Has it really....

...been 10 days since my last post? YIKES! Sorry, y'all, but getting back into the swing of things after a relaxing vacation has been a bit harder than I expected here. So let me start off by showing off some pics from our trip out to Horseshoe Bay! This is the view from the balcony of the condo that D. rented for us. We had initially planned on staying for just 2 nights...but decided to stay for 3 because we were having too much fun to leave on Thursday. Let me just say, everything out there was really nice, and if you don't want to stay in the Marriott...go for the condos! They are equipped really well and the views are incredible. Plus, ours was about a 100 yard walk to the spa, and that, well, that was about all I could manage after a day of getting pampered to death. I could definitely live that kind of lifestyle if money were no object and I had someone to do all the chores...lol!


Here you see me and the little miss out for dinner on Wednesday night. Let me tell you...that was the night that all the bad storms really kicked up and came into Austin. Well, we had the front row seat out there! The sky was absolutely black, and we were sitting by a huge picture window overlooking the lake as this monster storm just built up more and more. Little one here does not like storms one bit (just one of the phobias she picked up from me) and kept asking if everything was going to be ok. We assured her that it was just getting to be night time and that things were fine, but inside my stomach was in complete knots. I was more than happy when the storm finally went around the lake and away from us. Finally, this is just one of the amazing views at Whitewater, which is basically a profession putting golf course. Folks, this ain't yo' mama's

Putt-Putt! This course is an 18-hole, par 72 putting course that was immaculately kept. Along the course there are flamingos, big cages of macaws, and a lot of beautiful water life. And, I am proud to say, for the very first time in my life I actually broke par! Thank goodness the hubby can "read" greens because I couldn't tell which way they were going to break. We had a blast playing this one. They told us, "It will take about an hour to play", and I thought, "Man, there is no one on this course and we are going to take some pictures while we are out." Sure enough, we took about two hours and 15 minutes, but it was time very well spent. And, except for David's sunburned feet where they were exposed between the sandal straps (you think by now he would remember to put sunscreen on them) it was a great day.

Thanks for all of the great birthday wishes I got from all of you! It was probably the best birthday I have ever had. I'll be posting some cards tomorrow, and updating you all on what is going to be going on with regards to the retiring stamp list.

See you all soon!

Kim

Back from my mini vacation.....

....and what an incredible time it was! I'll be posting more details and pictures later on, after I catch up with the 181 emails that are waiting for me. See y'all soon!

Kim

Copic Marker Class

Hi everyone! Since I promised to use this blog as a forum for all kinds of stamping stuff I wanted to pass along a litte class information that I came across. Now, everyone knows that I love my SU! markers. I love them for all sorts of things, but lately I have begun to take notice of all the beautiful cards I have seen with Copic markers and have wanted to play with them. I have a few here at my house right now, but my stash is limited because they are, well, just a bit pricey if you don't catch them on sale.

Still, I have wanted to learn how to better use them because the blending that you can get with these markers is absolutely unbelievable. Then I happened to notice a class at Memory Depot http://www.memorydepotonline.com/classes.asp?ID=566 that will be teaching the basics of Copic Markers. When I called them this morning there was no one signed up yet! I went ahead and registered (they bill you the cost when you sign up) and promised to pass this along to everyone I know who likes to stamp.

I really would love to see the class fill with my friends so we can have a fun Saturday morning/early afternoon together, and maybe go out to one of the local restaurants/coffee shops afterward to visit as well.

If any of you have any questions, you can post a comment here or email me and I'll try to answer it for you. I hope everyone is having a great day, and I'll see y'all soon! Until next time, Happy Stamping!

Kim

Simply Extra...

I wanted to share some pictures of cards I made with my Simply Sent kit, the first two are the exact cards that are included in the kit. If you have never used one of these sets, I highly recommend it. First of all, they are ready to go. The cardstock is cut and scored, everything you need is right there (save for something to pierce the paper with, but they even tell you how to do it with a tack if you don't have a hole punch or paper piercer), and the instructions are very easy to follow.

The stamps in this set are right up my alley! I love all things fleur-de-lis...so this was one of my must haves when it came out.





This card is the one that I made using this same kit. After I had used up the cardstock that came with the set, I just stuck with the same color combo and cut my own to play with. I used the River Rock ink spot directly on the River Rock paper to distress it a bit before I stamped the overlaying image in Chocolate Chip. Then I inked the sentiment stamp with Chocolate Chip and Soft Sky ink and stamped it on the bottom of the card. The little design at the top of the card was stamped with Soft Sky as well. I tied the twill tape completely around the front flap of this card, then trimmed it off with my paper snips to get that little angle on the ends of the ribbon.

So, if you have ever wanted one of these kits but think that you are limited to the designs on the box...think again! Once you have used up your included cardstock just cut some more, play around with the colors, and have fun!

Until next time, Happy Stamping!

Kim

Great new bag!

I have promised to share with y'all any great new products that I find, and here is one that I really like! This bag is one of many from a great company, The Daily Window. Their site can be found at www.dailywindow.com , and I will have a banner up on my blog for them soon.

This bag is called the Daily tote, and although my picture is a bit dark, you can see that there is a mini catalog in the front window of the bag. You can also fit your cards in their to display! This is great to help show off your work as you are just going around town doing your errands.

They have multiple styles available, in fact today I ordered their Eight Days a Week bag. Right now, they have a 30% off coupon available on their website as well. The inside of this bag has two water bottle holders, and is roomy enough for me to put my catalog in with no problem. I am sure you all will see me carrying this or the other bag around here in the immediate future.

And let me tell you something about the service at The Daily Window.....it is incredible! I placed my order today, and about an hour later had an email telling me that my bag was shipped. Amazing! I definitely recommend looking around the website, and you are all welcome to come look at my bag, soon to be bags plural...lol! I hope everyone has a great day, I'll be posting some cards next!

Until later, Happy Stamping!

Kim

Home Again....

Boy, does it feel good to be back home. We had a great time in San Antonio the last few days. My hubby was doing some contract work down there so the DD and I packed our bag and headed down to visit him. We stayed only about 20 minutes from SeaWorld, also known as my little one's favorite place in the entire world, so I took her for a full day of activities on Friday. We fed dolphins, saw Shamu, fed the lorikeets (although one tried to chew my arm off), and basically just had an overall great time. My one mistake of the day? I totally forgot to take my camera with me! I never forget, but this day I did. So, no pictures of this Sea World trip, but let me tell you, it was an experience!

While I was there I took one of my Simply Sent kits with me and made a ton of cards. I had already followed the directions and made the cards I was "supposed" to make with the kit, but then I took some extra card stock and made myself some other designs as well. I'll be shooting pictures tomorrow and posting here as well as posting on my website.

So, to try to drum up some comments from y'all, let me ask a question: What is your favorite stamp set and why? Just let me know...and there may be a little something worthwhile in it for you. That's all I'm saying.

Have a great night everyone, I'll see you here again really soon!

Kim