Paper Pleasing Ideas

A Hearty Valentine

Don't ya just LOVE sneek peeks ?!?  This card is made with TONS of new product!  The light pink heart DSP is from the Sale-A-Bration Welcome Neighbor 6 X 6 paper pad.  The DSP squares are from SPARKLAY DSP pack, Sending Love.  If you click on it, you can see the glitter on the pink pattern.  The stamps are from the new set, I {Heart} Hearts, and there is a stamp in there to coordinate with the Heart To Heart punch!!  This card is 3 X 6, and is close to cocoa and pretty in pink.  I didn't have any brown brads that were small enough, so I added 1/8 punched circles and covered them in glitter.  The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes.  Only one more day, until the goodies start.  Have fun and happy stamping!!

 
 

Mounted Or Unmounted

It's usually the storage that is the issue, so let me show you the old versus the new!

The same amount of stamp cases and the same amount of stamps.  ALL OF THEM STAMPIN' UP, and ALL OF THEM RUBBER!!  One pile is mounted on wood and one on foam.  Which would you pick to fill up your shelves?  I can say for myself that smaller pile is the direction I am going for!!

Minty Milk

WOOHOO - I can hardly wait or the new mini to be available to you guys!  You are going to have so much fun.

I used a the new Milk Carton Die, and the Love Bandit stamp set to make this adorable box.  The patterned paper is from the Sweet Pea pack, and it is AWESOME!

Dylan immediately grabbed this when I was finished, and so I had to make another for Jayden.  Dylan, ever his mother's son, tore off th tag and proceeded to glue it onto the front.  "I didn't want a tag, I wanted it decorated".

This box is about 3" high, and 1.5" on each side, perfect for party favors OR VALENTINES!  Kids would have so much fun decorating them for their friends in school. 

More peeks coming your way this week, and BLOG CANDY for my 3 year Blogiversary.  Have fun and happy stamping!!

 

Mothers Of Little Boys

Have lots of fun on the days that follow Christmas...

You see, we get to put together all the fancy lego and other toys they got, while they go and play their new Wii game in the basement.  Well, I am heading to the city today, to go shopping with my sisters and my mom.  Hope you are still glowing in the blessings of Christmas - and I have treats for the new year!!

 
 
 

Isagenix Cleanse

I’ve had quite a few questions about the Isagenix 30-day Cleansing and Fat-Burning System and am willing to start a cleanse group that we all work together starting in January.  I thought I’d share the answers here in case any of you were considering Isagenix and had similar questions.

What is the 30-day Cleansing & Fat-Burning System?  On this system, you’ll have 6 shake days and 1 cleanse day per week.  On shake days, you will replace 2 meals with our delicious IsaLean shakes and then have a 400-600 calorie meal for your third meal.  Plus, you’ll eat a healthy 100-calorie or so snack every 2 hours.  On cleanse days, you will drink our Cleanse for Life liquid and snack on our wafer-like IsaSnacks.  Then every day, you should drink alot of water (half your body weight in ounces).   

Will I be in the bathroom all day on cleanse days?  No.  Isagenix is a nutritional cleanse, NOT a colon cleanse.  If you do need to visit the bathroom alot it is only because you will likely need to urinate more often with your increased water consumption.

I’m used to eating food at regular intervals each day.  How can I go all day without eating on cleanse days, especially if I’m hypoglycemic?  You’ll be surprised how satisfied you are with our Cleanse for Life liquid.  Plus, our IsaSnacks, which you will eat 6 times per day on cleanse days, are designed to stabilize blood sugar and curb hunger.  I am hypoglycemic myself and I do pretty well on cleanse days.  In the beginning, I felt the need to snack, but now I do not. 

Are Isagenix products only for those who want to lose weight?  No.  Isagenix products are great for anyone who wants to increase their health, have more energy, and sleep like a baby!  There are athletes that use Isagenix to stay in top shape! 

Will the shakes fill me up?  Yes.  Take it from someone who was used to eating alot of food, and who loves food ... hehehe.  You can add ice to your shakes as well as a small amount of fruit and they are very satisfying.  If you are hungry after drinking your shakes, know that you can have a healthy snack (fruit, veggies, nuts, etc.) every 2 hours so food is never far off!

How much is the 30-day system?  $260 wholesale when you sign up as an Associate on autoship.  Otherwise you would pay $374 retail.  That is a HUGE savings!!

Isagenix seems expensive….can I afford it?  Of course you are the only one who truly knows your budget situation.  I can say that since this is a meal replacement system, you will be spending a lot less on food.  Besides the 30-day, you will just need to buy groceries for 6 meals per week and several healthy snacks per day.  I can honestly say that I spend less on food now than before I started Isagenix.  Also, I do tend to eat out A LOT less, and that translates into huge savings.  For less than $9US a day, you can have TWO meals plus snacks, but you could easily pay that for ONE meal at a restaurant.

If money is still a concern, I can show you how to earn commission with Isagenix and start earning a portion, or even all of your products plus residual income!  By the way, membership into Isagenix (a $39 value) is free now, but only through January 3rd. 

When does the nutritional cleansing group start?  If you want to be part of a cleanse group, please contact me ASAP, so we can get started ASAP!!  You can lose 10-15 lbs a month, and that get put you well on your way for bathing suit season.

Here is one of the ladies in the team that I am SO PROUD of.  She is doing amazing and becoming healthier everyday!

If you have any additional questions about Isagenix, please don’t hesitate to contact me.  You can also check out my Weight Loss Page for more information.  I would love to be your personal cleansing coach starting in January!

Hockey Hockey Hockey - And A Laptop

About 10 minutes from my house, one of the biggest tournaments in the world is talking place.  OK, it IS the biggest tournament.  The 2010 IIHF World Junior Hockey starts today!  No, I am not that into hockey, but I do know how much of a big deal this is for those that do.  So, just in case you are a big hockey fan, it's just a little bit of now you know.

At the time I am typing this, Canada is SLAUGHTERING Latvia after the first period by a score of 5 - 0.  Yep, we are good ... hehehe.  So think of me in my living room, 10 minutes north of the arena, while you are watching the game.

This post is coming to you via my new laptop.  My hubby got me one for Christmas, and for that you should be truly grateful...lol.  I my old one only had 73 GB of RAM, so it was constantly crashing and ran slower than molasses in our -45F weather.  This one is more than triple the size, so hopefully it will last another 4 or 5 years!

What did you get blessed with this Christmas ?!?  Let me know.

From Our Family To All Of You

 
Wishing peace and joy as you celebrate Christ's birth, and God's richest blessings in the upcoming year.  From our family to yours, Merry CHRISTmas !!

P.S. - This was our Christmas card this year, and it was all created with the Stampin' Up! My Digital Studio.
 
 

Altered Die Cut Roses Tutorial

It is amazing how much time family reunions take.  Not that I wanted to get back, but I did want to get the post up for you.  But when you only see your sister 3 times a year, it takes time.  But, here it is, and I hope you have fun with it!

So here is the die I used ( 113458 - Flower Layers) and Canadians can get it from my online Stampin' Up! store.  You will need the size flower that I pointed at.  The others are there just to show you which die I used.  You will cut 3 out of that one flower.  Since it is a Sizzix die, you can just put 3 pieces of paper on top of each other and cut them all at once.

To mix your pearl ex, you takes 1/8 teaspoon of the powder and mix it into a trial size pump hairspray (2 ounces).  Shake it all up and spray away!  Let dry overnight or speed up the process with your heat tool.  Then cut in 1/2 inch on each petal indent on all 3 flowers.  You can also sponge the edges at this point.

Now in the picture on the left, you have the 3 flowers that have been cut.  Leave one whole, cut 1 petal off the other, and 2 petals off the last one.  you will have one with 4, 3 and 1 petal.  Throw away the one with 2, it is not needed.

Then you fold the one with 3 and 4 petals over to glue the two end petals together.  It will look like a cone.

Again on the left, you can see what the pieces should look like,  I roll both edges of the single petal in towards the middle and this becomes the center of the rose.  I also punched a hole in the center of the whole flower.  The reason you cut the 1/2 inch slits will become clear now, as you roll the petals by finger, or I use a small paint brush.  You want to roll them all under.

This is what the petals should look like when you are done.  To make for more interest I roll each edge of the petal on the full flower under, and then bend the middle down (click on it for a better view).  It looks more realistic then, when you put it all together.  I know it doesn't look like much now, but here we go. 

I had to use Dylan to take the next picture, since I couldn't pour the Crystal Effects, hold the flower and take the picture all at the same time ... lol.  But you can see, I am just adding a dab of CE to the center of the 3 petal cone.

Then I put the 2 petal cone inside and add a dab of CE in there, as well.  I added the single petal that was curled inside of that.  Holding it all tightly, I turn it over and put the cone through the hole in the full flower.

I then add a pop-up glue dot over the hole, and smoosh it down, Dylan's hands again.  I heat it up with my heat tool, and smoosh it even more.  You want this to stay together!  I then turn it right side up to let the CE dry, and it is ready to put on your project!  You could also pet some CE in the bottom layer after the glue dot is on, but it should not be necessary, if you heated the glue dot enough.  Have fun and happy stamping!!

 

Christmas Sugar Cookies

I have got the pictures taken for the tutorial, now they just have to be edited and added.  I am on my way to the airport to pick my sister up, so it will have to wait until this evening.  I only got a call this morning that she was coming in, and we are meeting in the city for lunch (well, they will eat).  Here is what me and the boys made the other day, though.

Here is only half of the cookies - I think we had about 8 dozen when all was said and done.  I piped the edge around all of them, so I could flood a shiny icing on top.

Here are some of the finished cookies.  Can you tell Dylan and Jayden added the sprinkles ?!?  A lot of the cookies had a pile in the middle, so I had to spread them around ... LOL.  We had fun though, and they ate their fair share.  Most of them hit the freezer, so that they wouldn't be out tempting me.  And for my diligence, I lost 1.6 lbs last week!  I am so excited to be losing instead of gaining this holiday season.  Probably the first time in my life!!

 
 

WOW - So Unexpected!

I never thought I would have the response that I had to the roses I made HERE.  I started them before I went to bed, so that they could dry for this morning.  I will finish the tutorial for you and have it up ASAP.  I'm really glad that you liked them so much.  I do the craft because it makes me feel good, but I share it with you, hoping it helps you feel that way too!  Thanks for all the comments, I really appreciate them ♥