Stamping Cat Studio

Success

2012-01-27T19:55:00.000-05:00

Yes, we successfully finished the cleanse. I lost 8 pounds and 4 inches (all in my hips and thighs). My husband lost about the same amount. Many people ask if I think it was just water weight and as soon as I start eating regularly I'll just put it back. I honestly feel like I lost stubborn fat that I haven't been able to lose. In addition, another benefit of the cleanse is it really makes you think about everything you eat. We have both decided to continue eating a protein shake once a day as a meal replacement - either breakfast or supper. So, I think the cleanse will have long term effects. In addition, my husband said he wanted to start taking isagenix product B and multi vitamins. I've been taking both of these with good results so I'm glad he wants to really take a more active role in his health. When you work so hard to get through the nine days it really makes you want to commit to a healthier lifestyle. So, I really think the isagenix cleanse was a great experience for us and one I would recommend to others.

Start of Day 8

2012-01-25T07:28:00.001-05:00

Well, yesterday was our last day of "real food" and we are now back to the liquid cleanse. To motivate myself, I decided to wear a dress to work today that is a little tight (especially through the hips and thighs). I am proud to say that dress is now loose on me - in fact, I was even able to go spanx-less. Normally, when I wear that dress I always wear my spanx to hide the bulges - but not today!! That helped to make it a little easier to start back to the liquid portion of the cleanse.

On a side note, I was a little worried about my husband the other night when he was opening the cat's can of food and remarked,"This smells good, like turkey - it is turkey." No, he didn't try it, but the fact that he thought their cat food smelled appealing concerned me. I got him all ready for today - measured out his liquid cleanse in individual jars for each serving, counted out his 6 almonds, and put his "snacks" in baggies. He should be all set for the day!

Wish us luck - we are down to the wire!

Days 5 and 6

2012-01-23T20:39:00.000-05:00

I got a little behind in my posts, so I'm combining days 5 and 6. We are really enjoying our lunches. I am feeling good and even went to the gym and lifted on Sunday and did a cardio workout tonight. One thing the cleanse has made me do is to be more aware of everything I eat. Sometimes I think I just eat automatically and don't realize how much or often I'm eating. When you only to get to eat 1 meal a day, you have a new appreciation for what you eat. I will admit, today I was pretty hungry so I started eatingmlunch at 11:00. For those who dont know my schedule, that's not too bad given I'm up at 5:45. I had my shake at 6:30 am but by 11:00 I was really ready for lunch.

Tomorrow is our last day of real food. After that, it's back to two days of liquid. I'm not looking forward to that.

Isagenix day 4

2012-01-22T13:26:00.000-05:00

Well, I got on the scale this morning and I lost 6 pounds since I started the cleanse. I was very happy! Didn't take measurements again, so I'm not sure exactly where I lost - hopefully a little all over. Hubby has also lost about the same. We are really enjoying lunch, and the shakes arent bad at all. I can't say we feel as though we are starving. I think our bodies are adjusting. Although my husband did admit that after I went to bed he was staring at the m&m's in the bowl beside him - and he swears they stared back.

Day 3

2012-01-20T19:43:00.000-05:00

Well, today was the day we've been waiting for - the day we get real food. The shake for breakfast and dinner wasn't too bad. Hubby found adding ice helped the taste. Yes, we've gotten to the point where we get excited about adding ice to a shake. Lunch was tofu and veggies and it was delicious. I'm impressed that hubby is doing really good. He is very excited that he can now have a hard boiled egg for a snack. I can't wait for tomorrow's lunch. I may go to bed early so I'll wake up and it will be day 4. All I have to say is I better lose some inches!

On a side note. I found the most hilarious web site. It's text messages that auto correct has turned into a completely different meaning. I laughed so hard I was crying. Either it's that funny or I'm getting delirious from the lack of food.

Day 2

2012-01-19T21:09:00.002-05:00

Just finishing up day 2 and I'm still feeling pretty good. I have managed to just have 1 apple each day and 6almonds as my only real food. Hubby has had 4 apples, celery, and not sure how many almonds. He was very excited about the prospect of a real meal tommorow. However, he thought that meant pasta and pie. I informed him that lunch will consist of steamed veggies, rice and chicken. I even went out tonight and bought his lunch for tommorow so he won't be tempted.

Well, I have to go drink my last liquid cleanse of the day. Looking forward to my shake tommor morning and especially looking forward to lunch!

First Day of Cleanse - We Survived!

2012-01-18T18:52:00.001-05:00

Well, it's almost the end of day 1 and we survived the cleanse. My husband was a little disappointed when I came home from work and he asked if he got any "real" food today - the answer is NO. Basically, our day consisted of a "Cleanse for Life" drink 4 times a day, 2 "snack pellets" 2 - 3 times a day(which are really nasty), an "accelerator" pill 2 times a day, and plenty of water.  The brochure said we could have an apple if we were really hungry, so we each had 1 apple in the afternoon. It was the best apple I ever ate!

My one problem is a headache which I had most of the day - it's finally gone away. I'm a huge iced tea drinker. Granted, I drink mostly green tea, but it still has caffeine. I'm pretty sure the headache was my body going through withdrawl. No caffeine for me (at least for another 8 days)!  We really have just been peeing quite a bit. I don't feel bad - a litle hungry at times, but nothing I can't stand. I even went to the gym and worked out.

Tommorow is a repeat of day two.  After that, we have 5 days of shakes for breakfast and dinner and a regular meal at lunch.

One day down and eight more to go!!

Isagenix cleanse

2012-01-17T18:58:00.000-05:00

My husband wanted to "jumpstart" his plan to get healthy and asked me to do a cleanse with him. I have done a fruit and vegetable cleanse in the past, but initially I wasn't too thrilled with doing another one (it's been many years since my last one). But, my husband said if I didn't do it with him, he probably wouldn't be able to go through it. I thought about it, and being the good wife that I am ;-)   decided I could do a 9-day cleanse.

If anyone is interested, we are doing the Isagenix 9-day cleanse. It looks awesome, but I just hope I can survive the full 9-days. I am a pretty disciplined person, so I am thinking I'll make it. The first two days are "cleanse" days - that means only the cleanse with an accelerator, plenty of water, and some of their "snacks." I think those will be the hardest 2 days.  Then, we get 5 days of shakes plus a lunch consisting of fruits, vegetables and protein.  That is followed by another 2 days of cleansing.

My plan is to post our progress on my blog. I am taking before and after measurements - which I will share at the end.

We are in prepration phase tonight and my husband is full of questions - and complaints. Now mind you, he is the one who wanted to do this!  He asked if he can have a beer during anytime in the 9 days - of course the answer is NO - are you crazy! He opened up the "snacks" and said he thinks our cat's treats are more filling than these. I was able to comfort him by telling him he could have an apple or 6 raw almonds or a celery stick if he got really hungry. Yes, my husband is off to the grocery store as we speak to buy a dozen apples and celery sticks (he already has the almonds)!

2-5-7-10 Bags

2008-08-05T20:14:00.006-04:00

I am having a Premier jewelry party at my home on Sunday and I made some 2-5-7-10 boxes to give as a gift to everyone who attends my party (or places an order before the party). I wanted to do something with a jewelry or "bling" theme so this Rubber Romance stamp was perfect. I added Stampin Up! Dazzling Diamonds to give it a little more sparkle. Of course, what better to put in the boxes for a goup of women than some chocolates! So far, I have made 25 boxes - I would rather have too many rather than not enough.

If you have never made the 2-5-7-10 boxes they are really easy to make. There is a great tutorial at Splistcoaststampers if you need instructions. I have to tell you, I recently purchased a Scor-Pal and this made these boxes even easier to make. I think I was able to score them in half the time in would normally take. My Scor-Pal was worth every penny! I found mine at Archiver's and was able to use my 30% off coupon - even better.

The Details: Stamp: Rubber Romance Paper: Assorted Stampin Up! Ribbon: Stampin Up!, Misc: Copic Markers, Scallop Scissors, and Dazzling Diamonds.

Thanks for stopping by and looking!

Coffee anyone?

2008-07-28T16:22:00.003-04:00

Well, it wasn't a good weekend for stamping, but I did manage to get one card finished. I was in Joann's this weekend and found the cutest K & Company brads that I just had to find a use for them. I made this card using Inky Antics stamps - and my K & Co brad. I actually designed the card around the brad - I picked the paper and ribbon that would match and went from there. Since it was a deep chocolate brown I thought something with a coffee theme was in order. See what you think. I hope you like it!

Details:

Stamps: Inky Antics. Paper: Stampin Up! Chocolate Chip, Designer Paper Misc: K & Co brads

Bad Blogger

2008-07-20T21:04:00.003-04:00

I'm sorry I've been such a bad blogger - seems I just never have enough time to stamp. By the time I get everything done around the house it's usually time to go to bed! This weekend I picked 6.5 pounds of strawberries at a local greenhouse. The strawberries are hydraponic so you just stand and cut them off the stem - pretty neat. It took me about 20 minutes to pick them. Then, I made strawberry freezer jam. I was able to get 20 jars - which was 3 batches. It came out pretty good, even if I do say so myself. Next, I am going to try peach jam.

Well, here's a card I haven't shown you before. I just love the American Art Stamps Emerson line - so funny. The paper is from a Glitter Stack I bought ages ago at Joann's. I also used some Stampin Up! Barely Banana with it. I used Copics to color the image.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Fourth of July!

2008-07-04T16:29:00.002-04:00

Happy 4th everyone! I hope everybody is having a great holiday! Today I am going to share this Rubber Romance card with you. Once again, I did some paper piecing to add some interest to her bags. I hope you like it!

The stamps are Rubber Romance and Inky Antics (sentiment).

I am hoping to find a little time to stamp this weekend - but I'm not counting on it.

Enjoy the long holiday weekend!

Sympathy Card for a Pet

2008-06-29T21:13:00.006-04:00

Today I made a sympathy card for a friend who's dear dog died very suddenly. He was only three years old and had been in good health, so the loss was especially difficult. Anyone who is a "pet parent" knows how they become part of your family and you grieve over the loss just as you would a person. So, I wanted to send her a nice card to let her know I was thinking of her and understand what she is going through.

Details:
Stamps: My Favorite Things and Repeat Impressions
Paper: Stampin Up! Brilliant Blue, Tempting Turquoise and Whisper White

Thanks for looking and I hope everyone has a great week!

Pretty in Pink

2008-06-24T19:15:00.005-04:00

I had this pretty flower stamp that I never used and was in the mood for something pink. I love this satin ribbon - I got it in a ribbon share. If you have never participated in a ribbon share, I highly recommend joining one. It's a great way to get a large selection of ribbon. I have joined shares hosted by Jill and Jodi aka Confessions of a Ribbon Addict and I've never been disappointed. They will post the shares on their blogs when they are hosting one - so visit their blogs to see what they have going on.

Well, on to the card:

Details:

Stamp: Stamps by Judith Paper: Doodlebug Designs - Bubblegum Sweet Stripes and Stampin Up! Misc: Copic markers, satin ribbon

Thanks for stopping by!

Birthday Bella

2008-06-22T20:52:00.004-04:00

Well today I finally found some time to stamp! I have a couple of birthday cards I wanted to get done this weekend, so tonight I am going to show you two very similar cards I made using the Birthday Cake Bella. I just love to paper piece her! As you can see, I used the same D.P. on both the cards - just switched how I used them! I also used my nestabilities to make the rectangle shapes - I just love my Nesties!

Details:

Stamps: Stamping Bella and Endless Creations (sentiment) Paper: Stampin Up! Ink: Pallette Noir and Copic Markers Misc: Nestabilities

I didn't have much time to play with my latest toy -Kohi-Noor pencils that I bought at Pat Catan's. It was customer appreciation day at the store so I ended up getting an extra 10% off my purchase - that made the set of 24 pencils around $9. I played with them a little and I understand why people have been raving about them - they really do spread like butter. I can't wait to spend a little more time working with these!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope everyone had a good weekend - it's back to work for me!

Some wine

2008-06-15T18:38:00.004-04:00

Here's another quick card I made on Sunday. I was pressed for time, so I didn't have a lot of time to be creative. This card is for my brother-in-law, who loves red wine. Again, I was challenged to make a masculine card so I thought this combination worked pretty well.

Details:

Stamps: Impression Obsession Paper: Creative Imaginations (Signature Collection), SU Basic Black, SU Old Olive Misc: Ribbon (from one of the ribbon shares I joined), Charm (again, I've had this one for awhile), Crystal effects (on the wine)

Father's Day

2008-06-15T18:28:00.003-04:00

Well, it's been a hectic weekend. I had 13 people for dinner today for a Father's Day and birthday celebration. I was busy making cards this morning because I never found any time all week to stamp. My Dad is a farmer, so I knew I wanted to use my A Muse tractor stamp. It's difficult for me to come up with masculine cards, but I thought this paper from Paper Patch had a kind of "country" theme to it - kind of reminds me of my dad's red handkerchief's. Anyway, I hope you all like it.

Details:

Stamps: A Muse and Stamps by Judith (sentiment) Paper: The Paper Patch (Red Bandana), SU Basic Black and SU Whisper White Misc: Crystal Effects (on tractor wheels), Copic Markers, Tool Charms (I have no idea where I got these - I have had them forever)

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all were able to enjoy time with your Dad's today!

Pretties Bella

2008-06-08T18:38:00.005-04:00

I have been a subscriber to the Paper Pretties "card in a box" club since it first started and have really enjoyed getting the kits each month. They are no longer offering the subscriptions and I recently received one of my last boxes - I will miss them. I thought I would share with you the latest card I made using the kit. This is one of my favorites. Sorry, but I don't know where the large brads are from - but they are super cute!

Details:

Stamps: Stamping Bella Paper: Bazill, Daisyd's Misc: Copic Markers

Brighton-Like Jewelry and a Bella

2008-06-08T18:27:00.006-04:00

Sorry it's been awhile since my last post. I am finding it very difficult to find time during the week to blog after I come home from work. Typically, I come home from work and then get a few things done around the house, then go to the gym and workout. By the time I get home it's about 7:30 and I'm usually in bed by nine so I can get back up the next day at 4:45 AM and start all over again!

Anyway, on to my latest post. I haven't made much jewelry lately but I got inspired by these pewter hearts I found at the bead shop. I love Brighton jewelry and I think I did a pretty good job at making a "Brighton-like" bracelet and necklace. I already have had 2 people ask me to make them sets! Here's what they look like:

Now for my Bella! I needed a little Thank-you for a co-worker who agreed to help me out with a project. I haven't used my Ginger Blossom paper from Stampin Up! too much and that was my inspiration for the card. I started with the paper and then went from there! Hope you like it!

Details:

Stamps: Stamping Bella and Paper Trey (sentiment) Paper: SU! Ginger Blossom, Groovy Guava, and Ruby Red Ribbon: SU! Groovy Guavy Misc: Nestabilities Ovals

Thank You Berry Much!

2008-06-01T18:39:00.006-04:00

Today I have a PaperTrey card to show you. I love Paper Trey and I'm trying to use all my PaperTrey stamps that have never been inked. I thought this "Thank you berry much" sentiment was so cute, and perfect for summer. I added Diamond Glaze to the center berry to make it "pop". Hope you like it!

Details:

Stamps: PaperTrey Ink: Stampin Up! Real Red and Garden Green Paper: Stampin Up! Real Red and PaperTrey white Misc: Oval Nestabilities, Real Red Eyelets, Red Dotted Ribbon, Diamond Glaze

Bunny and Coffee

2008-05-26T17:17:00.003-04:00

I think I'm on a kick with this Rubber Romance bunny stamp - I just think she is so cute. This time, I paired her with this great coffee saying "With enough caffeine, I could rule the world." Once again, I added a little rhinestone to her belly button and put some glitter on the bunny slippers.

Here are the details:

Stamp: Rubber Romance and InkaDinkaDo (sentiment) Ink: Palette and Copic Markers Card Stock: Stampin Up! Chocolate Chip and Whisper White and Jazz by Colorbok

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look!

Paper Trey Card Box

2008-05-26T16:41:00.004-04:00

This weekend I played with some of my Paper Trey stamps. I bought them awhile ago but never got around to using them. Lately I have been trying to take all my stamps that I've never used and put them to good use. I made a set of six cards using various sentiments that come with the set. The one pictured here, "Bloom Where you're planted" is one of my favorites. I also used "With Gratitude" and "Friends Forever".

Now, here's a picture of the little card box I made to put them all in. If you remember in one of my previous posts, this is the box that I learned to make from Allison's workshop in the mail kit - it's a great kit and Allison't instructions (complete with color photos) are great!

I really would prefer the box in Only Orange but I needed a 12" x 12" sheet of cardstock and I didn't have any in that color. I think I see a Stampin Up! order for 12" x 12" paper in my future!

Card Details:

Stamps: Paper Trey, Ink: Versa Magic Persimmon, Stampin Up! Old Olive and Only Orange, Cardstock: Stampin! Up Only Orange and Whisper White Misc: Orange Stickles

Hope you all had a great holiday!

Rubber Romance "Bunny"

2008-05-22T19:40:00.004-04:00

Today I made a card for a friend who was having a bad day. It's one of my favorite Rubber Romance girls, Bunny. I don't know if you can tell in the picture but I added a little rhinestone to her belly button and added a little glitter to her robe and bunny ears. I used my Nestabilities to create the ovals. I'm sorry, but I just had this little scrap of D.P. left and I have no idea who makes it.

Details:

Stamps: Rubber Romance and Inky Antics (sentiment) Paper: Bazill Ink: Palette Noir black and Copic markers Misc: Bella's Baubles and Stampin Up! ribbon

I hope this card brings a smile to my friend's face! Thanks for visiting me today. I am hoping to get a lot of stamping and jewelry making done over the long holiday weekend so please stop by over the weekend to see my creations and have a great Memorial Day!

Barbie - with an attitude!

2008-05-20T08:35:00.008-04:00

Remember my shopping trip to Joann's over the weekend? Well, I saw some cute Barbie paper and it reminded me of fun sentiment that I have had for quite awhile. Here's the outside of the card:

and here's the inside:

Details:

Stamps: Rubber Romance and Viva Las Vegas (sentiment) Paper: Stampin Up! Pretty in Pink, Barely Banana and Whisper White Ribbon: Polka Dot organdy Ink: Palette Noir and Copic markers Misc: Rhinestones

Here's another version of the card:

Details:

Stamps: Rubber Romance and Viva Las Vegas (sentiment) Paper: Stampin Up! Real and Red and Whisper white and Reminisce "Disco Love" D.P. Ink: Palette Noir Black and Copic markers Misc: Rhinestones

Thanks for stopping by!

Ribbon Storage

2008-05-19T10:11:00.011-04:00

As promised, today I am going to talk about ribbon storage. I'll admit it, I just love ribbon - I have tons and tons of it! I am constantly searching for the best method to store my ribbon. Thanks to the discussion forums at SplitCoast Stampers I have found some great ideas for storage. I can't take any credit for the ideas I am sharing with you today - I got all of my ideas from the very talented stampers over at SplitCoast and other bloggers who have shared their ideas for storage.

First, I would like to show you how I store my larger spools of ribbon. I'm talking about the full rolls of Stampin Up! ribbon which contain a lot of ribbon. Previously, I stored them on the rolls in drawers or baskets stashed in my stamping closet. I had so many rolls that they took up a great deal of room and it was difficult to see what I had. As you know, I have 2 cats who are usually in my room with me and they posed another problem - I could not leave my ribbon out because they would end up playing with it and I would find ribbon all through the house. How do I know this - I came home one day to find an entire roll of ribbon strung from my craft room (upstairs) down the hall and stairs!

So, I purchased Cropper Hopper 4 x 6 Ribbon Cards and wrapped my ribbon around it. Here's 2 pictures of the cards so you can see what they look like:

Now, what to store them in? I searched all over and finally found a storage unit I liked at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. It measures 22" w x 15" d x 25" h (with wheels). Believe it or not, I was able to fit ALL of my large ribbon spools into one drawer - and still have a little room left over. I divided the drawer into sections by cutting poster board to fit inside the drawer. That way there is a clear division of the sections. I have taken a picture for you of the drawer wtih my ribbons inside:

Now, for my smaller spools of ribbon and ribbon that I got via ribbon shares. For my smaller rolls of ribbon I saw a great idea using clothes pins. Basically, all you do is wrap the ribbon around the pin and then I secured them in place with Goody pony tail holders that I purchased at Wallmart. The pins I bought were actually called Doll Pins at Joann's. Here's a picture so you get the idea:

Now, what I consider the best idea of all - what to store all those clothes pins in. I bought a clear jar at Bed, Bath, and Beyond to put all my ribbon spools into. After using my coupon I think I ended up paying about $5 for this large jar. I sat the jar on a bookcase in my craft room so it's in clear view. I gotta tell you - it just makes me happy to see all the pretty ribbon sitting in the jar! Here's a picture for you:

Thanks for stopping by. I am working on a PG-13 card for tomorrow. It's a funny sentiment that I found in my stash yesterday and that goes perfectly with some Barbie paper I found at Joann's. That's one of my projects for today. Please stop by tomorrow and I'll show you what I came up with!

Shopping Bella

2008-05-18T18:50:00.008-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted much this past week. I injured my back on Tuesday night and I haven't been able to get too much stamping done - until yesterday. I made a shopping trip to Joann's and that inspired me to make a few new cards and to organize my ribbon.

Today's card features shopping bella. It is really a birthday card for my niece who loves to shop. I hope she likes it.

Details:

Stamps: Stamping Bella

Paper: Stampin Up! Bashful blue and Orchid Opulence

Ink: Palette Noir Black and Copic markers

Misc: Rhinestones

Please stop by tomorrow and I'll share some pictures of my ribbon storage for both large and small rolls of ribbon - remember when I said I was an organizaton freak!

Thanks for visiting. I'll try to post more next week - I promise.

Bella and Blog Tip

2008-05-13T16:39:00.008-04:00

Today I thought I would share another Bella and an organization tip for keeping your own electronic stamping notebook.

First, the Bella. Today I have stamping bella to show you. I paper pieced her dress using Stamping Up! D.P. I just love the sentiment - which is also from Stamping Bella. It says "Stamps $6457.33 Supplies $7872.58 handmade card: priceless" How true is that!

Details:

Stamps: Stamping Bella Paper: Stampin Up! Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink and D.P. Ink: Palette Noir black Technique: Paper Piecing and Gamasol and Colored Pencils Misc: Pretty in Pink Brads (Stampin Up!)

Now, my little tip for organizing all your stamping ideas from blogs. I know that I find so many great ideas on blogs and I thought it would be great to be able to save them and categorize them in a way that I could easily find what I was looking for.

What works best for me is to use Microsoft OneNote 2007 to create an online library of all my favorite cards and ideas. In case you have never used OneNote it is basically nothing more than an electronic notebook. You can create different notebooks and then create groupings under each notebook.

What I did was create a Stamping notebook and then I created categories (called section groups in OneNote) under that for each of my favorite stamp vendors - so I have a category (section group) for Stamping Bella, MFT, Cornish Heritage Farms, Stampin Up!, etc. I even have a category for Tutorials, Gift Ideas - you can add whatever you want. Then I created a sub-category (called a section) under each of these for specific sets or stamps. For example, under Stamping Bella I have a section for CosmoBella. Then, you can just copy and paste or use the "Send to OneNote" command to file the card using that particular stamp in the appropriate location. You don't need to create all your categories and sections at once - I just create them as needed when I want to add to my notebook.

The advantage is that I have all my ideas in one place and I when I paste them into OneNote it keeps all the links to the original post so I can see exactly where I got my idea - and I can give the individual credit for their work. No longer do I need to sit and think - "Where did I see that tutorial on the 2-4-6-8 box?". Also, I can save the entire notebook to a PDF document if I want to take it to another computer that doesn't have OneNote on it.

One thing to keep in mind - you will find an option on your browser to "Send to One Note" - in IE7 this is located under Tools - Send to OneNote. This option will send the entire web page to OneNote and file it under the "Unfiled Notes" section. Then, you will need to go in and move it to the proper location. To get around this, I just highlight the portion of the web page that I want to copy (I typically avoid copying the blog rolls and archive sections on the page) and then just hold down the CTRL + C on the keyboard to copy the highlighted contents. Then, I navigate to OneNote and either go to the location where I want to paste the contents (may need to create the appropriate section group or section) and either use CTRL + V on the keyboard or use the menu in OneNote to Edit - Paste the contents.

I have only used the 2007 version of OneNote so I can't speak to the 2003 version. It is my understanding that the 2007 version is much nicer to use. Also, I use Google reader to subscribe to all my blogs so that I don't need to visit each blog or rely on an email messge to tell me when they have been updated. Google reader is free - you just need to create an account to use it. I just add my subscriptions in Google reader and I log in and it tells me what blogs have been updated with all the links right there for me. I believe there are similar products that do this as well.

I hope you find this tip useful. I know it really works for me - but I am somewhat of an organization "freak". Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

I'm Back

2008-05-12T11:03:00.007-04:00

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day! Sorry I have been absent for a few days but I had Mother's Day at my house on Sunday and I just haven't had any time to stamp or post to my blog. So, I'm going to show you a bracelet and one of my previous Bella creations - CosmoBella.

I made the bracelet for my Mom for Mother's Day. It's hard to see but I added a charm that says "Mom" and the other charms are all hearts. The other beads are Swarovski crystal hearts and rounds in pink, crystal, red, and fuschia and silver stardust balls. My Mom really liked it! I think I may have to make one for myself too.

Now, for the bella card. It is cosmobella - one of my favorite Bella's! Let me know what you think of her.

Details:

Stamps: Stamping Bella

Paper: Stampin Up! Green Galore and Only Orange

Ink: Stampin Up! Markers

Misc: Ribbon and Charm from Stamping Bella

MFT Birthday

2008-05-08T20:19:00.006-04:00

Good evening! It's late (for me) so I'll keep tonight's post short. I have 2 MFT cards using the gamasol and colored pencil technique. I made matching envelopes for each of the cards. I had to bling them up a bit with a touch of Stickles glitter glue. Sorry, but I have no idea who makes the patterned paper - I bought it long ago. I have tons of paper in my stash that I have yet to use - I just love all those pretty papers!

Details:

Stamps: MFT
Ink: Palette Noir Black
Paper: Stampin Up! Yo Yo Yellow, Brilliant Blue, and Whisper White
Misc: Stickles Glitter Glue

Details:
Stamps: MFT
Ink: Palette Burnt Umber
Paper: Stampin Up! Chocolate Chip and Ruby Red
Misc: Stickles Glitter Glue

Thanks for looking - I'm off to watch Ugly Betty!

Sympathy Card

2008-05-07T20:10:00.004-04:00

I always have a difficult time making sympathy cards. I want them to be simple, yet have a comforting verse to accompany the image. This Eskimoo saying is one of my favorites for just such an occasion. It reads "Perhaps they are not stars in the sky, but rather openings where our loved ones shine down to let us know they are happy".

Details:

Stamps: Stampscapes and River City Rubber Works (sentiment)

Ink: Versafine Black and VersaMark

Paper: Glossy green card stock

I stamped the tree, ground, and people all in Versamark on the glossy cardstock. Because of the color of the glossy paper it takes on a beautiful shade of green. Then, I just stamped the sentiment in Black Versafine.

A friend of mine, June owns a great little stamp store in Zoar, Ohio and she was the one who taught me about using the VersaMark on the glossy green paper. If you are ever near Zoar be sure to check out her store - you will end up staying all day!

Shopping Bella

2008-05-07T19:41:00.004-04:00

First of all, let me thank all of you who visited my blog - I can't believe I actually have comments! I was so excited to see that people have been visiting my new blog. I really wasn't sure if anyone would bother to visit. All of your comments have been so kind and I really appreciate all your support.

Today I have one of my Bella cards to show you. If you do not yet own any Bella's you must get over to Em's site and see them. I will warn you, however, that they are highly addicting!

This card also uses one of my new favorite card sizes. The card measures 11" by 4 1/4" or 5 1/2" by 4 1/4" when folded. I can't take credit for this - I got the idea from Mish, one of my favorite bloggers. That woman is so talented, I think I have a book of all the ideas I have printed from her website.

The Details:

Stamps: Stamping Bella
Ink: Pallete Noir Black and Copic Markers
Paper: Stampin Up! Prints Pack D.P. and Real Red C.S.
Technique: Paper Piecing and Coloring with Copic Markers

Let me know what you think!

Oriental - Quick Card

2008-05-06T19:06:00.000-04:00

I am Chair of a committee at the university where I work and as I am approaching the end of my term as Chair I wanted to create a nice card for all the committee members to show my appreciation for all their hard work throughout the year. I had to make 13 cards so I wanted it to be something I could mass-produce relatively easily and also have a motivational theme. Here's what I came up with - let me know what you think.

The details:

Stamps: Penny Black and Stamp in the Hand (Chinese symbols)

Ink: Adirondack Pesto and VersaFine Black

Cardstock: Stampin Up! Old Olive and Very Vanilla

Sassy Card Box

2008-05-06T18:41:00.000-04:00

I took a great "Workshop in the Mail" class from Allison. The class used the Tart and Tangy set from Stampin Up! and included the stamp set and everything you need to make all four cards and the card box. I then created my own set of "girly" cards and matching card box. One of the great things Allison included in the kit was matching envelope liners - something I haven't done in awhile. I don't know why I don't do that more often, I think it adds a nice finished touch to the cards. Here's a pic of a card and matching envelope:

Here's some of the other cards I created to go in the box:

Finally, here is the card box for all the cards to go in:

The Details:
Stamps: Stampendous Sassy Silhouettes
Card Stock: Bazill and Provo Craft D.P. (Rob and Bob Studio - Girly Girl)
Misc: Punches, Velcro circle to close card box

Welcome!

2008-05-05T14:49:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my new blog, Stamping Cat Studio. It is so named because whenever I stamp I have my two cats who like to join me, Macy and Patches - I guess you could call them my stamping muse - or is that meows?!

I am new to blogging - although I have been lurking and reading blogs for about a year now. I decided it was time I finally tried my hand at blogging! In addition to rubber stamping, I love to make jewelry - I hope to share some of those pictures as well. I think jewelry-making and card-making go hand and hand. Although, I am finding that I need more space in my craft room to house both of my hobbies.