There comes a time...

...when ones life gets too busy to write about. For the last 6 months, that has been the case for me. When I think of the years I've kept this stamping diary, I'm amazed with how long I've kept it up. What an achievement. I'm going through a stage in my life where I need to re-evaluate my daytime routine and prioritize things.

I'm not saying goodbye to blogging, but you will see less posts here than I was accustomed to writing in the past. I'm spending more time on my banner service blog here: http://www.blogstamper.com.

My husband has picked up some of the slack and has started a blog here: http://capnfrank.blogspot.com/. Along with other miscellaneous weird stuff he's into, he will be posting photos and information about all our foster kitties we take in.

I also have a newly redesigned Stampin' Up! website here: http://www.michellelaycock.stampinup.net and I will start mailing out regular newsletters again soon. To get on my newsletter mailing list Click Here

Sometimes life moves too fast and one needs a chance to breathe. Please excuse my absence on this blog. I needed to give myself a chance to breathe.

Cookie Exchange

Diane Zechman got an idea to host a Cookie Exchange... She chose a particular stamp set and gathered a few people to come up with designs using the stamp set. She chose to feature "Big Bold Birthday" by Stampin' Up!. I was a bit limited in that I borrowed the stamp set images (I don't actually own this stamp set). This was the first time I designed a card without using the stamps directly somehow on my background. It was hard, but I think I came up with an acceptable creation.

Recipe:
Stamps: Big Bold Birthday, Linen
Inks: Groovy Guava, Purely Pomegranate, Soft Sky, Wild Wasabi, Blue Bayou, Basic Black
Paper: Whisper White, Wild Wasabi, Blue Bayou, Purely Pomegranate, Groovy Guava
Accessories: silver brads, Mat pack, Designer rick rack from SU, glitter, Hologram Highlights embossing powder, linen thread

This is a greeting slider card. The greeting slides back and forth under the focal point image. The balloon was stamped with Blue Bayou ink and then embossed with Hologram Highlights embossing powder. This was a rather simple card to make if you don't count all the time spent cutting. The time was worth it, however, as I am pleased with the results.

Thanks for the Cookie Exchange idea, Diane! Wanna see the other players in Diane's Cookie Exhange? Visit: Jen Del Muro and Paula Bloom

I got an award...

just for being nice... fun!



My friend Lisa Somerville nominated me for a Nice Matters Award. What is a Nice Matters Award?

This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. It is also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world.
Once you've been awarded please pass it on to others who you feel are deserving of this award."

You are then to name 5 bloggers whom I think deserve this award!
1) Julie
2) Cindy
3) Linda
4) Vanessa
5) Gwen

New Cat-y Designs!

I'm taking a moment out of my busy day to upload a few new catalog creations! Take a look!

Yarn Kitty


I made this card for a recent swap.
Stamps: Here Kitty Kitty, Priceless, Aida Cloth, Fine Lace
Ink: Brocade Blue, Orchid Opulence, Black Staz-on
Paper: Brocade Blue, Orchid Opulence, So Saffron, Sahara Sand, Confetti White, Whisper White
Accessories: Silver Brads, Grosgrain ribbon, 1/16 punch, Mat Pack, White signo gel pen, Watercolor pencils

Kitty Cat Joy



This card was designed for the recent Dirty Dozen Anniversary Challenge as a challenge sample for Paula Bloom's challenge. It is a Latch card:
Stamps: Here Kitty Kitty, Polka Dots & Petals
Ink: White Craft, Always Artichoke, Cameo Coral Black Staz-on
Paper: Brocade Blue, Certainly Celery, Always Artichoke, Cameo Coral, Confetti White
Accessories: Gold eyelets, organdy ribbon, Tab punch, Spiral punch, Horizontal Slot Punch, 1/16 punch, rectangle punch, Watercolor pencils

Paws, Petals, and Polka Dots



This card was designed for the recent Dirty Dozen Anniversary Challenge as a challenge sample for SweetMissDaisy's challenge. I was tickled when I discovered how nice the paws look when stamped inside the circles - kinda like "Polka Dot Paws"
Stamps: Here Kitty Kitty, Priceless, Little Flowers, Paw print stamp from retired SU bear set
Ink: White Craft, Basic Black, Brocade Blue, Black Staz-on
Paper: Brocade Blue, Pixie Pink, Confetti White
Accessories: Black brad, ribbon, 1/16 punch, Watercolor pencils

Simple, quick Kitty




I designed this one for a swap. The idea for the swap was to design simple, demonstratable cards.
Stamps: Here Kitty Kitty, So many Sayings
Ink: Basic Black, Black Staz-on
Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Basic Black, Confetti White
Accessories: 1 Inch Circle punch, Watercolor pencils, rectangle punch, ribbons, Corner punch

Where's Michelle?

Yes, I know.... I haven't been posting. I've been occupied doing too many events lately. I'll be back... I just need to take care of business. I've got a lot going on.

Last month I received lots of beautiful birthday cards that I didn't have time to post. Thanks so much to those who have sent birthday cards to me. I truly appreciate it.

I wish I could post more here, but it looks like my August will be as busy as my July!

I'm working on my August newsletter right now - and putting together some projects for upcoming stamping events.

I'll be back... sit tight...

Greetings from CHA!

I'm spending the day today at CHA (Craft and Hobby Association Trade Show) here at Rosemont in Chicago!

I've already seen Lisa Somerville and I've done a few make & takes.

Just thought I'd pop in briefly to report.

This event is a crafter's dream come true!

Gatti italiani piccoli

Yes, it is time again for photos of my current litter of foster kittens. Their mom is Lena and she and her kittens were found under a deck of a house on 42nd St. in Kenosha. We gave these kittens Italian names. Let me introduce you to:



Lisabella

Lisabella is a beautiful Calico Tabby with white. Lisabella is friendly and loves playing with her brothers. Lisabella is named after my friend Lisa.




Bartolo

Bartolo (Bart for short) is a handsome dark gray and black tabby. Bart is the friendliest of the litter and always meows to ask to come out and play.




Rinaldo

Rinaldo is a handsome orange tabby with white. He is a squirmy little handful.



Armando

Armando is a handsome buff tabby. Armando is the shyest of the male cats in this litter, but not as shy as CeeCee. He is very sweet.



Cecilia

Cecilia (CeeCee for short) is a beautiful gray and black tabby with white. CeeCee is very shy and still hisses once in awhile.

Stamping on a Wine Glass

Recently I had a customer ask how to go about stamping on a wine glass. She wants to personalize the wine glasses for a wedding reception with the names of the bride and groom and date of the wedding.

Using Staz-on ink, stamping on a wine glass is easy, but does require some patience and a steady hand.

In this video, I am demonstrating how to stamp on a wine glass. I don't have a stamp with a bride and groom's name and date of wedding on it, but I demonstrate with the "Cherish" stamp in the "Warm Words" stamp set by Stampin' Up!. I used black Staz-on ink here so that it would show up in the video, but any color of Staz-on ink to match the wedding colors will do (although you may want to stay away from something very light).



Until the ink is set, you should be able to rub off mistakes with your thumb and re-stamp. If the stamp image has dried and you'd like to re-stamp, take a Mr. Clean magic eraser and erase the image.

The image that you stamp will not be permanent with frequent washings. However, for use at a wedding reception where you'd like to reuse the wine glasses after the wedding, the semi-permanence of the stamped wine-glasses is ideal because the personalization will wear off!

A personalized, but economical special touch!

Thanks to my hostesses!

I'd like to thank my hostesses publicly for a fun-filled 2006-2007 year! Thanks so much for sharing your passion for stamping and scrapping with me! It has been a soooo awesome!

As we start a new Stampin' Up! year, let's all remember that friendships are the most valuable thing in the world and us stampers have to stick together and support each other in stamping as well as in life.

I wish you all a happy start to the year! It's almost July...

Let's get this party started!!!!

Domestication examined

In this week's online journal Science it is reported that for the first time genetic research has concluded that domestic cats originated in the Middle East and not Egypt.

Cats will always remain mysterious animals--but exactly where they came from is no longer a riddle. A genetic study has shown that the ancestors of all of today's domestic cats prowled the Near East.

...

Their analysis indicates that the common ancestors of all domesticated cats lived in the Near East some 130,000 years ago. They were wildcats living in the Fertile Crescent--the area extending from the Eastern Mediterranean around Turkey and down into Mesopotamia--"exactly the place where humanity settled down to agriculture ten to twelve thousand years ago," says O'Brien. The team found five lineages of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in modern felines. Because of this variation, the researchers believe domestication occurred a half-dozen times or so in the Middle East.

Trendy! very Trendy: A few impressions of the new catalog

This is the first new Stampin' Up! catalog that is a 6 month catalog.

I've been silently taking in all the new product and I'm ready for formulate my first impressions now...here they are:

This catalog is VERY trendy!

Grunge is out - Polka Dots are in.

As a matter of fact, there are so many Polka Dots in this catalog I'm seeing spots! (A good thing.)

Things I am IN LOVE WITH:

The new In Colors.

The Pretties Kit - this kit is awesome! I am in LOOOVVVEEE and it is going on my first order. The kit is $29.95 and in my opinion it is soooo worth that cost. The kit is PACKED with assorted dyable flowers, pearl halves, beads, and clear rhinestone brads. Anyone purchasing all those items separately will have a hard time meeting that price.

Things that make sense:

Page 81 - Bundle of Joy paired with Bundled in Love stamp sets... these are two AWESOME baby sets that are interchangeable, and offer the opportunity to double their use for baby announcement as well as baby christening/baptism.

God is Love set page 71 - wow! We needed a nice, simple, christian set that's appropriate for all ages, not just children. This is it! Look no further.

RIBBONS - I think this is the highlight of the new catalog. For the first time, SU seems to have really changed their ribbon offerings... for the better. I can't even tell you how utterly tickled I am at all the new choices for ribbon! I'm in heaven.

There are new "Style Watch" stamp sets and accessories that coordinate. Stampin' Up! has had coordinating stamp sets in the past, so that isn't new. What IS new - presenting them in the front of the catalog along with all the products that match referenced on the same page.

Boho West - gorgeous, although I'm not into the Wild West so won't be ordering
Tapestry - this is my style! I'll be getting some of these products
Corner Office - fun labels, tabs and stuff. Love it!

Hostess sets are a nice range of styles.

BACKGROUNDS THAT ARE A MUST HAVE:

Tres Chic - wow! This is cool. Easily can be used to make single words on cards and scrapbook pages by omitting.

Sanded - Textured scratching of sanded scratches -- like if you rubbed a piece of sandpaper over something - this is cool and it satisfies my need for some grunge in a catalog where grunge is "out".

Happiness - Versatile background that I won't be ordering because it doesn't cry to me "buy me" (not my style) - but I know this one will be a hit with those who like it. If the style of images where more to my personal liking, I'd purchase it!

MY FAVORITE SET IN THE ENTIRE CATALOG - I'm ordering this one on July 1 FOR SURE:

Priceless! - How a Stampin' Up! artist thought to combine polka dots with Bohemian style is beyond me... but is a sheer genius! This set is so awesome, useful, fun, trendy yet will be in style longer than most trends (I think) and has a matching wheel! Awesome for scrapbooking as well as cardmaking and gift making.

More later... when I catch my breath...

There is meaning in my silence!

Yeah, I've been drooling over the new catalog... too busy to blog in the last 2 days. I have stuff to post... just making my list and checking it twice!