Welcome the New Hambo Stamps Design Team!

Welcome to the new Bacon Bits for Hambo Stamps! All this week on Talk to the Ham, Monica has been introducing the six new Bacon Bits that will be joining Hambo for the next four months, and I am excited to also introduce them here:

• Karin -With an "i" For Paper!
• Stephanie - Sherbert Ink
• Melissa - Needful Things
• Jessica - The Paper Parade
• Michele - Whimsical Creations

  Andrea - Crafty Engineering 

Today at the Hambo Hoedown, they are all highlighting the newest Hambo digital image: Flower Monster! Head on over there to see what fun creations they came up with for their debut!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I want to share some fun photos with you of a recent "Junk Jaunt" to a wonderful place I discovered while looking for vintage lace and props for my play I am directing (opening night is tomorrow!). This place is in a little tiny town 25 miles west of my town and takes up an entire block. Here are some pictures I took on my phone (hence the fuzzy quality) of some of the aisles and areas where you can find ANYTHING and all sorts of treasures you didn't expect!

There are rows and rows of old tins and containers:

Aisles and aisles and aisles of old books and current paperbacks, as well as old sheet music, movies, and records (I found a great Frank Sinatra record I needed for my 1966 play setting, got a John Grisham paperback and a large print book for my mom!):

 Drawers and old post office box doors:

And fabric, seam binding (I bought it all!), vintage tablecloths, lace, old crochet hooks, cigar boxes (also needed for my play!), ANYTHING you can think of!

 Rows and rows of knickknacks, teapots, glassware, china, kitchenware -- I even found a little giraffe!

I didn't even take photos of the furniture, farm equipment, photographs, paintings, toys, oh the list goes on and on. Basically, the owners buy up full estate sales - yep, everything - and then put it in their store. They are only open on Saturdays, and it's like a big party when you go there. Anyway, I found oodles of gorgeous vintage lace and seam binding (some of the packages were from JCPenney's and said 8 cents!) - probably 100 yards of lace! And for a cost to me of $4!!! Yep - one package of fancy satin lace trim that I got would have been at least $8-10 retail now. I came home and bagged it all in Ziplocs ready to use on crafts and cards. What a fun day! Joy #22! (I have sort of forgotten about posting Joys, so am ready to continue with those!)

Thanks for stopping by today! I appreciate all of you!

Your Kindness Speaks to Me

I have a confession to make. I am not a "butterfly" person. I know they are all the rage. I resisted. I think I have been adverse to using them because they are everywhere - die cuts, stamps, punches, stickers.....kinda overkill.
And then I saw the sweet sentiments with Rubbernecker's Butterflies Are Free set. So I had butterfly stamps. And then I saw the color challenge at Our Creative Corner. So I started with my border punch, added the pearls, stamped the flourish.......and then needed butterflies. They were fun to color. They were even fun to cut out and I detest cutting anything out! But - I decided, I might possibly be........ a butterfly person. :)

We have a cool Butterfly Pavilion at our zoo. It's a free fly zone and you have to be carefully checked when you leave to make sure there aren't any butterflies hitchhiking! It's fun to watch all sorts and all sizes fly, land, drink, eat fruit and see cocoons. You don't see too many cocoons on cards now, do you?

I stamped my flourish on the Soft Suede CS with VersaMark ink - I love how it looks. The butterfly bodies have Diamond Stickles on them. They were colored with Copic markers. The sentiment says "Gentle as a butterfly your kindness speaks to me." Isn't that sweet? It is stamped with Baja Breeze ink.

You will have to click on the photo to see the Rich Razzleberry cardstock behind the stamped panel! It's there though! Baja Breeze, Soft Suede, Regal Rose and Rich Razzleberry. I like it. I like my butterflies.

Today I am remembering my dad. He passed away in December 2009. Today would have been his 81st birthday. I made a chocolate cake and am taking it, and a pork roast dinner (which my dad loved) over to my mom's house today. She recently had a shoulder replacement and is a little laid up right now, but I know she will love the cake. Joy #21 is remembering my wonderful dad. Happy Birthday, Dad. I love you.

I have also entered this card in these challenges:
Our Creative Corner - color challenge
Stampin B's - friendship sentiment
CCEE - some pink

Sweet Stamping Friends

Today I want to share some of the super neat cards I have gotten from stamping friends during the time of my carpal tunnel surgery. These notes and cards have been a great joy and source of encouragement and I thank these gals from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to send them!

from Lorraine, Jennifer and Jackie

from Bonnie and Sallie

from Karin, Monica and Kate

from Carmen and Barbara

from Holly and Charlene

from Cathy and Jill

I have more to share which I will save for later this week! Thank you so  much, friends! You made my day(s)! Definitely Joy #20!


Quick update: A little set-back on Friday, when my incision on my hand broke open after having stitches out that day.  For some reason, the pain also came back, and I am back to wearing both braces. Not sure what happened, but I am taking it easy! Thank you all for the well wishes!

Some Graduation Pictures and FUN news!

As many of you know, my baby graduated from high school last Sunday.  It was a crazy week leading up to the ceremony, as I was trying to catch up on 5 years of scrapbooking in a week, planning a reception (they are practically like wedding receptions here), and having family from Arizona and North Carolina.  Plus end of the year talent shows at school (which turned out great).

In any case, I wanted to share some pictures.  I am so proud of my daughter and all she has done. The week before, at her Thespian banquet she won Best Thespian for 2011 and Outstanding Performance Awards for all three plays she was in this year.  Since she is majoring in Theatre, that really meant a lot to her.  Here is a picture at the banquet.

And here are a couple of pictures from her high school graduation ceremony and before:

Definitely Joy #18 (and she is 18!).  She will be moving about 15 hours away for college, but hey, my son was 22 hours away.  I can drive this in a long day!! :)  The reception was perfect - we had over 200 people there and she was so touched by that (as we were).

And now for more Joys and good news.  Remember this card and the Mother of All Blog Hops for There She Goes? I won one of the most awesome prizes ever for it! I won a $100 shopping spree at There She Goes (easy and done and they are on their way to me!) AND the chance to work with Jessica (owner) on designing a stamp set! We are talking about ideas and what vision I might like to do.  Isn't that cool???  

Joy #19. :)

Thanks for stopping by today. Scroll down one post and join the Hambo Stamps "Hamming It Up at the Movies" blog hop! It is so fun to see all the movie titles made with Hambo Stamps!

Inspired by Trees

Yesterday was Arbor Day, and I got a gift certificate to a local nursery for a tree! I am excited to choose one (probably a pink one!) and get it planted in my front yard. 

For today's SCS Inspiration Challenge 282, I chose this art print. I loved the soft colors. I used to have giant birch trees in my yard and I have always loved the shape of the leaves. I don't have a bluebird stamp to go with this, so I incorporated the color of the bird instead. I embossed the bottom half of my leaf panel with a Cuttlebug embossing folder.

And for Joy #17, Happy Birthday to my beautiful mom today! We will be going to the community theatre performance tonight of Cookin' With Gus and having a lovely dinner there. My mom is awesome and I love her lots~! 

Stamps: Be the Birch Tree by TLC Creations

Paper: Basic Grey DP, Kraft, Mellow Moss

Accessories: Cuttlebug EF, Rolodex punch, taupe ribbon, button, baker's twine

Calling All Golddiggers!

Ok, who is old enough to remember Dean Martin's Golddiggers? :)

Well, today my post is about a different kind of gold! The challenge over at the Hambo Hoedown is all about this little St. Pat Hamster and GOLD. Read about the challenge here. You might become Queen of the Hoedown!

My gold comes in many forms: background paper, gold thread trim, gold coins, gold square brads, pot of gold...did I miss anything?

If you haven't checked out the Hambo Hoedown Challenge each Wednesday, you really need to dance on over there and grab yourself some free stuff! Each week you play you get a new image FREE to play with!

I colored my image with Copic Markers and my favorite little Spica Glitter pens ( LOVE THOSE - can't live without 'em!), and then added Celestial Glitter to the coins and Easy Green Glitter to the hat band and shamrock. 

Click on either photo for a close-up view!

Check out what the other Bacon Bits did here. There is lots of fun inspiration today! 

Last week's Hambo Hoedown card I designed won the Top Three at Send A Smile 4 Kids!  COOL!

And now for the most important part of my post:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LOVELY DAUGHTER who is 18 years old today!

Her birthday celebration is Joy #16. 

You can read about the other JOYS here.

Like what you see? Follow my blog! Thanks for stopping by!

Other challenges for this card:

Scrap Creations - Going Green 

Kaboodle Doodles - Go Green 

Paper Playtime - anything goes w/ digi 

Shabby Tea Room - Luck of the Irish 

Recipe: St. Pat Hamster - digi by Hambo Stamps

Glitter Green and Gold DP, Textured Dark Green, and patterned DP by the Paper Studio, White CS by GP, Tim Holtz Brick Wall Embossing Folder, Celestial and Easy Green Glitter by Sparkle N Sprinkle, Circle and Scallop Circle Nestabilities by Spellbinders, gold thread, Copic Markers, atyou Spica Glitter pens, border punch by EK Success, charm, gold brads, sticker sentiment

A New Release from I Brake For Stamps!

Today I wanted to share one of the wonderful new releases with you.  It is called Bird and Blossom Post.  You can find it at the IBFS store as a single stamp, or in the Beloved and Postage Sheet.  They are all beautiful collage stamps! 

I used the Ink, Spray & Smash Technique on Glossy White paper and then stamped my image with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink.  The sentiment is from Penguins and More. All stamps are by I Brake For Stamps! Love 'em! You can get 10% off by using this code: SAVE10JUDY

And now for a "Joy." You can read about my 100 Joys here. Today is #15.  This past weekend my husband and daughter traveled to Chicago for the National Unified Auditions for undergraduate B.F.A. programs in theatre. She had two auditions scheduled, and also did a walk-in audition.  She had to have two prepared monologues of different types and also a song prepared to sing a capella. Anyway, they went really well. In fact, she impressed one school so much they accepted her on the spot! She will travel to North Carolina for two more auditions next week, and then we will see what happens! I am proud of her! 

Thanks for stopping by today!

Challenge entries for this card:
Delightful Challenges - punches/die cuts (I used slit punch for scallops)
DYSU Challenge Blog - ribbons (I curled mine with a heat gun)

Stamps: Bird Blossom Post by I Brake For Stamps

Paper: Glossy White, Basic Black, River Rock, Mariposa by DCWV

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, various reinkers

Accessories: slit punch, black organdy ribbon, black brads, paper piercer

Bees and Turkeys! Oh Honey!

I am allergic to bee stings.  Probably many of you are as well.  I swell up and the stung area gets red and blotchy.  I don't carry an EpiPen, but probably should.  And the weird thing about this is that I like bees and bee images.  I even have a very small collection of bee things. And lots of bee stamps, because I think they are so cute.  I am interested in beekeeping too.  Somewhere I heard that blondes have a scent to their skin that attracts bees and mosquitoes.  Hurray!  That is probably not true, but they sure seem to love me in the summer and spring. So today I want to share one of my cards with bees with you!

I stamped my images (Dani's Garden Swing by Sparkle N Sprinkle) with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, and then colored in with Copics and Spica Glitter Pens.  I added Crystal Ice Glitter to Dani's dress and the bee wings. Click on the photo below for a close-up of the glitter!

We have a flock of wild turkeys that live by our house. The most I have ever counted is 23.  Usually we see 7-10 together.  They are kind of adopted by our neighborhood and many people feed them - and even have little turkey houses! It always brings me joy to see them out.  They are either in our yard (which my labs love HA) or across the street or down a block. The other day I was driving to work and there were 5-6 of them across the street.  I always stop and take a good look - sometimes I can even grab a picture or two.  I rolled down my window and this tom started talking and gobbling away!

Makes me feel guilty about enjoying eating turkey so much......Then he walked in front of my car with his friends:

They always bring a big smile to me and it's a great way to start my work day! Joy #13: TURKEYS!

Thanks for all of your comments! I am looking to reach 200 followers by February 1st. I have some yummy blog candy to give away and would like to do that when I reach 200.  I only need TWO more! Click on the "Follow" button in my right sidebar.

Have a great day!

Inspired by Barbie!

For today's Splitcoast Inspiration Challenge 268: Barbie Collectibles Steph had us choose something from the Barbie Collectibles website. I chose this Miss Garnet Birthstone Barbie. I love the rich color of garnet.

My heart image is by I Brake For Stamps and is called Small Primrose Heart Collage. I stamped it using a combination of Rich Razzleberry and Riding Hood Red ink, then sponged the edges with Encore Metallic Gold. K & Co. Madeline Designer Paper, Cuttlebug folders, Spellbinders dies, and a lot from my stash of supplies make up the rest of this card!

"Miss Garnet" makes me think of Miss America.  You may not follow that pageant at all or even like it.  When I was a little girl, and even up into my early married life, I never missed a pageant.  I always loved seeing the pretty dresses and watching the talent competition.  I have not watched for many years - probably since I lived in Utah and Miss Utah won (at least 20 some years!). And I didn't watch this year either. But, I surely heard the next day who had won: Teresa Scanlan, from Gering, Nebraska -- the youngest in more than 70 years and the first from Nebraska. She is the same age as my daughter - they are about a month apart in age.  That kind of freaks me out a little! But Nebraska is proud, and I wish Teresa the very best!

On the way to school the other day, the moon was up and full and giant and golden. I really need to start carrying my good camera with me, instead of trying to get a phone picture!  It's rather pixelated (is that a word?). But Joy #12 is all about surprises and this was a wonderful surprise on my way to work! Snow in the foreground with evergreen trees and a gorgeous moon! What could be a nicer start to my day?

Have a great Saturday!

Stamps: Small Primrose Heart Collage by I Brake For Stamps

Paper: Pink Pirouette, Bravo Burgundy, Very Vanilla, Textured Darks (The Paper Studio), Madeline DP (K & Co.)

Ink: Rich Razzleberry combined with Riding Hood Red, Encore Metallic Gold

Accessories: lace, EK Success border punch, large pearl brads, jewelry findings, metal word charm, Cuttlebug EF

It's Paper Romance Challenge Day with Birthdays for Men!

This is for Andrea's challenge at Paper Romance today.  This week’s challenge is all about birthdays and the men in our life! Come play along! Make a birthday card for your husband, son, brother, uncle, teacher, co-worker..... Just gear it toward the masculine side! You could win a $5 gift certificate to Paper Romance!

I used Popcorn the Bear "Fishing" for my card today.  I stamped the image with Memento Tuxedo Black (my go-to ink!) and then colored it in using Copic Markers. My designer paper is from The Green Stack by DCWV.  I added some crazy sewing, and all done!

Check out what the rest of the Paper Romance Design Team made today!

Cindy
Donna
Mary
Sandra
Ria

In the market for some new rubber or Spellbinders? Take a look at my $5 SALE. 

Joy #9 today is something that people either love or don't! For Christmas, I got my husband a Keurig Coffee maker. It brews one cup at a time using K-Cups. I am sure you saw ads during the holiday season, or perhaps you have one of your own.

In any case, I LOVE it! We don't drink a lot of coffee here, so brewing a whole pot seemed wasteful. This works so well for us! My daughter can choose a flavored coffee, my husband chooses Chai Tea, and I go for the hot cocoa.  One cup each and we are good for the day! And besides that, I purchased it on sale at WalMart and got a $30 gift card on the spot! A great deal for a great gift! 

What is the Temperature of a Penguin?

For today's Splitcoast Technique Challenge 307 Mojo Motivator Challenge . . . my good friend, Holly, is the hostess today and she had us choose one technique challenge, one color challenge and one sketch challenge from the past challenges. I loved this challenge - it made it so easy! (How many times can I say challenge in one paragraph?)

I chose:
TLC160 - Cuttlebug, The Negative Effect (so easy and a cool effect)
CC110A - Cool Caribbean, Whisper White Basic Black
SC276

My images are from Penguins and More available at I Brake For Stamps.This card measures 6" square. I stamped the penguins and sentiment with Memento Tuxedo Black ink (the best!) and added Diamond Stickles to the bottom of the image for a sparkly snow effect. I sponged Cool Caribbean ink into my Cuttlebug Snowflake embossing folder and then ran my white cardstock through it. It picked up nicely and subtley! I have a large stash of snowflake stickers and love using them!

 

If you would love a discount at I Brake For Stamps, use my code to get 10% off! SAVE10JUDY

We have a snow day today and about 10 inches of snow on my deck with more coming down. It's 10 degrees with a windchill of -8. Balmy compared to the forecasted -25. BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE!

As the snow was starting yesterday

This morning when I got up (look at my fire pit!)

 Joy #7: A beautiful snowfall, a warm fire inside and a SNOW DAY!  Teachers love snow days!

Necks To You I Am JOY-full

Good morning!

A quick post today as I have a huge "To-Do" list to get through before the snow storm predicted tomorrow!

For today's Free for All Challenge 46 . . . and yesterday's Ways To Use It Challenge: Twine. . .

I used my absolute favorite image by Hambo Stamps and a cute sentiment that goes along with it. The little button in the corner with the twine is a heart, although you can't see the shape from the picture's angle.

I love this little giraffe that Mr. Hambo (Tim) drew (I begged and begged for a giraffe!), and it was perfect for today's Splitcoast F4A challenge!

Read about the Hambo Stamps DESIGN TEAM CALL here! And I am extending a personal invitation to all my blog readers to apply!  Monica and Tim are delightfully fun to work with and I love the images! You will too!

I LOVE nice grocery stores, where you have more than two brands to choose from, and there is a fresh meat counter and people that can actually help you.  So I have fallen in love with Whole Foods in Omaha.  I spent several hours there recently (grocery stores have always been fun for me if they have STUFF!) and loved the color in these two aisles.  The first is olive oil (and so many to choose from!) and the next is hair and skin care products. Not next to each other of course! So my Joy #5 is Whole Foods in Omaha, Nebraska.  I wish it wasn't three hours away!

Stamps: Giraffe - 2926 and Necks to You - 2914 by Hambo Stamps

Paper: Pretty in Pink, Lovely Lilac, PTI White, DP by The Paper Studio

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics, Spica Clear Glitter Pen

Accessories: large oval punch, heart button, twine, ric rac, brads, heart die cut, plastic flowers

It's Paper Romance Challenge Day and Sunny Days Ahead!

It's a SUNNY challenge at Paper Romance today. This week’s challenge is hosted by Sandra and called "You are my Sunshine!"  Create a love card for anyone and any occasion using the color YELLOW as your primary color. I don't know about you, but I am soooo done with Christmas cards! Hopefully this challenge will bring back the sun to many of the areas of the country that are so cold! Brrrr~

I made my card using the Cute Companions Celebration set. I think that set is adorable and has everything you need for a little sweet celebration!

Check out what the rest of the Paper Romance Design Team did HERE.

Come play along! You could win a $5 gift certificate to Paper Romance!

Today is Joy #4. I know you are probably going to wonder why I didn't post this earlier, but really, the JOYS are in no particular order. But I must say, this one is a GOOD one.  I have been blessed with two beautiful children, whom I love and adore. They are wonderful friends as well, and we have so much fun together. They bring immeasurable joy to my life!

Goofing around

Have a JOYFUL day!

Blue Hive Babies and Tiger Babies!

It's Teapot Tuesday and you know what that means? A totally incomprehensible post unless you read the Tuesday Teapot Challenges!  But, in layman's language, we are making baby cards for Splitcoast stamper Pat Smethers' daughter-in-law, Jamie, and her new little baby boy, Jon! Here is our inspiration teapot:

 There is always a fun story, and lots of laughs in the SCS gallery on Tuesdays!

It's a fine day in Cody, WY where the sun is shining and the town is aBUZZ with news of parades and babies! And my bees have left their blue hive (they are royal bees after all and also have blue blood) in the glittery finest (they are wearing their special party wings) to attend the Parade of the Day! They are all rootin' for Winnie to be Grand Marshall and are on their way to support the teeming crowds! I imagine some of them will get sidetracked and BEE at the tea party, where they will expect their honey to be served with tea instead of sugar lumps!

Congratulations to Jamie and the rest of family, and Grandma Pat and the Buckle Man! A new little blessing to love~

My images are by Hambo Stamps.  I used Tree Hive - 2711 and Tiny Bee - 3114, and the tag sentiment is done with rub-on letters. The hive is stamped twice, and then cut out and popped up on dimensionals. Each little bee has Diamond Stickles on his wings.


And now for Joy #3 (see this post for My 100 Joys).  I am sure that many of my joys will have to do with animals.  I just love them, and should have probably had a career in a zoo.  It is my favorite place to go to relax and just enjoy all of the different creatures in our world.  I will go winter or summer, doesn't matter!  I think that the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha (3 hours from me) is one of the best zoos in the country, and I made a little trip there last month.  One of the highlights was watching a tiger and her six month old baby girl cub play.  I think we stood there for 45 minutes just watching them.  It was so fun to see the strength and gentleness displayed by the mom, and also just their banter with each other. My friend took a great video that I will see if I can get, but I have these three pictures (again from my phone - kind of grainy) to share with you today.  Thanks for the visit!

Stamps: Tree Hive - 2711 and Tiny Bee - 3114 by Hambo Stamps

Paper: So Saffron, Bashful Blue, Very Vanilla, SU! Designer Paper

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Bashful Blue, So Saffron, Copics, Spica Glitter Pens

Accessories: Spellbinders die, button, twine, tag, rub-ons, EK Success border punch, ric rac, grosgrain ribbon