Valentine

Happy Monday afternoon and welcome. I have a quick Valentine card to share, made with one of the new Lifestyle embossing folders (Roses) that I got at Saturday's stamp show. (2 folders to a pack). The pink card front is Bazzill (a snippet that I tested the folder on, liked the look, used it). The lacey heart on the medallions (also a test snippet) is backed with a snippet of red c/s, created with an EK success punch, then layered onto a  M.Stewart lacey medallion purchased some years ago.  Created the white border with an older MS lace border punch (one of my favorites), stuck on some rhinestones on the punched heart, and whoa, I'm done. I really do like this Rose embossing folder. It embossed quite deeply. This was the good quality Bazzill as well, so I'll have to remember that when using a lighter weight cardstock. Think I'll dash over to the Playground...I heard a rumor the snow had cleared and some fun activity was going on. Won't you join me? I know there will be lots of lovely cards to enjoy, even if there may still be snow puddles around.  As always, thanks for stopping in to visit. Hugs.

Tools

Hi, I'm back again with the new gadget my buddies told me about. It may not be 'new', but was new to us. This tool is from Lifestyle Crafts, and is called the Genius Ultimate Platform System. It is a large 6"x13" Magnetic platform, dies won't slide off. Quote from the box, which also has pictures on the side of which machines will be compatible with this system. (Now you might ask why did I have to go over to buy this? Well, I've learned over time, if these experienced stampers find a new tool, like it, I always wish I'd gotten 'whatever'. Then sometimes it may not be easily available. Here's a picture of the box and hopefully if you enlarge the image, you'll get a good view of the packaging.

Now here are pictures of the plates that were included.

   
This is the magnetic base plate that holds the dies (don't have to use tape to keep die from sliding - I HOPE) This set of dies was included in the package.

This is Plate 1 - which is for thin dies

 This is Plate 2 - which is for the thick metal dies.



I hope this system will do all expected from it, as it was a bit pricey...$49.99, but I got a bit of a discount as I'm on Archiver's mailing list. Don't shop there too often as it is quite a distance from our area. When we're traveling through Atlanta, and time permits, we can sometimes make a quick stop. Or when the stamp show is held at Lawrenceville, Ga., maybe I can get in to the store. It's a lovely store, lots of goodies. There was a good selection of stamps, papers, embellishments, kits...all manner of things to browse. But as you recall, I did promise I wouldn't 'stay all night', which I didn't. It's probably the faster I've been in & out of a shop in a good while, and I did buy a few other things aside from this new tool.

Here's a glimpse of a few other things that I hurriedly pulled from the bag to share with you. I'll try to unload some of the stamp show goodies, and share on Wednesday (WOYWW). They probably won't be on my desk, but ....they'll be scattered about my working surfaces. <g>

This is an Authenique 6x6 pack of Valentine theme papers, and 2 Lifestyle Crafts embossing folders. You did know that I needed more embossing folders, right? Remember the pictures of my storage project, with all the embossing folders I'm trying to corral. I love this particular tool a lot, in case you didn't notice! Hugs, and thanks for stopping back to visit. Have a great evening.

Valentine

Good afternoon, Blog Friends. Thanks for joining me on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Hope it is pleasant in your part of the world. This is the card I should have posted yesterday, didn't get it finished. It's a very simple card...white GP cardbase.
-  2 different MS punches for the hearts.
-  Memory Box Heart Chain Border die (minus 1 heart in the chain)
-  Spellbinders Impressabilities Flowers (the thin metal plates)-  (these are sharp, and one must be careful or they will CUT your fingers!
- Valentine ribbon from stash - probably purchased at Hobby Lobby on a roll

I folded the cardbase, placed the metal Impressability plate over the card front, with appropriate clear plastic plates for the Big Shot. Nothing embossed..so I got the rubber mat one uses for embossing...ran it through with that. Seemed to be working until...the last edge came through & POP...broke the top plate. Well, that plate was all cut up & old anyway...but still.. aggravation. I have several of these metal plates, don't use them much. For one thing, they seem to be too sharp to me & I'm extremely careful when handling one. I've seen some good Youtubes where ink is smooshed over the plate, then embossed, as done in letterpress. Thought about doing it with some red or pink ink...didn't do it. Oh yes, nearly forgot...my heart chain border was about one heart too long. Snipped this one off, centered the border on the card edge, and glued the extra heart on the top MS heart punch. Called it finished, and one card ready to go! Need to stamp the insert. The heart chain was cut from a snippet I had left from another project I'm working on, hope to finish this evening. I'll be back in a bit with some pictures of the new gadget I mentioned last evening, and a few new treasures. Thanks for visiting. See you soon. Hugs

Road Trip

Good evening Blog Friends, and Welcome to another new follower. We have discovered we both shop at the same wonderful scrapbook/stamping store in Spartanburg. The world is, indeed, a very small place. We connected through yet another blogger, where I surfed from link at blog #1. (I hope that makes sense!).

 

I should have had a card to share today...but last night I was tired from doing some much needed housework and didn't get it finished. (and it's a very simple one too...no images on it). While DH was feeling punk, I was being quiet, trying not to disturb with housework-y things - plus I don't need much excuse to be lazy. It's become a very bad habit. Enjoyable, but a bad habit. Now, if I could just learn to shed the guilt about it, I'd be home free!

 

This morning, we got up early - for me anyway - and headed south toward Atlanta, Ga. which is a couple hours from our area. There was an Heirloom Rubber Stamp show and though we'd been last year, we set the GPS on hubby's pickup, to route us to the place. Well, couple things went wrong...mostly MY fault. I was dozing, woke up, looked around and said "I think we are too far south...did you miss the turnoff?". Well, of course he didn't. <g>. So we drive on a bit, and finally even he is thinking we're too far south of where we need to be. We're on an interstate, and as you probably know, you can't just whip off that kind of road, in that kind of traffic, on a whim...you must look for an exit. Which we did. Pulled over, and re-entered the address, hoping to get directed to where we needed to go, from where we currently were. (Guess who had forgotten to push the Set as Destination button?). We finally do arrive at the site, and see all my stamping buddies unloading from their cars, so all was fine eventually. We shopped (well, truthfully I shopped, and DH carried the bags, and made a couple trips back to the vehicle so as not to be lugging so much around). We finished up, and we're going to an Archiver's store at the Mall of Georgia. My buddies have told me about this new gadge they had found there, and well, you know where THIS part of the story is going. We arrive at the place - which is in a group of mall-like stores. The GPS is saying "you have arrived at your destination", and we can't find the blooming store!! Drove around in the mall, through a couple places, finally spotted a landmark, and Voila, there is Archivers. As we're going inside, DH says "Don't be all night, I'm hungry". OK, I promise, I'll be quick. Just gotta get this one thing. RIGHT! But I did sort of hurry, and we find a place to eat. By now it's raining, and it is a cold rain. We eat, and head back for the Interstate Highway that we need to be on to get home. DH says "I know how to find it". I say "Well, you have a GPS, why don't you USE IT!". So we're following the GPS, and we're on all these 2 lane roads, not an interstate at all. After driving a bit, I'm thinking "I wonder if the settings got messed up somehow, and the GPS is set to avoid freeways". So very quietly, trying to be real nonchalant about pushing the buttons, Oh My Gosh...Yep. Change the settings. Tell him we need to pull over, let the GPS recalculate our route, as we don't want to take all the time the 2 lane roads will cost us. OK, you'll be happy to know I don't have any bruises or anything drastic, but he was a bit perturbed. Boy, did I hate having to fess up to that one!!! In my defense, I must say, we are still learning how to use the GPS on the pickup, which is different from the one on the SUV,(and both are Fords)  which is totally different from the portable Magellen one we used to use in our old cars... YADA, YADA.  So that was my day...hope you got a chuckle from my trip report. Maybe you've never been there before, but I get in the soup over stuff like that a lot. We had fun, though..at least I did. He didn't comment.

Will try to take pictures of some of my loot, and the 'new gadget' I found at Archiver's. Hopefully I'll post with a card tomorrow! In the meantime, thanks for popping by, have a great evening, and a Blessed Sunday. Hugs