So Easy a Kid Can Do It...

Yep! Rubber stamping is for EVERYONE! My sweet daughter created this adorable card (without much help from me at all) for her annoying (as she would put it) yet adorable brother. We just celebrated his 9th birthday! Yikes! I honestly can not believe it!

She told me exactly what she wanted the card to look like and I selected the stamps for her. Ohter than that, she ran with it. I love how she used the retired paper peicing punch from Stampin' Up!. And By Land is really one of my all time fav stamp sets. I'm so glad I got it before it was retired! (Just another reason to invest, stampers, while you have the time. wink)

Now just look at these adorable "thank you" notes my son put together (mm-hm, WITH my help... let's face it, he is a typical boy. He talked about Star Wars the entire time we stamped.) He had in his mind who each card would go to as he stamped it. I just love that! It's like he was saying little prayers for that particular person as he made their card. Precious!

So get busy with those kids and LET THEM STAMP!

Hodgepodge 101 Stamp Camp

Hodgepodge is one of my absolute FAVORITE tools for embellishing. I love to find all different sorts of ways to use it other than the typical. And thanks to Stampin' Up!, you get a MAJOR BARGAIN with this hardware. I've not seen anywhere else so much metal for such a great price. Honest!

When you purchase Hodgepodge Hardware from me now to the end of April, you can attend my Hodgepodge Hardware Stamp Camp for FREE. That's right... absolutely FREE. You will be using your hodgepodge in the class while all other supplies will be provided. Stampers not wanting to make the investment in a purchase of Hodgepodge can still attend the camp for only $15 (all supplies provided.) NOW is the time to grab some Hodgepodge since it is still SALE-A-BRATION! When you purchase $50 in SU! product, you can select a free set of stamps or rub-ons from the SAB catalog. FREE STAMPS AND A FREE STAMP CAMP... does it get any better than this?!

Register for this camp by emailing me with your order or by sending your camp fee through the mail. Email for my address.

Gift Set

Surprise! Time is running out...

Time is running out for SALE-A-BRATION with Stampin' Up!! You only have a bit over two more weeks to join in on this celebration and get FREE STAMPS. This cute little "pop-up" card was made with the Sale-a-bration set "Whimsy Birthday." I just love this little 3x3 card! It's perfect for anyone's big special day. And best of all... the stamps were FREE.

Call or email me today to place your $50 order and select your FREE STAMP SET or your FREE PKG OF RUB-ONS. Click here to browse through the Sale-a-bration catalog. Remember, SU! catalogs aren't just catalogs... they're IDEA BOOKS. You will receive a free catalog along with your order. Have some freinds you stamp with? Get a $150 order together between you and your stampin' pals and you get THREE (3) FREE Sale-a-bration stamp sets PLUS... A FREE SET OF HOSTESS STAMPS AND $15 IN SHOPPING DOLLARS. Now that's fun with your friends!

Banana Pudding

OMGoosh! Before last Tuesday night, I had NEVER made banana pudding in my entire life. I don't really like banana pudding so why on earth would I make it. he he he... ick. Soooo... my sweet little daughter loves Vanilla Wafers. She doesn't really like any other kinds of cookies. The last TWO BOXES I opened for her had nothing but BURNT WAFERS inside! Yikes! (I'm definately emailing the Keebler!) So, I figured I'd save the wafers for a "pitch in" somewhere in the future and use the wafers to make Banana Pudding then. No offense to the host of the pitch-in, he he he... I just figured we adults could handle a few burnt cookies, right? Besides the pudding would surely overpower the burnt offering (so to speak. he.) Well! Tuesday night was my opportunity to rid our household of the burnt sweets. Only one thing... I had no recipe for Banana Pudding. I had no idea how to make the stuff! And I waited until Tuesday afternoon to make it! Ikes! What was I thinking?! Well, this was one time NOT thinking actually did me some good, he he he... I "dogpiled" Banana Pudding and O... M... Goosh! This recipe is now one of my ABSOLUTE FAVORITES!!! I guess perhaps I should go easy on Keebler when I email since if it weren't for the burnt sweets, I wouldn't have this amazing Banana Pudding Recipe. he. Hope you enjoy it as much as Dean and I did! Let me know what you think. Either leave a comment or email me. And thanks for looking!

2 (3.4oz) pkgs. instant vanilla pudding mix

1 C milk

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (8oz) container of sour cream

1 (8oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

6 bananas, sliced (I only had four.)

1/2 (12oz) pkg. vanilla wafers (I think I used a bit more.)

In a med bowl, combine pudding and milk. Stir til mix is dissolved. Refrigerate 15 minutes, until partially set. (Remember I said I waited till the last minute so I didn't do the refrigerating step.)

Stir milk into pudding til smooth. Fold in sour cream and topping. Fold in bananas.

Make a single layer of vanilla wafers in the bottom of a 9x13" pan. Spread pudding evenly over wafers. Crush remaining wafers and sprinkle on top. Refrigerate til serving.

Stamp Club

This adorable little envelope pouch really has me excited! It is just so easy to create and what fun it will be to give goodies nestled in this cute little bag! At Stamp Club this Sunday, we will be stampin' up this cute pouch seen above. Perfect for Easter treats... give them to teachers, classmates, your preacher, grandparents. I just love how the Easter grass looks popping out the sides!

Everyone is invited to Stamp Club. Members receive FREE STAMPIN' UP! MERCHANDISE because they have made the committment to remain a part of club. Stamp Club is FREE. You need only place a minimum $15 order while attending. The make & take project is FREE. Access to all of my stamp sets, tools, templates is FREE. The demonstrations are FREE. The refreshments are FREE. And best of all... the FUN IS FREE! Hope you can make it to club this Sunday from 2:00pm to 6:00pm.

Gift Pouch

Wow! Has it really been almost a whole month since I've posted here?! Okay, time is REALLY flying!... just like my little butterfly. Isn't she cute?! Let me tell you how easy this adorable pouch is to create... SO EASY. And it is a ton of fun as well. Check out my friend's blog for a tutorial on "how to..." You will be amazed! http://stampinprojectjunkie.blogspot.com/

For my pouch, I used one of the brand spankin' new Chocolate Chip square envelopes from Stampin' Up! These envelopes come with three different colored "carousel" cards (one of which I used in Groovy Guava on my envelope pouch.) Stinkin' cute! The Designer Series Paper I used is Afternoon Tea. These products will soon be released in the Occassions Mini Catalog. You get a "sneak peak." Fun!

So tell me what you think? Better yet, you try it and share your project with me! Just email me a photo so I can ooh and aah at your creation! Thanks for joining in my dance!

White Wishes

I just had to share this adorable card with you from my very best cyber sister, Sabrina. I love this card for many reasons... 1. It's from Sabrina! 2. I love this fold. 3. The color matches my blog, he. and 4. It's still freezing here but NOT WHITE. Thanks Sabrina! You are so talented, girl!

Here's another tastey recipe ta warm ya up...

Aaaah... Chicken and Rice Soup

1 to 2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cubed and cooked

7 C chicken broth (I use the powdered bullion.)

1/2 C chopped carrots

1/2 C chopped celery

1/4 C chopped onion (I use about 1 to 2 tsp minced onion.)

1 1/2 C uncooked instant rice

Heat broth. Add all ingredients except rice. Simmer 10 minutes. Add rice; remove from heat and cover. Let stand 5 minutes. Season to taste.

Inexpensive, low in calories, super fast to make, and VERY delicious. My kids FREAK over this soup! We eat it all year 'round. It makes us feel warm in the winter, better when we're sick, and happy any other time it's on the table. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Let me know and if you don't mind... share a recipe with me as well. I just love tried and true recipes from REAL people.

Warm Winter Wishes

Wishing you warm winter wishes as it is FREEZING here in Indiana! This picture of my sweet family was taking in the summer time of '07. I thought I'd use this photo for my card today to help me remember the warm SUMMER days and get through the chill of the real. I hope you can see the sparkle on the photo. I used a really cool embossing technique to achieve this effect.

You will need...

Versamark Ink Pad

Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder

Heat Tool

Here is how I did it...

1. Pounce the image (for my card I used a wallet size photo but you can stamp any image) with Versamark Pad.

2. Dust with Iridescent Ice Powder

3. Heat image. (If you use a photo for your image, you will want to be extra careful not to overheat as the picture will "bubble up.")

That's it! Pretty cool, huh?! Every card I've ever swapped having used this technique always WOW's me no matter what other details are on the card. I just love the effect of the "bling!"

HERE IS SOMETHING ELSE TO WARM YOUR DAY...

Saucy Chops and Shrooms

4 boneless pork chops, 1/2" thick

2 medium onions (I used 1 tsp minced onion.)

4-oz can sliced mushrooms, drained

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

1/4 C H2O

1 can of golden mushroom soup

Place chops in a slow cooker. Top with onions and mushrooms. Combine soup mix, H2O, and mushroom soup. Pour over chops. Cover and cook on Low 6-8 hours (I chose to cook for seven hours.)

My family loved this recipe SO MUCH I thought they were going to pull out a crown and bow to me, he he he... (thank God they didn't.) My daughter actually ate the meat WITHOUT KETCHUP. Whoa!

We served these yummy chops with mashed potatoes and baked beans. ENJOY!

Ringing in 2008 with a BANG!

ALL OF MY RETIRED SETS MUST GO!

ONLY $10 EACH

(plus postage, usually less than $5 for one set and less than $10 for more.)

If you live in my area, you are more than welcome to stop by my house to pick up your new goodies. Better yet!... plan on attending Stamp Club Sunday, January 27th at my home from 2:00 to 6:00pm. I will have your stamps good and ready for you then. If I am in your area, I can even bring your stamps to you. See individual photos to the right on my blog. Check back often as I will be adding and deleting sets as they sell. More will be added each day!

Better act fast! I only have one of each set and they will go fast for only $10! Email me to let me know which ones you want and when you've mailed your payment.

ONLY $10!!!

A perfect treat for yourself or someone you love!

A New Year's Stamp Camp

ALTERED ITEMS January's Stamp Camp will feature altered items. We will be altering three items including a tiny scrapbook tin. This camp is only $15 for all three projects. PLUS, each stamper will receive a complementary two piece stamp set. Registration for this camp is required by emailing with your RSVP and by sending your camp fee upon registering. Each new year brings about changes... come see just how fun changing can be when we change these ordinary items into treasured pieces of art. Email me at kgettelfinger@sbcglobal.net

With Stamping Sympathy

This card was created with sympathy for the Gardner family who lost their dear Heather, Shelli's mother, this past Sunday. Having just experienced the loss of my 94 year old grandmother just last week, I have deep empathy for Shelli and her family to have to endure this event at Christmas time. However, my grandmother was 94 and had lived a wonderful life until the past year and a half. Heather went unexpectedly and no doubt the suddenness of her leaving wieghs heavy on this dear family. For that, my greatest sympathy goes out to them. Never is a good time, but no greater time is now. Just as one would experience the sweet smell of a rose (and I see in my mind the memory of my adorable little great neice toddling around the funeral home this past Friday evening offering to everyone a chance to smell a rose given to her by my dad,) may Shelli and her loved ones experience the sweet smelling love of Christ.

"The widerness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the ROSE. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with the joy and sining: they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God." Isaiah 35:1,2.

Are you ready for 2008?

Check out this fun planner we created at my Stamp Club Appreciation Party! How fun is this?! This simple planner uses a simple school folder and some fun Stampin' Up! Darling Doodles Designer Series Paper. Here is how we made this planner...

1. Fold the folder BACKWARD. Then fold each side forward to create an accordian.
2. Trim 12x12 Designer Series Papers at 4". You will have three pieces from each sheet.
3. Adhere one full strip to the front and one strip to the back of your planner.
4. Trim four pieces of paper so that half will fit on the top part of each planner "page" and the other half will fit on the bottom. These measurements may vary depending on the folder measurements.
5. Use a stretchy hairband decorated with ribbons to hold your planner together.
6. Trim lined notebook paper to fit in one panel. Clip paper together with tiny clip.
7. Trim the end of one long envelope and stamp "receipts" along the opening.
8. Cut a smaller envelope in half and stamp "stuff" along the opening. Adhere this envelope to the smaller section of one panel.
9. Download or stamp calendar pages to create planner calendar. Clip calendar together with tiny clip.
10. Embellish as desired.

A Whole Lot of Gratitude

This is one of the three make & take projects we stamped up at my Stamp Club Appreciation Party recently. If you missed these fun projects, not to worry... join Stamp Club 2008 and you will be set for a ton of stampin' fun! There are so many great things planned for next year's club. This card was super easy to create especially because of Stampin' Up!'s great punches. The focal blossom of the card was created by completely using these fun punches. I LOVE the saying, also by Stampin' Up!. It is exactly what I want to say to ALL of my Stamp Club members, present and future.

Embellished Gift Cone

I decided to embellish my gift cone with Stampin' Up!'s Pretties Kit. It turned out to be so much easier than I had thought it would be. I colored my flower with my craft Very Vanilla ink. So easy! The inked flower wouldn't stick by using a glue dot so I had to use Crystal Effects. The jewels were threaded through a peice of silver cord, then inserted through the slight opening at the bottom of the cone and held in place by a drip of CE.

To create the cone, I traced the biggest dinner plate I could find onto a piece of Designer Series Paper by Stampin' Up!. After cutting it out, I quartered it. One quarter will round together to create this cone. I used Sticky Strip to hold it together.

I can't believe Stampin' Up! is retiring Merry Merry! But they are! And along with so many other fantastic sets! I'm not sure who was more disappointed... me or my husband, he he he... I am sure he is thinking, "Great! That means she is going to go purchase another snowflake set!" he he he... Not neccessarily, buuuutt... ya never know! I do really like Merry Merry and I don't think I will ever get rid of it. Sooo... stampers, you better order yours while you can because once January gets here it will be too late! And don't forget about Frosty! Can't believe he is leaving us also. He is rather up in age but he is still one of my absolute favorite stamp sets! And what about Headline Alphabet?! Love, love LOVE that alphabet! Ooooooooh.... makes me so excited about the new Spring Summer Collections Catalog!!!