Moments in Time

I'm moving!

noreply@blogspirit.com () — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 21:50:00 -0600

Moving my blog, that is. I haven't been happy with Blogspirit's design templates and, most especially, their photo displaying capabilities. So, I'm "moving" my blog over to a new one here:

http://paperandpawprints.blogspot.com/

There's not much there yet, but I won't be posting anything else here, either. I hope to get the new site really "in use" soon.

Lisa

Ciao Bella!

noreply@blogspirit.com () — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 22:15:00 -0600

I love Bella stamps. There is a Bella for almost every occasion and they're just so darn cute. Here are two cards I made for a swap on SplitCoastStampers.com. The first is made with the PMSabella stamp. Who doesn't have those times where you just need to veg out in front of the tv in your sweats, surrounded by your favorite snacks?

Now, this stamp I *had* to buy. Her name is Lisabella. How can you not buy a stamp that has the same name as yourself?

Here's another version of this card I made when I was first working out the design of the swap card.

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogspirit.com () — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 17:55:00 -0600

"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man." - - Benjamin Franklin

Happy New Year! I've given up making resolutions. I never keep them and then it's just one more thing to feel guilty about. I can feel guilty about enough things, I don't need to add anything! ;-) However, I do think I'm going to try this: http://www.triplux.com/dayzero/. I learned about this from my Sept98mom friend, Gwyneth. You make a list of 101 things that you are going to accomplish in 1001 days (approx. 2.75 years). I like this because it's a big enough list that I'm sure to complete a few things here and there which be encouraging (I'm accomplishing things) rather than discouraging (when I don't accomplish that New Year's resolution).

One more sort of New Year's-y thing I'm doing is deciding on a word for the year. Check out Ali Edward's blog for details. I know that I want my next year to be calmer and more organized (which will make it calmer). I'm just not sure of the right word yet...

For you stampers, here's a card sketch in honor of the New Year (click on any of these images to make them larger):

The sketch was inspired by my current foster dog, Chloe. (Isn't she cute?)

One more new thing.... the new Angel Company catalog & idea book is here.

There are lots of new stamp sets and a ton of new accessories and tools! Best of all... we now carry both the Bind It All and the Scor-Pal. Both of those have been on my wish list; I'm so excited! I'll be having a catalog Open House on January 19th to show off the new catalog and some of the great new items. Email me if you'd like details.

Have a great weekend!

Christmas Cards

noreply@blogspirit.com () — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:55:00 -0600

Sadly, 90% of my Christmas card recipients did not get a hand stamped card. But I did manage to send some out to my TAC direct downline, and several stamping/scrapbooking friends. This was my 2007 Christmas card.

(Snowflake stamp by The Angel Company, all paper from Hobby Lobby.) I've seen a combo of red, cream and dark chocolate brown or black this year. I get tired of the usual red & green for Christmas, so I decided to give this combo a try.

I bought this Fluffles stamp A) because it's just so darn cute & funny and B) because I knew it would be perfect for Ali's card. (You know you're stamp addicted when that's all it takes to make you buy a stamp!) She loved it! I used a lot of glitter on it for my glitter girl. The pine bough looks yellowish, but it's because of the Icicles glitter on it.

This is Jessica's card. I bought this stamp from CC Designs because it was cute and went with the reindeer giftwrap paper that I bought this year. (You can see a pattern to my buying, can't you? Doesn't take much, lol.)

I also made her this card to hold the Old Navy card we gave her for Christmas. The stamp is a "Hanna stamp" -- I knew it would get a lot of use with two clothes crazy girls in my house! :-)

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

noreply@blogspirit.com () — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 23:00:00 -0600

Well, it's almost 11 PM and my two "mice" are definitely still stirring (I can hear loud giggling from upstairs), but at least the stockings are hung by the chimney with care. :-) I often wonder if we're the only ones crazy enough to have stockings for our pets, too -- all of them, even the snakes.

Tiger always considers the Christmas tree his own personal little kitty cave. He likes to lay under it:

The girls and I volunteered at the Humane Society today. I figured they'd be short on help, plus it got the girls thinking about something other than themselves and presents. The shelter's had a lot of people bring in puppies this week, so the girls were in heaven! There was one (adult) dog that ... ooh, if I didn't know that DH would have a fit, she would've come home with us. She's a beagle/basset mix (mixed with lab, I think), and her name is Sidney. She was so dejected in that cage, but when you went in with her, she climbed on you, kissed you and whimpered. She definitely a people dog and needs a home - fast. I've already volunteered to foster her if she doesn't do well at the shelter. Hmmmm, if it wasn't Christmas, I'd be willing to deal with a grumpy husband just to give her a home.

By dinner time, the girls were both very hyped up and dying to open their one Christmas Eve gift. Ali chose to open her present from Jessica (Jess made it herself):

Jess opened her present from my friend, Pam (more clothes - she was thrilled!):

After dinner we went out driving to look at Christmas lights. One guy decorates his whole (huge) yard every year and asks for donations for Habitat for Humanity. This is just one part of his display:

Pretty cool!

May you have the gladness of Christmas
which is hope;
The spirit of Christmas
which is peace;
The heart of Christmas
which is love.
- Ada V. Hendricks

The Hallelujah Chorus

noreply@blogspirit.com () — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 17:10:00 -0600

Hallelujah, winter break has begun! I think everyone at work today was really ready for this break - the kids, the teachers and the staff. (In fact, it would probably be a tie as to who was happiest!)

The stamping portion of my blog has been pretty much neglected! Here are a few card sketches I created today for my yahoogroup, midmoStampAngels. (Click on either sketch to see a larger version.)

If you'd like to be aware of current and future Angel Company promotions and get my weekly stamping/scrapbooking newsletter, the "W", click below to join my yahoogroup.

alt="Click here to join midmoStampAngels">
Click to join midmoStampAngels

Oh before I forget, I've been tagged by my friend and fellow Sept98Mom, Carla. I'm supposed to show my desktop but I'll admit that I'm not sure how to do that. I will share that this little guy is on my desktop (don't look at me - my husband did it!):

I'll tag Gwyneth and Kelly. Surely one of them knows how to do this properly!

Winter Wonderland

noreply@blogspirit.com () — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 00:01:44 -0600

We got hit with another winter storm this weekend. I'm not wild about snow, but usually I just grumble a bit and live with it... but, when it interferes with our family tradition of going to cut down our Christmas tree, well, that's another matter!

Last weekend's trip to the tree farm was iced out. This weekend's trip was looking pretty dicey, but fortunately, we didn't get as much snow as they thought possible. That, and I have a husband who doesn't mind driving around in the snow! The first place we stopped was deserted. I guess they didn't think anyone would be crazy enough to drive around in the snow to hike through snow to cut down their own tree. Well, we're that crazy, apparently!

We wound up at our usual place, Log Providence Pines. Even I had to admit this was a beautiful sight:

Of course, we spent a good 30 minutes trekking through the snow to find a good one about 4 rows from the entrance! Isn't that how that always works? Here are some photos of our adventure. Click on any of them to see them larger.

And here's DH with our beautiful tree (which unfortunately had to spend the weekend defrosting in my garage so it's not up yet):

The weather interfered with several planned activities, but fortunately we were still able to get to the lake for the annual cookie swap with my MIL and SIL. Here's a sampling of what's going to work with me tomorrow: