefully, tomorrow and Friday, too!

I decided to make a few ornaments for my two youngest daughters, who are seriously lacking in their personal decoration collections. This is the first. I've had these wooden blocks (1 1/4") for a couple of years but had never gotten around to making anything. My mom has some of those old alphabet blocks on ribbon for ornaments, so this is my homage to those relics.



This is very simple, but I could have easily made these more elaborate. The most difficult task was putting in the little eye hooks (find these in the wood turning section at crafts stores).

info: Alpha stamps by A Muse, scrap paper, wood blocks, eye hooks, stickles, paint, Modge Podge, ribbon by SU!

O Holy Night (A Quickie)

This was a card I mass produced for the holidays while I was in Massachusetts. This was an easy one to carry along because it didn't require much. I glittered the stars before we left home, so the mess was minimal. I was able to get 25 done while I was talking to my family members or up early before the kids. I've been working on getting all of my holiday cards stamped and ready to go, as well as preparing for our annual Cookie Party that is coming up in two weeks. In fact, I have cookies baking as I type. I have made a few other things, but I haven't photographed those yet; my leaf raking duties keep calling me during nap time! It is on my to do list, so hopefully I'll get to it tomorrow.

card info: images, paper and sentiment by A Muse, pop dot, glitter by Stampendous, Prismacolor markers - sand, cinnamon toast, mocha light, muted turquoise, sky blue light, sunburst yellow, warm grey 20%, COPIC marker - baby skin pink.