Fun and Mental Changes

I woke up this morning thinking, "YAY!  IT'S CYBER MONDAY!!!"  I jumped on my computer to to start my shopping blitz and then realized..... "OMG!  I'M PART OF CYBER MONDAY!!!  I'm running a business now!!!"  How easy I forget that I went from customer to distributor just three short months ago and am enjoying sharing these oils that have done so much for my family!!! SO TODAY ONLY:  Along with this INCREDIBLE deal pictured, you will get a FREE 1 year wholesale membership and a $20 rebate!!!  Just click the link HERE to sign up for your 1 year membership and to purchase your Premium Starter Kit that comes with everything you see here. HAPPY CYBER MONDAY GANG!  I can now resume my regularly scheduled shopping! ;)

I discovered a special freedom yesterday like I've never known!!!  Due to work schedules I just didn't know how we were going to pull the Thanksgiving holiday off.... it was suggested that I have it catered!   So slightly begrudgingly, my husband agreed that having it catered would be something worth looking into.  After pricing the different store's holiday offerings, I decided on Fry Marketplace to cater my Thanksgiving meal. BRILLANT!!!  So two things: I chose Fry's solely on price and locale. There was going to be no way of knowing how brilliant the idea was until yesterday's Thanksgiving meal. So three express meals and one gluten free meal at Fry's cost me $149.  With my $5 off digital coupon that brought my meal to $144 that was then quickly back up to $149 with the cans of black olives I had to buy.  Then the hubs brought home 2 Village Inn pies (something we do EVERY year) for $19, the whipped cream for $4.72 and rolls for another $5 bringing

Just a quick one today.  A quick rant I should say.... Just because you forgave, that SHOULD NOT give the one that hurt you free reign to hurt you over and over.  THAT is a matter of self respect.  And quite frankly, it is a matter of respect for the offending person and anyone else they may hurt as well.  NO ONE should walk through life thinking it is ok to hurt someone else.  Forgiveness IS NOT acceptance... it is compassion for the human condition and a recognition of God's love for you and for them.  Release offense (absolutely), but take responsibility for your own happiness!  Being a martyr is every bit as bad as being an abuser! "Hurt me once shame on you, hurt me twice shame on me." It is a totally different scenario when someone hurts you unintentionally... but repeated offense?  There are consequences for our actions and our inaction .  Find the strength to be happy.  You could be saving someone else.

So I recently became a member of Young Living Essential Oils.  I became a member just before one of the biggest growth spurts this company has ever known and RIGHT as holiday sales are ramping up.  Needless to say, I had to WAIT for my Starter Kit and I was NOT happy.  But then the kit came and I tried the oils.  Can I just say.... SOOOOOOOO worth the wait.  This isn't my FIRST bout of impatience: Once upon a time in a land of tumbleweeds and super hot summers, a beautiful, charismatic and really quite skinny girl made her first trip to a well-known coffee shop. She met a friend there who was full of excitement and seemed to have a knowing glint in her eye. After 20 minutes our super hot, skinny, well-spoken, charismatic girl got a little irritated with the wait. "Why am I standing in a 20 minute line for a cup of coffee? Why would ANYONE wait for this? Don't th ese people have lives?" To which her friend turned to her and said, "THIS coffee is like n

What is it that sets me off?  I don't know what it is, but there are days I want to eat non-stop.  And I mean literally just keep chewing and chewing until my jaw seizes... except it never does.  I've always been a lover of food; a little is never enough.  Some people talk about emotional eating or bordom eating.... seriously gang.... I will eat just to eat. I will eat because things are going bad; I will eat because things are going great. I will eat because nothing's on TV; I will eat because something good is on.  I will eat because I'm going out, or because I'm staying in.  There is no rhyme or reason to why I binge.  I know, because I've been journaling about it for years.  But recently, I've noticed that there are certain foods that have been making me feel satisfied, that I can also eat a lot of, but doesn't cause damage to my weight loss achievements.  Here is a list of foods I've been incorporating into my binge days *479 Degrees Asiago

Sometimes I'm a jumper.  Sometimes I get involved in things that I have no clue what I'm getting into.  This is NOT one of those times.  I just became a Young Living Essential Oils Independent Distributor (member #2065124 thank you very much).... with no hesitation, not an ounce of doubt or uncertainty!!!!  And the reason is that I believe THIS is a better way. So I attended a Young Living Oils class, became a member that night and the following night, before my kit was even officially mailed to me, I signed on to sell these products and share the incredible opportunity for health with others.  It made sense to me... it helped that a friend gave me her weight loss trio (lemon, grapefruit and peppermint) to try so I was familiar with the product.  I was never on the fence and I haven't once second guessed my decision. I was never on the fence because years ago I had a homeopathic doctor tell me that ALL MEDICINE started out as natural medicine and that our pharmaceut

Guess what I got in the mail!!!  The Stampin Up 2014 Holiday Catalog!!!!  And to celebrate the pre-holiday ordering season, my demonstrator gave me some stamped images to play with.  Of all of them, the Happy Hanukkah stamp JUMPED OUT AT ME!   I'll give you three guesses why.... isn't this SPOOKILY DELICIOUS?!? I IMMEDIATELY thought of Halloween when I saw this GORGEOUS candelabra and requested it be stamped without the "Happy Hanukkah" sentiment as it is all one stamp.  The Hanukkah example in the catalog is really very beautiful, but this sort of SCREAMS Halloween to me.  I'll give you two more guesses what will be on my next Stampin Up order.... LOL! And so it begins!  This is my first Halloween project this year and my blood is boiling with excitement for the upcoming Halloween season. Gonna have to brew some coffee.... I'm gonna be inking up some more Halloween fun!  MAN!  I need to get moving on my costume!!!! Paper Used:  Stampin Up Very Vanill

  It's sad really that I have to wait until a stamp set is retired to really start to play with it, but here I am with a birthday gift card holder I made using Stampin Up's Postage Collection.  I believe this was a hostess set, but please don't quote me.  The background is Stampin Up's Dictionary background stamp.  I used burlap for the banners and a brown baker's twine from Teresa Collins World Traveler line (yes, it too is retired) for this really fun gift card holder.... you heard that right, this is not a card but a gift card holder!!!  Its finished measurements are 4 3/8" x 4 1/4" and it was made using a standard A2 envelope!   Inside I used Stampin Up's Memorable Moments to create the Happy Birthday greeting.  I also used Tim Holtz distress inks to create the worn paper background with a couple of circle punches to notch out a spot for the gift card.  And the area stamped again with the Dictionary and Postage Collection stamps was st

WHEW!!!  I cannot believe that I did it!!!  I told someone the other day that I was surprised that I'm not burnt out on this owl punch, and I'm not!  I could go on with a cow using this punch, moose using this punch.... that Stampin Up Owl Punch is AWESOME!!!!  But instead of doing something different, I revisited the little girl I did using the owl punch but this time I made her into Snow White.... don't you just love the sentiment?  Perfect, right?!?  The sentiment is from Technique Tuesday's Sweet Somethings!  I made the flowers using Sizzix 3D Flowers die with the background frame being Spellbinder's Labels 20 and the decorative frame Spellbinder's Fancy Tags 3.  The top and bottom of the card was scored using my MS score board and the black decorative strip was found in my "die cut pieces" box.  I believe it is a border punch from EK Success.  I finished this off with a little bling and there you have it CARD 20!!!! Really gang, this was SO M

I have done sooooo many different images using this amazing owl punch, to add a flower to the lineup doesn't surprise me at all.  I used Stampin Up's Teeny Tiny Wishes set for the sentiment and the Window dies for the frame.  I WISH I could tell you what embossing folder I used for this card, but I pulled it out of my scrap bin and I honestly can't find the folder that made it.  I think it might be a Stampin Up folder, but don't quote me.  The pearls are from recollections.  How sweet is this sympathy card? As I've said over and over.... SOMEONE'S going to get this card and 19 others that I've made and featured here on my blog.  To get your hands on these babies, simply place an order on my Stampin Up July Card Club party using my hostess code (highlighted below).  The person who places the largest order will receive all 20 owl punch-themed cards.  How cool is that???  And it doesn't matter if you're an out of state buyer because your order will

Welp gang... the bummer of all bummers happened yesterday.  It is something that happens to EVERY crafter.  I grabbed a white-based card to move it out of the way and when I let go of the card I saw that I SMEARED INK ON IT!!!!  I completely ruined an entire night's work in a split second.  As it turns out though, this accident is actually a happy accident because I got the opportunity to redo the card and I think I like the second version SOOOOOOO much more!!!   The second version still uses Stampin Up's retired Simply Stars and a current Gorgeous Grunge.  But to this one I added the little stars using Stampin Up's Banner punch and Banner Blast Stamp set.  Instead of the Chalk Talk die, I used EK Success' Notebook Border punch.  And finally, instead of hand writing the sentiment, I printed it out on the computer and punched it out with a 3/4" circle.  Oh Man.... this version turned out WAY BETTER!!!!! Here is the original card I ruined; it was originally post

Sorry about the lighting on this one gang.... it is REALLY late, or should I say really early!!!!  I had some friends over tonight and time definitely got away from me.  But that is sort of a good thing because I needed to throw a card together and quick.  Did I mention that is another good thing about this punch... that you can throw a 10 minute card together and it look AMAZING! And I figured a baby card would be a good thing to add to the 20 card pack someone's gonna be receiving. So, as I said, the lighting is HORRIBLE!!!  This card is actually white and not grey.  The sentiment is from Kraftin Kimmie Everyday Sentiments and the embossed frame is from the retired Stampin Up Decorative Frames.  The Stampin Up candy dots were used to decorate and that's really about it. The person receiving all 20 of the cards I've posted here is the person who places the largest order on my July Stampin Up Card Club party order using my hostess code, just go to StampinUp.com and

Ok.... we're approaching the end fast!!!  Only 3 more to go.  This one was so stinkin fun to make.  That layered hair is HYSTERICAL!!!  You can make it all out a little better by clicking on the pic to enlarge.  For this one I used an old, old, really old grid background stamp from Stampin Up along with their Simply Stars, I Am and FYI sets.  Along with that I used Tim Holtz Alterations Stacked Stars dies and the Tim Holtz Stamper's Anonymous Odd and Ends.  And ALL the glitter you see is Elizabeth Craft Glitter Ritz.... this has opened up a whole new can of worms!!!  For those who don't know, Glitter Ritz is paper punch's best friend!!!  I think I will shut up about that before I suck anyone else in to THAT addiction!!!  Just suffice it to say that I'm going to be losing sleep. So for those who don't know (I'm suddenly a broken record), I am giving away the card featured here along with 19 others to the person with the highest order amount on my July St

I gotta say, I'm lovin the monsters!!!  This one features an OLD Disney paper from Creative Imaginations.  I SIFTED through the scrap pile for that gem!!!  I also used my new favorite toy, the Circle Card Die from Stampin Up.  I FREAKIN LOVE this die.... it pretty much makes the whole card by itself.  I just added the paper and stamped some stars from the Stampin Up Banner Blast set and instant cuteness!!!  The black circle and white inverted circle are both Spellbinder's dies.  Check out what this amazing card looks like opened up.... Seriously... this die is SUPER easy.  It does all the cutting and scoring!  The front sentiment is from Technique Tuesday's Sweet Somethings (AWESOME set BTW) and the inside sentiment is a combination of CTMH's Celebration and CTMH's Life Is sets.  God Bless the Stamp-a-ma-jig.... word placement would be IMPOSSIBLE without it!!!  It's always nice to be able to create new sentiments with what you already own. And just as

Oh man... do I LOOOOOVVVVVE this sentiment!!!  I found it in a Hallmark shoebox greeting card and recreated it on my computer.  It fits this little monster PERFECTLY!!!!  THIS ONE I need to find in an actual rubber stamp.  I can see me using this sentiment over and over.  The banners on this card are from Stampin Up's Perfect Pennants and the monster was cased from Nikki's blog over at My Sandbox... cute, cute stuff!!!! So, as before, you can receive this card as well at the other 19 cards I'm featuring on my blog simply by placing a Stampin Up order for my July Card Club party I'm hostessing.  The person who places the largest order using my hostess code (see below) will receive ALL of my Owl Punch Themed cards.  And some of these are going to be VERY hard to let go of!!! To order go to StampinUp.com and click on "store" at the top.  Place the items you'd like to order in the shopping cart and input the hostess code where provided to get full credi

And now for the monsters.  Yep, the Stampin Up Owl Punch makes the CUTEST monsters!!!!  Even I'M surprised that there are this many uses for this punch!!!   The sentiment for this one is another one created on my computer and then die cut using the Stampin Up Word Bubble framelits.  I am beside myself with how simple but cute this card is!!! Of course, just like the rest of them, I'm giving away this card and 19 others that I've featured here on my blog.  They will go to the person who places the largest order for my Stampin Up party in July.  To place and order, simply go to StampinUp.com and click on "store" at the top.  Place the items you'd like to order in the shopping cart and input the hostess code where provided to get full credit for your purchase. The hostess code is UCUFWPDU! THE BEST PART:  You won't have to wait to receive your order.   Your order will ship to you within two business days!!!  No more waiting for a show to "close&qu

So this little gem was created using TWO punches.... the owl punch and my 1" circle punch, so this one is a little of a cheat, but isn't she just so worth it!?!  SOOOOOO freaking adorable!!!  I also used Stampin Up Crumb Cake paper for the card base, scrap papers from the scrap bin, Stampin Up Large Butterfly Punch, Vintage Vogue and Gorgeous Grunge stamp sets from Stampin Up and Whimsy Stamps Magical Mini Letter Seals for the sentiment..... I FREAKIN LOVE THAT MAGICAL LETTER SEALS SET!  Those sentiments are AMAZING!!!!  I'm trying to figure out why this is the first time I've featured them here on the blog. And speaking of not featuring here on the blog, it was brought to my attention that some of you reading my posts MAY not understand just how incredible this punch really is.  So to show you how great it is here a pic of the punch itself and HERE is a link to one of my favorite youtube videos showing how to use the punch to make an uber cute card. Don't

That's a spicy meatball....er, cupcake!  Ellen over at Blinkin, Thinkin & Inkin is SOOOOO freakin talented!!!!  I am IN LOVE with the chef she created using the owl punch and had NO PROBLEM steeling scrapjacking casing this cutiepie to create this AWESOME birthday card.  Again, I created the sentiment on my computer and printed it out because I just didn't have a large enough "Happy Birthday" sentiment.  The cupcake was done with Stampin Up's retired Little Layers Plus along with the strawberry from Stampin Up's Happy Hour.  The flourish was stamped using another one of Stampin Up's retired sets, Vintage Vogue and the paper was ALL from my scrap paper bin. Yet ANOTHER card I wanna keep for myself! But speaking of the scrap bin, I've yet to mention that for those who own the owl punch, you become VERY CLOSE to the scrap bin.  For years I saved the tiniest of paper scraps never really knowing what I would ever do with them.  NOW I KNOW!!!  Th

This owl punch makes the CUTEST piggy!!!!  It seemed pretty perfect to tie the balloon to his tail with green baker's twine and once that was there, the sentiment just kind of wrote itself.  Like yesterday's post, this sentiment was created and printed from my computer.  This card and the other 19 owl-punch-themed cards I'm featuring on my blog will be given to the person who places the largest order on my Stampin Up Card Club party for July using my hostess code.  All YOU have to do to participate is place an order and all these super cute cards could be yours.  Simply go to StampinUp.com and click on "store" at the top.  Place the items you'd like to order in the shopping cart and input the hostess code where provided to get full credit for your purchase. The hostess code is UCUFWPDU! THE BEST PART:  You won't have to wait to receive your order.   Your order will ship to you within two business days!!!  No more waiting for a show to "close&qu

Doesn't this little guy remind you of the Serta Sheep???  Anyone remember those commercials???  I still see them aired every once in a while.  I think it's the eyes.  hahahaha! Here's a sweet owl-punched sheep with a sentiment that I printed from my computer.  Sometimes when you can't find the right stamp (or you don't want to buy the right stamp), your printer can work in a pinch.  Along with the Stampin Up owl punch and scalloped edge punch, this one uses Spellbinder's Fleur De Lis Square die and paper scraps from the scrap bin to create a super sweet card.  There's not much more to say about this one because the magic really is in the layers. Don't forget that this card and 19 other cards (all posted here) will be given to the person who places the largest order on my Stampin Up Card Club party using my hostess code.  All you have to do to participate is place an order: Simply go to StampinUp.com and click on "store" at the top.  P

I love, love, love the spooky silhouette of the backdrop.... it really makes this little owl-punched ghost stand out.  And unlike yesterday's Frankenstein Owl card, this one is unmistakably a Halloween card. Before I get into what I used (beyond the owl punch of course) to make this card, I wanted to mention that I will be giving away this card and 19 other cards, featured on this blog, to the person who places the largest order on my Stampin Up Card Club party using my hostess code.  All you have to do to participate is place an order: Simply go to StampinUp.com and click on "store" at the top.  Place the items you'd like to order in the shopping cart and input the hostess code where provided to get full credit for your purchase. The hostess code is UCUFWPDU! THE BEST PART:  You won't have to wait to receive your order.   Your order will ship to you within two business days!!!  No more waiting for a show to "close" to get your goodies.  THIS i

Am I weird that the title of this post just cracked me up??? So I think this one is my new favorite.  HOW am I going to give these cards away????  20 owl punch themed cards (one posted daily for 20 days) will be going to the person who places the largest order for my card club party using my hostess code.  All YOU have to do to participate is place an order, here's how: Simply go to StampinUp.com and click on "store" at the top.  Place the items you'd like to order in the shopping cart and input the hostess code where provided to get full credit for your purchase. The hostess code is UCUFWPDU! THE BEST PART:  You won't have to wait to receive your order.   Your order will ship to you within two business days!!!  No more waiting for a show to "close" to get your goodies.  THIS is instant gratification.  And if you REALLY want to win the 20 cards for yourself, feel free to contact my Stampin Up demonstrator in her store (click HERE ) to check on

The Stampin Up Owl Punch is INCREDIBLE isn't it!  From owls to reindeer to men and now bats... this punch does it all!!!! Along with the owl punch I also used Stampin Up's (now retired) Little Leaves die, Spellbinder's circle die, We R Memory Keepers Tangled Tree stamps and a greeting from Crafty Secrets Halloween Postcard set.  How stinkin cute!!!!  This card was inspired by Tammie over at Tammie Stamps.   She did a terrific job making this cutie really come to life!  To receive this and the other 19 owl punch cards I'm posting on my blog each day, all you have to do is place an order.  Simply go to StampinUp.com and click on "store" at the top.  Place the items you'd like to order in the shopping cart and input the hostess code where provided to get full credit for your purchase.  The hostess code is UCUFWPDU. THE BEST PART:  You won't have to wait to receive your order.   Your order will ship to you within two business days!!!  No more waiting

Seriously.... does it get any cuter???  Can you not see how EVERYONE needs this punch???  Could you just croak from the cuteness???  This card was cased from Laura over at Loves Rubber Stamps ... the whole reindeer holding a sign screamed at me.  It wasn't hard to find a piece of cardboard hangin around my craft room (honestly, I think I have it EVERYWHERE) and it just seemed fitting that Rudolf might be willing to work for some goodies.... the market DID crash after all!  hahahaha! So using Versa Mark I stamped a miscellaneous snowflake on a background piece.  I honestly couldn't tell you where I got it.  And all the papers are from my scrap file.  Really, this is just another super simple card to put together.  While there are SOME images I'm doing that are a little more work, MOST of the owl punch images take seconds to put together. Want to win Rudolf???  All you need to do is place an order on my July Club Stampin Up party.  The person with the highest order wil

Ok.... HERE is the inspiration for yesterday's Uncle Sam card!!!  Isn't this dude AWESOME!?!  Yep, and, he too, was done entirely with the Stampin Up Owl Punch.  I am having SOOOOOO much fun with this punch!!! So today's card was cased from the OH-SO-TALENTED Ellen over at Blinkin Thinkin & Inkin .  This chick is incredible with punch art.  She has definitely taken this form of art to the next level.  Her Man of Mystery blew me away and made creating Uncle Sam for yesterday's card a breeze!!!  Thanx Ellen!  So, along with the owl punch, I used Stampin Up's score board, paper piercing set, labels collection dies and modern mosaic embossing folder.  The sentiment is a single stamp from Magenta and fit this card PERFECTLY!!!  This one is gonna be a hard one to give away at the end of the month!  To win this and all the other 19 cards that I'm posting here on my blog each day, all you have to do is place an order for my Stampin Up party.  The person with th

Happy 4th of July!!!!  FINALLY an original design!!!  I've been casing (yes, in the crafting world that is a word) everyone's Stampin Up Owl Punch designs and just for the holiday I figured I'd come up with my own.  But this isn't your average 4th of July card, this is ACTUALLY a love note.  Good ol' Uncle Sam's "I Want You" military poster is the PERFECT message to tell someone they're loved.  And check out all that detail!!!  Didn't I tell you some of these designs are intricate???  Who knew you could take an owl and turn it into a man?  It's like magic!!!!  And this ADORABLE guy is just one of 20 cards that I'm giving away at the end of the month to the person who orders the largest amount for my July club party. To place an order and qualify to win the 20 Owl Punch Card Give Away, simply go to StampinUp.com and click on "store" at the top.  Place the items you'd like to order in the shopping cart and input th

Oh Man!!!  I think this one is my favorite one so far and it HAS to be the simplest (is that a word?)!!!  Using the Stampin Up Owl Punch, I made this SUPER cute alien and then doodled around the outside of the card using an ultra fine tip marker finishing it with a sentiment from Technique Tuesday's Tin Man stamp set.  This out-of-this-world card is card #3 of the 20 cards that will be given away to the person who places the largest order for my Stampin Up party this month.  It is SUPER easy too: Simply go to StampinUp.com and click on "store" at the top.  Place the items you'd like to order in the shopping cart and input the hostess code where provided to get full credit for your purchase. The hostess code is UCUFWPDU! THE BEST PART:  You won't have to wait to receive your order.   Your order will ship to you within two business days!!!  No more waiting for a show to "close" to get your goodies.  THIS is instant gratification.  And if you REALLY

Ok.... here's card number 2.  In this card I used the owl punch to make a cute little party penguin.  I have NO CLUE where the papers came from because they ALL came from my scrap paper stash.  But I can tell you that the sentiment is from Stampin Up's Perfect Words stamp set and I also used the Stampin Up Cupcake punch to make the clouds and the Stampin Up paper piercing set to pierce the holes around the outer edge of the card.  This one is so stinkin cute and so stinkin easy!!! Don't forget... the person who places the biggest order in July using my hostess code will receive EVERY ONE of the cards I'm featuring each day.... that's 20 CARDS!!!!  The hostess code is UCUFWPDU Simply go to StampinUp.com and click on "store" at the top.  Place the items you'd like to order in the shopping cart and input the hostess code where provided to get full credit for your purchase. THE BEST PART:  You won't have to wait to receive your order.   Your

I am BEYOND excited!!!!  Today is July 1st and kicks off my hostess month for my monthly Stampin Up Card Club:  The Queen's House of Cards. Of course I intend to celebrate and YOU can join in on the fun!!! Each day for 20 days I will post a new card featuring Stampin Up's Owl Punch... you won't believe all the things you can make with this baby!!!!  Then, on July 29th when I close my party, the person who placed the largest order using my hostess code will receive ALL 20 CARDS!!!  Here's the fun: YOU CAN PARTICIPATE FROM RIGHT AT HOME!!!!  ALL YOU NEED IS TO PLACE AN ORDER USING MY HOSTESS CODE:  UCUFWPDU Simply go to StampinUp.com and click on "store" at the top.  Place the items you'd like to order in the shopping cart and input the hostess code where provided to get full credit for your purchase. THE BEST PART:  You won't have to wait to receive your order.   Your order will ship to you within two business days!!!  No more waiting for a

I did a post a little while ago about upgrading a wedding ring or wedding set that you currently own.... well within a budget (Click  HERE for ways to save money and score some serious bling).  Welp, after months of waiting, here she is!!!!  Isn't she a beauty!?!  It turned out so much better than I imagined.  I'm not lying when I tell you that I almost blinded myself the other day on my way to work. Check out how AMAZING the gallery is!!! And can I just add, these pics were taken with my phone so you KNOW the pictures are not doing this one justice.  I HIGHLY recommend Ganem Jewelers for ALL your jewelry needs!!!!  I give them 500 high fives!!!  This ring is just so gorgeous..... only outshined by the small price tag!!!!

Yesterday I talked about Pinterest and the inspiration I get there.  But recently I've gotten A TON of inspiration from Stampin Up products.  I never used to be a lover of Stampin Up.  They'd have a few neat things in each catalog, but I never saw more than a few at a time.  NOW.... I can't seem to get enough!!!  The most recent product of my infatuation are the cards pictured above.  This is the Hip Hip Hooray card kit; you get 20 cards for 20 dollars complete with cards, decorative stickers, twine, clips, three stamps AND an acrylic block!!! Now that is not my pic pictured above, that pic is from Stampin Up demonstrator Tami Waddell.  It is featured on her blog HERE along with many more great projects.  My Hip Hip Hooray card kit is with my own Stampin Up demonstrator being featured on her display.  But I've certainly taken the inspiration from this kit and RUN with it!!!   Here's a graduation card I made using some miscellaneous paper I picked up along

Seriously, how much do we love Pinterest!?!  A couple months back I pinned a video tutorial of this INSANELY cute alligator card and I FINALLY had time to make it today.  It features a 2014 Stampin Up Sale-a-Bration stamp set called See Ya Later (sorry folks, if you didn't already get it from Stampin Up, you're gonna have to peruse ebay) along with the Decorative Dots embossing folder also from the Sale-a-Bration.  To see the tutorial, click HERE .  But this isn't just about copying someone else's designs, this is about getting your hands dirty and trying something new to get your own mojo working.  I'm talking about inspiration So here it is.... I MADE this adorable creature.  I didn't like the last line on the sentiment so I simply taped over it with scotch tape before inking.  AND THEN..... this little guy led to THIS little guy: Not exactly perfect.  I used a Spellbinder's petite oval to round off the bottom.  I'm going to play with that