Nuts About My Hubby

Hi stampers!  On June 26th my wonderful hubby and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary.  We kept it about as low key as you can get by just staying at home instead of spending any money.  Although the delicious meal I was going to make got ruined as I think the chicken was bad!  It was stinky even though it was still within the date so I had to change plans mid-cooking. Oh joy lol!  But with chicken and being pregnant especially I wasn't taking any chances!!!! And we agreed no gifts this year as we are getting the best gift in a little under a month now ;-)  However, he DID learn his lesson on that fateful Valentine's day of 2013 where we said no gifts and he didn't even get his wife the CARD maker a card lol!

And while I hadn't been stamping much I knew I would never live down not having a card (lol) so I had to whip one up.  I don't normally get hostess sets, or try not to anyway since I don't do many events (hoping to change that after the baby of course) but this year's were just too cute to resist!  My card today is a case of one Kimberly Van Diepen made.  I don't case much anymore but it's great when I'm short on time AND inspiration which has been the case recently.  More the inspiration (and energy) than the time.  And I might have only started this one shortly before he was due home from work, hehe ;-)

But, since we act like 3rd graders I knew he'd appreciate anything with the word "nuts" in it.  Sigh....and they are just going to send a kid home with us....it's scary lol!  I hope we don't teach him TOO many bad things ;-)  And wouldn't you know, as soon as he opened it he was giggling :-)  He also even noticed and commented on the "nuts" on the trees.  This is why he's a keeper!  He always likes my cards and really does notice the details :-)

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps: Nuts about you (hostess)
Paper:  Whisper white, Bermuda bay, baked brown sugar
Ink:  Soft suede, Old olive, baked brown sugar
Accessories:  Woodgrain embossing folder, neutral candy dots, petite curly label punch, pear pizzaz taffeta ribbon (retired)

I did use some retired ribbon.  I kinda miss that taffeta, I really liked that stuff.  But the new cotton ribbon is similar in that it's thin, soft, and ties really well!

So there you have it!  Now you know we act like little kids 99% of the time around here.  Raising one should be interesting!  LOL!

Happy stamping!

HSS 189

Hi stampers and happy Tuesday!  And happy July!  HOW can it be July?  Little Baby Backes is due 30 days from today!  Ohmygosh!  I feel like I've been pregnant for about ever in one way but can't believe he's almost here in another!  Granted, we did know much earlier than most people do but still!!!!! It's crazy that now when people ask when I'm due I can say THIS month :-)  Guess that's why the dry cleaning lady said I was big the other day?  LOL!  Well lady I don't think I am but I am working on close to 9 months here ;-)

Anyway today is full of fun!  First, customers can order the pre-order sets of blendabilities now!  I've been having fun playing with these!  I'll have some tips and projects to share soon I hope (still struggling to get in the stamping AND blogging and doing most of anything lol groove!).  You can now get the skin tone set, coastal cabana, cherry cobbler, old olive, daffodil delight, rich razzleberry, and pumpkin pie now.  The rest of the colors will be out on August 1.  They really do make coloring easy and I'm so not a good colorer!  Even my hubby complimented my work the other night!  Also, buy any 3 packs of our DSP and get a fourth free through the end of the month!  Not too shabby!  All of these items are available in my online store or by contacting me directly.

And maybe the most fun of all, a new challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments starts today!  This week is an awesome color challenge using some of the new in colors!

I just love the new in colors and have NOT used them enough!  For my card I used the kinda eclectic stamp set.  This is one I tried NOT to like, lol!  Do you ever do that?  Try NOT to like a set so you don't HAVE to buy it?  LOL!  I'm kind of glad I sat on my order for a while because I really had talked myself out of it but then I kept seeing amazing cards made with it so I had to get it!  It's great on it's own and will work so well with so many other sets and elements!

I kept it pretty simple though since I got started on this a tad bit late.  But it makes great simple cards!

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Kinda eclectic
Paper:  Whisper white
Ink:  Hello honey, lost lagoon, tangelo twist
Accessories:  Basic rhinestones, natural ribbon, hello honey ribbon, butterfly punch

I stamped off the dots once although it's really hard to tell in the photo.  I think I should have stamped them off twice!  Lost lagoon is such a deep pretty color!  And the butterfly was punched out twice.  The first one I adhered flat with glue dots then folded the second one slightly in the middle for some dimension!

Ok, now it's your turn!  Go see what the rest of the team did and grab those new colors and play along with  us!

Happy stamping!

Fab Friday 44

Hi stampers and happy Friday!  It's been a busy week here with my BFF coming to visit which was fun but kind of sad since we wanted to go to the pool and it was cool and rainy.  Of course it was pretty nice today....right after she left...figures.  And then we are planning on seeing a movie this weekend and have our class at the hospital on Saturday.  Oh, and the crib is in and it wouldn't fit in my SUV so I'm hoping it fits in Jon's!  I'm tired just typing all of this, lol!  AND I should be getting a box of goodies tomorrow as I finally put in an order from the new catalog!  Do your orders always seem to come RIGHT when you have plans or a ton to do?  LOL!

Anyway, since it's time for a new challenge at Fab Friday I did manage to drag my tired self (I had fun with my friend but I guess she wore me out, lol) down to stamp last night!  This week's challenge celebrates the new in colors!

I kind of have a confession....I did NOT like these colors upon first glance but that's sometimes the case with new in colors for me.  Maybe because I REALLY like the other group of colors right now and am drawn to bright colors like them?  Maybe because these colors were so different from that group?  Who knows but each time I looked at them I liked them a little more and I have to say as I may have been putting this logo together at the last minute yesterday (kind of forgot to update MDS and that I needed to do it so thank you to our team member who reminded me!!!!) it struck me that I REALLY love these colors especially all 5 together!  There is just something striking about seeing them here together I think!  And I do like them in other combos but I really love this!!!!!!

So, I wanted to really focus on the colors so I went with a super CAS card which is mostly what I've done lately anyway (when time and mojo are lacking clean and simple is the way to go I guess).  I really need to sit down for a long time and play with these new colors and all my new stuff!  But I think the card turned out really well, yay!

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Point & click (Project life set), previous MPP stamp
Paper:  Whisper white
Ink:  Rich razzleberry, lost lagoon, mossy meadow, hello honey, tangelo twist, basic black

I used the stamp from the old MPP welcome kit and I love it!  I don't know why but it will be one of my all time fave sentiment stamps forever and ever!  And I have been seeing stars EVERYWHERE and I don't have too many so I hunted these down in one of the project life sets which just goes to show you those sets are highly versatile and NOT just for scrapping!   And again, with wanting to focus on the colors themselves I went ahead and stamped one set at full strength then stamped the second set of stars without inking again which is a technique I should use more often!  It's so simple but kind of striking!!!!

So there you have it.  I know I haven't shared a whole lot about my pregnancy but I thought I'd leave you with this crazy picture of my little man stretching out yesterday.  And it's not that I haven't wanted to...I'm just lazy lol!  But he is CRAZY active and actually hurts me quite often! This did not feel good but it just looked so weird!  My hubby and mom's replies when I sent them the picture were so funny!  lol!  I can't imagine what he's going to do to me in 6 more weeks!!!!!!

Now, if you're not totally freaked out (lol) head on over to the Fab Friday site if you haven't been there already to check out ALL of the DT's amazing projects!  I get a sneak peek of them on Thursday and have to say this week they are all more than amazing!!!!  And don't forget to bust out those new colors and play along!

Happy stamping!

HSS 188

Hi stampers!  I hope everyone had a good Father's Day weekend!  We went home for the last time in what will be a while I suppose since I won't be allowed by my doctor to go that far in a few weeks, we probably won't be going home any time soon after the baby comes for at least a month or two, AND it sucked lol!  I found that driving that far is really not fun for an 8 month pregnant woman last week when I had to take an unexpected trip home (actually to my mom's which is even an hour longer) for a funeral.  I thought it would be better if I rode home Driving Miss Daisy style in the back seat this weekend but it wasn't!  I was highly uncomfortable (back pain) and my feet swelled up even though they were up.  So, I'm grounded :-)  Maybe that means I'll get some stamping done though!!!!!

But, since it's Tuesday, I did get some stamp time in for Hand Stamped Sentiments.  This week is a fun little sketch!

I'm still struggling to get my stamp time in.  I did go down to the cold cave Friday night for some Father's Day cards and to get this one done which is for my BFF's sister who is due about a month after me!  My bestie is coming to visit today so I wanted a card to go with my present that I'm sending with her since I'll be grounded from the shower (boo).  Her sister and I keep laughing about how we are going to trade babies sometimes because as you see from the card she's expecting a girl and she's not girly and I'm having a boy and am totally girly :-)  Isn't that how it seems to go????  I have to say I did have fun shopping for her!!!!!  And I have to say I'm a bit bummed about moving when we did as there are a number of my friends having little babies soon so it would have been fun for Baby Backes and momma to have some friends to play with!!!!

I hope she likes it and it's not "too" girly...and I had to use the retired ribbon because I couldn't find anything else that I liked there :-)

Now, make sure to check out all the DT samples and play along with us!

Happy stamping!

Fab Friday 43

Hi stampers and happy Friday from our big rummage and rubber rummage sale!  We never had a neighborhood sale in my home town so I'm excited to have more than just my house going!  But since it's Friday we have a new challenge for you at Fab Friday!  This week is a fun sketch!

Remember you can use any shapes you'd like.  The sketch is just a general idea.  However, I tend to take them quite literally (not always but usually...it's just how I roll)!  Like this one....

I was a bad demo and used the now-retired DSP from the mini, whoops!  But in my defense I've been so busy that for the first time in like ever, I didn't make an order from the new catalog right away!  SHOCKING I know!  So, instead of new stuff I used old stuff.  Oh well!  I am happy that this set carried into the new catalog!  Yay!

Now, make sure to check out all the awesome samples from the DT and play along with us!  And come see me at 944 Blackburn in Grayslake if you're local to the Chicago/WI area!  Contact info is on the post from Thursday!

Happy stamping!

Rubber Rummage Sale!

Hi stampers!  Just a quick note as I've been busy this week preparing for our neighborhood rummage sale! Along with some great household items I have HUNDREDS of stamp sets and other SU items like card stock, DSP, ribbons and all kinds of stuff!

If you're in the Chicago-land area or even Southern Wisconsin you may want to stop by!  We are at 944 Blackburn in Grayslake.  I cannot begin to list the sets I have, there are just too many!  We'll run Friday and Saturday (June 6 & 7) from around 8am-3pm.  There's around 30 houses participating so there should be some good deals!

If you aren't local, I will be trying to offload some things on Ebay or here on my blog so watch for that in the coming weeks and if there is something you are dying to have you can always email me to see if I have it (if I can even find it lol).

And if you know anyone who needs any household items let them know!  We have a gently used washer and dryer, full size mattress and box springs, and some nice cabinets as well as other general household stuff!

Off to keep getting ready!   Hope to see you this weekend maybe :-)

HSS 187

Hi stampers and happy Tuesday!  I know it's been a while but we've been busy here as we were gone all weekend for our baby showers and are now busy getting all and I mean ALL the stuff ready and organized (and we couldn't even bring it all home in one trip lol) and washed up!  And I've been getting ready for a rummage sale and I'll continue to do that the rest of this week.  Whew!  I'm tired already.  So, I may be a bit quiet! Guess I'm nesting :-) But, don't forget you can order from the new catalog now.  And you can TELL I've been busy since I haven't decided what to order yet!  What is this baby boy doing to me??????

Anyway, it's time for a new challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments this week!  This week is a fun color challenge and I used MDS again since I could work on things in the car on the way home!

And my BFF's sister is due with a little girl a few weeks after me (we keep laughing that she's not girly and is having a girl and I am and am having a boy....isn't that how it goes???) so I will need a card for her shower soon!

I think she will like it as she's not super girly but the pink works well with the green and I didn't make it all "frilly" which she is not! :-)

Anyway, I'm off to wash oodles of little blue clothes and find "junk" around the house to sell!!!  Make sure to check out the design team and play along!!!!  And maybe even use some of your NEW SU goodies!!!!  :-)

Happy stamping!