Holiday Card Sneak Peaks

Hi All. I've been crafting up a storm but it seems I'm in a holiday moods because all I've been making is holiday cards. Christmas to be exact. So check out my Facebook and Tumblr accounts to see my holiday card sneak peaks.

Here's a little recap:

Hi All. I've been crafting up a storm but it seems I'm in a holiday moods because all I've been making is holiday cards. Christmas to be exact. So check out my Facebook and Tumblr accounts to see my holiday card sneak peaks.

Here's a little recap:

I'll hold of posting these until we're at least in the month of December. Ha!!

Ciao.

Let's Eat: Your House or Mine?

My card today was made using a store bought card base with a pre-printed background. All I did was take the green printed cardbase, and add a few embellies and here's a quick and easy card.

So I'm having a love hate relationship with this card. I love the color. This is a great vibrant green but it's not too offensive. I'm loving that PTI stamp of the utensils. It stamps perfectly crisp. The Bordering Blue Classic Ink ended up looking fantastic. It dried a perfect light grey color although it says blue. Plus this is only the second time I've tried coloring with a blender pen (haven't worked any copics into my budget yet....more on that later). I'm definitely going to try this color combo again. So what is it that I don't like?? The sentiment of course. Everytime I try to use my own handwriting as a sentiment, I just don't like it. Staying away from the handwritten sentiments. I will leave that for the insides of cards.

That's all for now. Ciao.

The Deets:

Die Cuts: Nestabilities - Labels 16, PapertreyInk - Mat Stack 1 Ribbon - Stampin' Up! - Taffeta Ribbon in Basic Grey {110110} Stamps - PapertreyInk - Friendship Jar Fillers Ink - Momento - Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Up! - Classic Ink in Bordering Blue {102265} Tools - Stampin' Up! - Blender Pen {102845}

YT Finds: Furoshiki Gift Wrap....Recyclable gift wrap.

I have no idea how I happen across these things online but I can always seem to find the most interesting things, like the following video:
Furoshiki Gift Wrapping


How awesome is this??? Love love love this.

High Fashion Home Art Prints

Happened across these online and I'm loving them.

I found these at High Fashion Home. They are Awesome, don't you think??? At $46 each they are not super expensive. And with some crafty know-how I'm sure I can recreate these for much cheaper.

Hugs

Hi all.

Here is another quick card I made with a 2 Dollar bin stamps from Michaels and some goodies I just got from Stampin' Up!

My good friend was out of town this past weekend and when she got back I went over to hang out. I was busy all weekend with crafty deadlines and business deadlines but I missed her alot. Well I decided to make her a card so tell her that.....and to put my new goodies to use. ;-D

Card Deets:

Stampin' Up! - Cardstock in Melon Mambo, Pacific Point, Rich Razzleberry,

Stampin' Up! Classic Ink in Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry.

Stampin' Up! Bigz die in Scallop Envelope, and 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Bunch

Marvy Uchida 2"  in Circle punch

$1 bin stamps (HUG! and Row of Flowers)

You & Me

Love. It's a funny thing to me in that I can't explain it, I can't control it, and I can't seem to find success with it....Yet.

Here is a quick card I made with some left over Ribbon Scraps from Making Memories, Vellum, and the Hero Arts friend definition background stamp. Oh and I used my iRock tool from Imaginisce.

Which do you trust......Your Head or Your Heart?

While blog hopping on Tumblr I came across this quote. I must say right now I trust my head way more than my heart, in matters that concern me, myself, and only I (in Love) I wouldn't say I'm unlucky because I am loved by some truly great people, and I love them back. I'm just not that great at choosing for myself romantically. A good friend of mine said that I'm a very self aware person and I need to learn to trust myself, especially in that area of choosing a person to share my life with. I've made a two choices that started out wonderful and fabulous but ended, not sourly, but leaving behind serious doubts as to my ability to judge lasting character.

I had another friend ask me if I ever thought of giving up on finding love. Um.....I'm 28, of course not. My philosophy is that I've had my heart broken enough that I definitely know how to put the pieces back together. If anything I still put myself out there because I know that if it doesn't work, I am skilled at broken-heart-repair and I know that I will be fine in the end. Plus, if you don't risk it you will never find it.

But right now my focus is solely on me, my career, and some amazing business opportunites that have come my way. I simply wanted to share a quote then got all pour-your-heart-out on you guys. Thanks for listening.

So do you have a better head or better heart?

Card Deets:

SEI patterned papers

American Crafts Silver Foil paper

PTI (PapertreyInk) Signature Greetings Stamp Set

Stampin' Up! Clearance Rack is HOT HOT HOT!!!

If you haven't looked already you really should. The clearance rack at Stampinup.com is looking fabulous. I placed my order today....have you??

Take a look at what I got:



And my highest priced item was $6 yes that SIX dollars was my HIGHEST priced item. Go get em'.

Booklist

On my list:

The City of Ember Series by Jeanne DuPrau

1. The City of Ember


2. The People of Sparks


3. The Prophet of Yonwood


4. The Diamond of Darkhold

The Alex Rider Series by Anthony Horowitz

1) Stormbreaker
2) Point Blank
3) Skeleton Key
4) Eagle Strike
5) Scorpia
6) Ark Angel
7) Snakehead
8) Crocodile Tears

And many many more. Remember I am an 8th grade teacher so many of the books on my list are teen fiction, which are incredible well written.

Oh and Yes, a Kindle is on my wishlist.

What's on your book list.

Internet Finds: Vibram FiveFingers

If you've ever been around me then you know I absolutely hate wearing shoes. Well.......from my massive shoes collection you may not realize that off hand but if you've known me for years and years then you'd know that I don't like them. I'm a run-barefoot-through-plush-carpet-tile-and-anything-else-except-grass (darn allergies) type girl. I love being in bare feet. It may be all my former dance training and spending hours upon hours working on pirouettes in the dance room barefoot that brought this about. I'm not exactly sure but for as long as I can remember I've disliked shoes.

Actually I think it's because of my foot abnormality. I was born with broken feet. I had to wear special shoes as a toddler to correct this issues. These shoes had a hard sole and included a metal bar that attached to both shoes to keep the shoes in the "correct" position that the child wears while they sleep. Horrible shoes. Horrible.

But imagine my delight and utter jubilation when I came across these shoes on youtube. Every now and then I will just browse youtube for great workout video as inspiration and motivation to get back into a regular workout routine. One of the reasons I don't like working out (besides sweating.....a story for another day) is the fact that not only do you have to wear shoes you have to wear socks too. <-----Did I mention I hate socks too? Anywhoo, I came across this video of Mark deGrasse from MBodyStrength wearing the awesome looking shoes.

Thank goodness for comments. Just as I was about to message MBodyStrength I read in the comments a mention of Vibrams. What the heck is a vibram? I was already familiar with kettlebells so I knew they could not be talking about the weights, so a quick google search later I came across this.

Remember going barefoot as a child? It’s the way you first discovered and conquered your world—without the constraint of shoes. Or the sense of duty you acquired later on.

Now you can experience that same physical and visceral sensation in Vibram FiveFingers—the only footwear to offer the exhilarating joy of going barefoot with the protection and sure-footed grip of a Vibram® sole.

FiveFingers footwear connects you to the earth and your surroundings in a way that is simply not possible in conventional shoes. It puts you in touch with the earth beneath your feet and liberates you to move in a more natural, healthy way. FiveFingers stimulate the muscles in your feet and lower legs to build strength and improve range of motion. Our customers report an increased sense of balance, greater agility, and visibly improved posture.

Choose from a variety of designs to cover the wide range of activities you would rather do barefoot—everything from fitness training and yoga, to running and trekking, to kayaking and sailing. Discover a level of performance and a connection to your environment that is positively without peer.

So you mean there is a "shoe" (and I'm using the term loosely solely for my peace of mind) that feels like your barefoot??? Am I in wanna-be-country-girl-in-a-city-girls-body heaven or what.

Now of course I spent the better part of an hour researching these shoes, the pros and cons, types, and prices. Here's what I found.

• There are 9 types of these shoes in the USA with more rumored to be released soon.


• Prices range from $75 to $125 brand new from the VibramFiveFingers.com Site.


• You can wear them to do most anything from casual leisure activities to rigorous workouts depending on the type.


• They are supposed to feel like you are barefoot.


• They have even been worn while running marathons and scuba diving.


• They are not sized like normal shoes. Here is a quick video about how to measure your foot for Vibrams.

I even found a beginner's guide to these awesome shoes. They are on youtube, and facebook so you can find them everywhere.

As you can see they are sort of my new "thing", and I'm loving them. I found a couple stores here in Houston, TX that offer them so I will be trying them out and purchasing soon.

Toodles.

Silhouette is now MAC ready - Confirmed.

As you know I recently purchased a Silhouette and it arrived today along with this news direct from SilhouetteAmerica.com regarding the new MAC compatible software. I was super excited to hear all this seeing as I'm a MAC user and I don't even have a working PC in my home anymore.

Well much to my dismay, I was unable to get the MAC software to install on my BRAND NEW iMac today and I'm not too happy about it. I called Silhouette America customer service and...........I could not get the issue resolved. Apparently I was one of the first people to have issues so I had to send a lengthy email with screen shots of the problem so their TECH guys could investigate. So for right now I have a non working Silhouette sitting pretty on my craft table.

I'm going to get my old laptop back up and running soon so that will temporarily solve the problem. Ugh.

Later.

Updated to add: My silhouette is working perfectly. I received it from Craftysteals.com on the day that the NEW Mac software was debuted. Talk about coincidence. But that first day I totally couldn't get the program to install. I called Silhouette America (the company that owns silhouette, of course) and they didn't have an immediate solution. I sent them screen shots of the errors I was getting and they called back within 10 minutes to take a statement from me and to tell me that the software developers would look into the problem. I finally went to bed frustrated that I had this brand new gadget and I couldn't use it because I don't have a PC at home anymore. The next day I had the bright idea to uninstall the previous download and try again, and BINGO....Success at last. I've used it everyday since then and it's been awesome. It's the best machine. My only con is the cutting area. I would like a machine that could cut full 12 X 12 sheets of cardstock. That's one of the reasons that I'm still thinking of getting a Cricut Expression. They still have the pink on at the Michael's near me. But then again buying cartridges is not exactly my idea of a bargain so I guess I need to budget in the SCAL software. Decisions Decisions.

New Music from Pomplamoose......Love them.

Updates & SugarHillCo Blog Train!

It's been so long since I've had the time to sit and just blog. There has been so much going on in my life, from rekindling old friendships, to school starting again and getting a whole new set of students, to me really beginning to ground myself as a teacher, to reorganizing my life, starting with my craft room. My BFF's preggo with her first (so excited about that!), and I'm looking for finally strike out on my own and buy a home. Still warming up to that idea. There's been so much that has gotten me out of my level of comfort and onto the path of bigger and better.

Speaking of bigger and better......I just went on a Blog Train. Yep, a Blog Train courtesy of Sugar Hill Co.

Look at this!



If you can resist all this fabulousness then you are much stronger than me, besides it's all FREE!!!!! and you get to blog hop and see all the fabulous design team, including my Facebook friend Leah Farquharson .

Isn't that just the bees knees. Oh, I love it. I'm not a huge digi-scrapper but I do hoard digi-design elements because one day I will sit down and figure it all out. Looks like that day may be today. :-D

Angee Lee's Deal of the Day: QK Silhouette $199

Hi all,

Sorry I've been away for so long. My life has been a rollercoaster lately, between studying for the GRE in hopes of going back to grad school, my second school year of teaching starting, and some other MALE related DRAMA that is finally over, I've been super busy.

But today I bring you a great deal from CraftySteals.com

The Silhouette SD from Silhouette America formerly of QuicKutz.

IN THE BOX

The Silhouette machine ships with the following important items:

• Silhouette machine


• Software for Windows XP/Vista


• Power cable, USB cable


• 2 Cutting mats (one for thick media, one for thin media)


• Cutting blade


• $10 gift card to the Silhouette Online Store

And you get all this for $199. That's $100 off the retail price of $299 and it's for today only.

I've been looking at this machine for a long long time trying to justify the purchase. I've even been collection great die cuts to use with the machine knowing one day I'd succumb and get one. Well today was my day. My total purchase price was $227.36 ($199 for the machine, $16.42 in tax, and $11.94 in shipping). That is cheaper than any other website out there right now including the shipping and tax so if you were like me and waiting for a great deal, TODAY IS YOUR DAY. {Our day =)} These machines will ship in 7 days from Crafty Steals.

Oh and one more thing before I am late for work:

If you have a MAC like me, don't worry. According to the Silhouette Blog and the Crafty Steals website, the new Silhouette Design Studio software will be available for download on 9/14 and it is MAC compatible. Yippee. Just 6 days away.

Toodles.

Stampin' Up + Tax Free Holiday = Awesome Deals!!

It's time to shop, and the tax is FREE!!! Here in Texas we celebrate the tax free weekend, and Stampin' Up is celebrating too. Shop between August 20 – 22 and get the following Stampin' Up! supplies for free during this holiday period:

Item #	Description	Price
100425	2-Way Glue Pen	$3.50
104332	SNAIL Adhesive	$6.95
104331	SNAIL Adhesive Refill	$4.50
103305	Dotto	$12.95
100902	Dotto Refill	$6.50
104045	Anywhere Glue Stick	$3.95
104294	Sticky Strip	$6.95
104430	Stampin' Dimensionals	$3.95
103683	Mini Glue Dots	$4.95
103579	Paper Snips	$9.95
103179	Craft & Rubber Scissors	$19.95
108360	Craft & Paper Scissors	$29.95
101879	Watercolor Pencils	$19.95
105021	White Uni-Ball Signo Gel Pen	$3.95
102845	Blender Pens	$9.95
Various	Stampin’ Write Markers (individual)	$3.50
120948	Many Marvelous Markers New Color Kit	$35.95
119801	Many Marvelous Markers In Color	$14.95
119700	Many Marvelous Markers Subtles	$28.95
119701	Many Marvelous Markers Regals	$28.95
119702	Many Marvelous Markers Brights	$28.95
119703	Many Marvelous Markers Neutrals	$22.95
120949	Watercolor Wonder Crayons New Color Kit	$39.95
119802	Watercolor Wonder Crayons Subtles	$16.95
119803	Watercolor Wonder Crayons Regals	$16.95
119804	Watercolor Wonder Crayons Brights	$16.95
119805	Watercolor Wonder Crayons Neutrals	$16.95
105394	Basic Black Stampin’ Write Journaler	$3.50
110755	Multipurpose Liquid Glue	$3.95
120962	Stampin' Pastels	$24.95
120963	Stampin’ Pastels New Color Kit	$14.95

These are some of the best tools Stampin' Up! has to offer. Don't miss out on this great deal. It won't come around again until next year. To order, Click here then click SHOP NOW in the upper right hand corner.

Angee Lee's Deal of the Day: Pink ATG

Hi all.

Here's another deal of the day brought to you by Flowers to Flourishes. They have the new PINK ATG (Advanced Tape Glider).



Now I did not order this today because I have 2 ATG's already. I have the Yellow 1/2" and the Red 1/4" so I can't say I need it just because it's pink, but I can say that I was REALLY tempted to buy it.

If you would like an ATG and love the fact that it's pink, Flowers to Flourishes has them today for $21.99 + $5.99 shipping.

Later.

Feeling a bit Country today. For your listening pleasure......

For the ladies: A little Carrie Underwood Undo it. Carrie Underwood "Undo It"



For the fellas: Jarrod Niemann "Lover, Lover"



And just because I love this song: Trace Adkins "This Ain't No Love Song"

The "New" Cricut Imagine Demo by Craft Critique

I think most crafters have either heard of a cricut, or have a cricket, and love a cricut. Since I didn't get a chance to go to CHA this year (boooo) I've been glued to Youtube watching all the demos from Craft Critique, and Noel Hyman of Paperclipping.com. There have definitely been some great items out there being debuted at CHA this year and I will definitely be making plans to attend next year for winter CHA.

My feature today is the Cricut Image. It is the rumored print & cut cricut machine. Yay!!! Take a look at this extensive demonstration by Christy of Provocraft filmed by Craft Critique. Enjoy.



MSRP: for the Machine - $599

MSRP: for the ink - $34.99/black $39.99/Color

The "New" Cricut Imagine Demo

I think most crafters have either heard of a cricut, or have a cricket, and love a cricut. Since I didn't get a chance to go to CHA this year (boooo) I've been glued to Youtube watching all the demos from Craft Critique, and Noel Hyman of Paperclipping.com. There have definitely been some great items out there being debuted at CHA this year and I will definitely be making plans to attend next year for winter CHA.

My feature today is the Cricut Image. It is the rumored print & cut cricut machine. Yay!!! Take a look at this extensive demonstration by Christy of Provocraft filmed by Craft Critique. Enjoy.



MSRP: for the Machine - $599

MSRP: for the ink - $34.99/black $39.99/Color

Texas Style Howdy

My very dear friend Linnell is one of the most genuine, supportive, encouraging people I know. I just met her this year as I began my teaching career here in Houston. He's been a teacher for probably as long as I've been alive and she is so well respected in our school community that if I could be half the teacher she is I know I will have done a good job.

Not only is Linnell supportive of my teaching career she is also very supportive of my crafting. I've made a few things for her including this wedding present. Click here for the original post.



She had the awesome idea of using wedding invitations and save the date cards to make a commemorative wedding present for the bride and groom. How awesome is that idea. And I had loads of inspiration from the save the date cards since they had a layout already on them.

Linnell is also a facebook friend of mine and she contacted me last week about making a card for her. She wanted a Texas themed card, so instantly I thought of vintage, brown, and metal. After talking about it a couple more times she said she wanted cowboy boots on the card. Now this posed a problem in that I don't have any cowboy boot stamps or images on hand, so off I went to google and found a great pair of vintage distressed boots that I simply printed on white cardstock. Well after I had the image I realized that i needed to color the image. I don't have very many markers or colored pencils for that matter so I decided to sponge the boots with Distress Ink. Here's what I came up with.



You can't really tell from the picture but the cardstock behind the brown scallop is embossed with antique gold embossing powder and looks super awesome in person. This was a pretty difficult card for  me to come up with. I made about 3 others before I came up with this one and I think I'm going to reprint the boots and color them again to smooth out the blending.

Supplies:

Tim Holtz: Distress ink - Vintage Photo, Brushed Corduroy, Scattered Straw. Stampabilities: Embossing Powder in Antique Gold, PaperTreyInk - Rustic Twine, Misc. - Cream cardstock, eyelet, tag.

That's all for now.

Hugs.

Angee Lee