Afternoon Tea Card, and notes....

Good morning!

It has been about one week since my last post, so I thought I'd better keep the blog alive with another card and some moving/selling/buying info!

The card is a standard A2 size with Afternoon Tea dsp from Stampin' Up!.I cut the flowers from the sheet of Soft Sky dsp, and attached them to the card front with liquid glue, glue dots and foam dots, for different levels of dimension.

Below that is layers of Kraft and Chocolate Chip cardstock, and Groovy Guava dsp, which have been sewn with white thread. That is the last little strip of Guava ribbon from my stash! Too pretty! And so sad!

The butterfly is stamped with Guava onto textured Whisper White cardstock and cut out.
This is a pretty any occasion card, which I think will be perfect as a females Birthday card! Don't you?
I love the Guava/Kraft/Choc Chip color combo. So elegant and soft together. I am glad I have more of that paper! :)

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Okay, so we have our house on the market. There is a big 'For Sale' sign by our mailbox. We have seen the listing on the web. We cleaned and raked the yard this weekend, and the house is super clean inside. I sorted out the toy box when no one was looking. My husband left this morning to work out of town for the week. (great)
Today I have several things to do. Call around to different flooring companies to find out how much they charge for installing linoleum, and their locations, so that tomorrow I can drive around and pick some out for the best price.
Look online to find an acre lot in a great Spokane Valley location with a great price.
Pick out a floor plan for the house I want to build on that acre.
Then paint the bathroom. (right)
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We had found a big house on an acre that we liked, but the owner is being firm on the price which we think is too high. So we are moving on, and looking around more. Just down the street from that house are several one acre lots for sale, and we can build a house and a shop for less than what this guy wants for his fixer. And it will be customized and brand new. So we may build instead of buying used. Sounds great to me!! I will keep you posted on our search and process!
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Our realitor seems so positive and reasurring that our place will sell fairly quickly, because it is a rare find out here, and because we have set a reasonable price. I have decided that I will not get my hopes up because he may treat all his clients that way! We all know that the realestate market is very slow, and barely gaining momentum. In my heart I am hoping everything goes smoothly, but in my brain I know that something always comes up. That is the way of life. There are always little bumps and swerves in the road that test our resolve and character. I am ready. Half crazed with antisipation and excitement, the other half laying low and being cool!! :)
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Thanks for putting up with me!

Go stamp something!

Sherrie

A little update....

Hey there stampers! I thought I'd jump in with a set of cards I made the other day, and add a little update on our moving situation.

These sweet cards are so Springy and bright! They are really making me wish for sunshine and blue skies!The cardstock and patterned papers are SU, as well as the corduroy brads. The stamped sentiment is Verve, and the half pearls are Martha Stewart. I created the flowers by layering die cut flowers from the SU Flower Fusion Sizzlet die, piercing them, and then attaching the brad. So easy and fun to make!
The colors here are Kiwi, Cameo Coral, and Vanilla. I love that combo!

The stamp used inside is from a little StudioG set that I have had forever! So cute and perfect for stamping around the sentiment panel.

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We have been on a house hunt, and have found one that really stands out to us. It was listed as a 4 bed, 2 bath but once we were inside realized it was a 5 bed, 2.5 bath because it wasn't finished. The price is right and we do not mind finishing it and painting and such so that it is the way we want it. It is situated on 1.2 acres just on the outskirts of Spokane, WA, and has a 2 car garage as well as a very nice shop that my husband is totally in love with. He is very mechanical, and this is perfect for him. He cannot live without his shop and tools, just as I cannot live without my stamp station and supplies!! My husband has promised to give me one of the bedrooms as my craft room, and will be building me lots of shelves too. I am super excited about that! The smallest room in this particular house is pink, and it has my name written all over it! Especially since I am the only female in the place!! Sometimes there are perks being the only girl! :)

We have notified a realitor, and are preparing to sell our home so that we can bid on this other home. We are going to throw out a lowball to see if the seller will budge a little, since the realitor said they were 'really motivated' to sell. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

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Also, on a positive note, my younger brother Scott has also found a little home to buy in that same area. He is raising his 3 year old daughter by himself, and has been renting forever. This is so exciting for him, as life has not always been so good to him. I am very happy for him!!

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I am supposed to be prepping and painting my bathroom right now, but I just had to get my PTI order in today! It took me about an hour to figure everything out. Most of the things I wanted were already sold out, so I will have to make another order soon! Poor me! Right?? Yeah!!

I have closed my Etsy shop now since I will be so busy. It was hard to do because I don't want to close it up. I want to stamp! But, soon enough I will be back in business! Plus I will have a bunch of new untouched stamps to use when I get unpacked. I will be fine! *sigh*

Things are moving along pretty well so far, and it is amazing because we have only just begun. I really hope this will be a smooth transition for my family.

Talk to you all soon!

Sherrie

Pretty Cards, Easy Flowers, and a personal note.

Hello stampers!

The weather here in Eastern Washington has been warmer and dryer than usual, but without any sunshine. So please forgive the dreary photos! :)

I worked on these last week, and thought they were worthy to share. Hope you like them! The sentiment is from Verve Stamps, the half pearls are Martha Stewart, and everything else is Stampin' Up! products, tools, and stamps. {Sorry.....Cuttlebug folder too!}
I keep seeing these really pretty, vintage looking flowers popping up all over stamping land, and wondered how I could make some too, with stuff I already own. So, after rifling through my entire stamping station, I came up with this. I used the Flower Fusion Sizzlet die available through SU, and for each flower cut out 2 of the largest flower, and 1 of the medium. I stacked them together and stitched the corduroy button on. Then I rolled all the petals over the button and between my fingers to curl them up. Ba-da-boom! Awesome right? You can also use the corduroy brads for this, by simply piercing the stacked flowers and inserting the prongs through. Curl as desired. Cute huh? You could even sponge some color onto the petals before assembling them for added contrast and dimension. Also, textured cardstock looks fantastic! I attached the flowers to the cards with multiple glue dots for security.

If you make cute flowers similar to these, please tell me about them and leave a link in the comments. I'd love to see and try them too.
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Now, on a personal note, my husband and I have decided to sell our home and property, and move closer into town. Into the 'burbs'. We have been rolling the idea around for about a year, and have decided it will be best for our family. We live up on a hill on 20 forested acres, about 40 miles from Spokane, WA. Basically in the boonies, which is how I have referred to it since we moved here in 2003. It is beautiful here, and we have the most fantastic view of the surrounding mountains, including the north side of Mt. Spokane. My husband thought he would love it here for the rest of our lives, but has now realized how hard it is physically, financially, and emotionally to be so isolated. I moved here because I love my husband, and truly have tried to love it too. I accepted that we would live here forever. I have been a stay at home mom for almost 6 years, and it has taken a toll on us financially, and me emotionally. I do not like being alone, I need people. And there are no jobs out here for me. I have been selling my handmade cards on etsy and ebay for about 5 years, but it only enables me to buy new stamping supplies and goodies, and Christmas gifts. All of my family lives inside Spokane, and I have hardly seen them for the last 7 years. I am so happy that I will be able to get back into their lives and be a part of 'family' again. My husband is getting excited about a smaller yard to maintain, and having free time with the family! My kids are SO happy it is unbelievable. My 5 year old only knows this place, but even he wants to live in a neighborhood with other kids to play with. And we all want to ride our bikes on concrete!!
We are meeting with a realtor on Friday, and are getting the ball rolling. We have a huge 'to-do' list of things to paint, clean, clear and burn before we will be ready to go. This means that I will not be *heavy sigh* stamping *gulp* very much, and actually have to pack up my stamping station *sigh* very soon so we can finish painting the interior of the house. {lots of tears and heart palpitations} Just the thought of NOT stamping is freaking me out! I get really crabby when I think about it, or think about boxing up all of my stuff. It really weighs heavy in my heart because I love it so much, and have come to depend on it for my sanity here in the wild. I am going to go through some serious withdrawals!! What's more, is that I have to get a 'real' job once we get settled, and probably will not be able to stamp much or even sell cards on etsy anymore. {Major tears} I will miss it so much! And I will miss everyone here in blogging/stamping land too!
I really hope that once things settle down, and we get into a new life routine, I will be able to have time for my passion. My fingers are crossed! And I will keep you posted!
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Thanks for putting up with me!
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Sherrie

I cannot sew!

Yes. It's true. I cannot sew. I am needle challenged.

And what's more interesting, is that I am the daughter of a seamstress and a sewing machine repair man! My mother can sew anything, and in any form of needle craft there is. She can make clothing from patterns, and probably without, knit, crochet, cross stitch, needle point, the list goes on and on. When my parents met long ago, she was working at a coat and clothing manufacturer, while my father was the head machine repair man. She would purposely do things to her sewing machine so that Dad would have to come and fix it! So funny! After they started dating, Dad got a job managing a mattress factory, fixing huge quilting machines that stitch the pillow tops we all know and love.

My mom must have been in needle craft heaven after I was born, because I remember that she would make a lot of my clothes. Boy did I hate it! I was the only girl at that time, between two brothers, and I was a really big tom-boy! I wanted to do everything my brothers did. So when Mom would make me wear handmade dresses or plaid pants with knitted sweaters and saddle shoes, I protested! I'd have rather worn my brother's hand-me-downs! I REALLY hated picture day at school too. She would make me wear rollers in my hair all night. You remember those prickly and stiff ones held in place with bobby pins? You just cannot sleep while they are digging into your scalp!

Looking back, I have to say that those clothes were pretty cute, but you do not realize what a good thing you had until you are old enough to look back! LOL!

I do remember my mother trying to teach me to crochet, just the simple loop around the finger chain. And I made a few very small blankets for my dolls, and some very short scarfs. But I just did not take to it, and I think my mom gave up and let me go play outside!

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Boy, do I wish I had paid attention now! Sewing on cards is a must, and it looks so pretty. But every time I approach my sewing machine with a piece of gorgeous cardstock, or a stamped and water colored image, I get sweaty palms and heart palpitations!! You'd think I was about to give a speech in front of 1,000 people! It is so scary to me! So I have to take a deep breath, and wipe my hands, and just do it. Slowly. Very carefully. And, I must say that I am getting better at it. One card at a time. Just don't ask me to sew a busted seam, or patch a worn knee. That's my husbands job!

Stamps: Echoes of Kindness, SU

Papers: Razzleberry, Orchid, Whisper White cardstocks; Cottage Wall dsp, SU

Inks: Old Olive, Razzleberry, Orchid

Etc: Razzleberry ribbon, Scallop Trim border and ticket corner punches, buttons, and SEWING!

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Thanks for putting up with me!

~

Sherrie

What I've been up to.....Any Occasion Note Cards

Hello! Did you miss me? Did you wonder where I am or what I've been up too? I bet you can guess..........yup, STAMPING! Of Course!

When I am M.I.A., it literally means 'in action' for me! I have been in a super inspired place for the last several weeks, and I have stayed far away from the computer so that I could make good use of it. Because in reality, I find that real, surging inspiration is few and far between for me. I love it when I do not need a sketch or color challenge to get my juices flowing! When I can rely on my own imagination and intuition for a design, I roll with it! Besides, I rarely feel inspired by most of the color combos and sketches out there, and my head gets all clogged up looking at other peoples cards and crafts constantly. I like doing my own thing, and occasionally, if something jumps out at me, I do it too. Challenges are fun, and so is winning stuff, so don't get me wrong, I do them too. But there is something to be said about that feeling you get when you pour your self into a project, you can feel it, you can see it, when you know you are on to something, and it turns out just the way you envisioned it before you even got started. That's what I love about cardmaking!

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Here is something of my very own...........Sure, it looks like half a dozen sketches out there, and it could be a color combo somebody else thought of also, but not this time. It is my own.
I knew what they were going to look like before I even made the first cut. Beautiful.

They are clean and elegant, and wonderfully feminine. I love it when the turn out that way!

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Thanks for putting up with me!

Sherrie

Hello Monday!

Good Monday morning!

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I am back at my computer and stamping station today, after a nice relaxing weekend with my family. We goofed around a lot, watched some movies and played games. My husband worked on my Tahoe a bit, {he is a wonderful mechanic!} and I grabbed a few moments to stamp! It was a great weekend!

Can you believe it is the first day of February already??? Time is certainly flying by! We'd better keep our eyes wide open so we don't miss a single moment!

~These sweet little note cards use a sentiment from Verve, and mostly all new items from Stampin' Up!. I love Pretty in Pink and Chocolate Chip. So pretty! The Sending Love brads are so awesome with the felt flowers. A perfect match!

I see that many stamp companies are having new releases and sneek peeks already! Yikes! I have a Love/Hate relationship with this time of month! I love all of the new items and ideas, but hate the fact that I cannot afford it all!! :) Anyone else feel that way? I bet I am not alone!
ClearDollar Stamps has a new release today, with a few stamps I added to my list.
And Papertrey Ink started their 3 Year Anniversary Party today with a scavenger hunt and a chance to win over $200 in products! You know I am in on that!!
Check out Nichole Heady's Blog for that info! It is going to be exciting!
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Okay, I'd better get moving and take advantage of every minute today! I have lots of new ideas and stamps on my desk, and my son wants to play with PlayDoh too!

Thanks for stopping by!

Sherrie