Steve's Birthday Card

My brother-in-law's birthday is coming up and I haven't sent him a card in years!  I was always too busy!  Now that I'm retired, it feels good to send him a card this year!  In a way, this card kind of reminds me of Halloween - maybe it's because of the black chevron paper and the stars, but I still think it's super-cute.  Happy birthday, Steve-a-reeno!  Hope your special day is splendid!

Recipe:  Papertrey (PTI); Stampin' Up! (SU)

Paper:  Soft Stone (PTI); Modern Medley Designer Series Paper (SU)
Stamps:  Birthday Classics:  June (PTI); Calendar (Impression Obsession)
Ink:  True Black (PTI)
Miscellaneous:  Chevron Embossing Folder (SU); Big Shot (SU); Black Button (PTI); Black and White Baker's Twine (SU); Mini Glue Dot (SU); Merry Minis Punch Pack (SU); Rhinestone Jewel (SU); Deco Labels Framelits (SU); Stampin' Dimensionals (SU)

Desktop Design Notepad

Well, I've gotten back to making some little notepads.  I made one a few weeks back - and absolutely loved it - so this time I made some using the "Desktop Design" stamp set from Papertrey.  I love how the typewriter is two different stamps so you can easily use two different colors.  Can't wait to make some of these for stocking stuffers!

The inside pages are filled with Aqua Mist card stock, Hawaiian Shores card stock, and Simply Chartreuse card stock.  You can jot down notes and easily tear them out.  LOVE THIS!  This design was inspired by the notepads on Nichole Heady's blog.  The size of the notepad is 4-1/4 X 2-3/4.  I used mainly Papertrey products for this notepad.  If I used a Stampin' Up! product, it's indicated with an "SU."

Recipe:

Paper:  Stamper's Select White; Simply Chartreuse; Aqua Mist; Hawaiian Shores; Hawaiian Shores Pattern Pack; Coaster Board (SU)
Stamps:  Desktop Design; Clip Tips; Monthly Moments:  May
Inks:  Simply Chartreuse; Hawaiian Shores; Harvest Gold; True Black; Pure Poppy
Miscellaneous:  Sticky Strip (SU); Black and White Gingham Ribbon (SU); Rhinestone Jewels (SU)

Hope you're all having a wonderful day - and STAMP ON!

A Mini McClung Family Reunion

Happy Tuesday!  This past weekend, we had a mini McClung Family Reunion!  Everyone wanted to come see my mom's new apartment and to celebrate this occasion with her!  I can't believe that I didn't get a picture of everyone while they were here, but I'm the worst about things like that!  Below is a picture of my brother Kelly and his wife Cassie.  It was a really nice weekend and I enjoyed getting to see everyone and spend some time with them!  My brother Scott was here, too, as well as my sister Pam; her husband, Steve; and their daughter Kim, who lives in Katy, too!

My mom is a big quilter, so she was excited to have Scott hang her quilt rack so she can display her quilts!  It certainly adds a nice splash of color to her apartment.

Here is my mom.  She looks great at 84, don't you think?  As you can see behind her, she has another rack where she can display her quilts - and she has many more quilts that she has made - we'll just have to change them out periodically with the seasons.  A good time was had by all!  I love having my mom in Katy!

Friendly Flowers Card

Greetings!  I absolutely love clean and simple cards that are bright and colorful!  That is what attracted me to rubber stamping 15 years ago!  I love to make something quick, but beautiful, and this is the type of card that fits the bill for me!  I hope you have a great weekend!  My sister and brother-in-law are coming through town on their way to San Luis Pass where they have rented a beach house.  They'll be stopping by on their way to visit my mom in her new home - and I'm lucky to get to see them, too!

Recipe:

Paper:  White Stamper's Select (PTI)
Stamps:  Friendly Flowers (PTI); Embroidered Blooms (PTI)
Inks:  Hawaiian Shores (PTI); Summer Sunrise (PTI); Canyon Clay (PTI); True Black (PTI)
Miscellaneous:  Stampin' Dimensionals (SU); Rhinestone Jewels (SU)

An Early Espresso Chair!

Whew!  Be VERY HAPPY that you're not in Houston, Texas today.  It is HOT as blazes!  I've been in my garage spray-painting a chair for my mom's bathroom - and I am drenched in sweat!  My mom's new bathroom has a lot of dark wood in it - and this chair that she had was white, which didn't go well at all!  I bought some Early Espresso spray paint and got busy!  It's turning out great, but I'm drenched in sweat and feeling high from the spray-paint fumes.........NOT a pretty picture!  Hope she likes it!

We also hung a dark, dark brown shelf on the bathroom wall that has three little wicker baskets to hold "stuff" in.  This will all look nice together.........hopefully........and her apartment is starting to come together! 

No Strings Attached Card

My sister-in-law just recently promoted to Assistant Principal at the school she works at.  It gave me a great opportunity to use my new Papertrey stamp set called "No Strings Attached."  I'm loving this set and will use it many times!  It's hard to see in the picture, but the tag has a light drop-shadow underneath it, which makes the tag look 3D in real life.  The recipe is below.  Have a great day!

Recipe:

Paper:  White Stamper's Select (PTI)
Stamps:  No Strings Attached (PTI); A Dozen Thoughts (SU)
Inks:  Berry Sorbet (PTI); Harvest Gold (PTI); Ripe Avocado (PTI); Crumb Cake (SU)
Miscellaneous:  Rhinestone Jewel (SU)

A Call from Shelli Gardner!

Greetings, friends!  No pictures to post today, but I just had to share this news!  I received a call from Shelli Gardner today, the owner of Stampin' Up!  That's the first time in the 15 years that I was a demonstrator to receive a call from her!  I was quite shocked and excited - it took me by surprise!  She had learned of my retirement from Stampin' Up! and just wanted to thank me for everything I had done for Stampin' Up! and to express how much I would be missed.  We had the nicest conversation and it really gave me some closure as far as my Stampin' Up! experience.  She congratulated me on reaching my 15th year with Stampin' Up! and also for reaching my $600,000 milestone in personal sales.  I had also earned the incentive trip to Hawaii in 2015, which I had to forfeit by dropping out, but that's okay - my husband will take me there some day and we'll celebrate together!  Anyway, it was really nice to talk with Shelli.  I'll always love Stampin' Up! and I am so appreciative for all that Stampin' Up! has done for me.  I just can't say enough wonderful things about Stampin' Up!  I will miss you, Stampin' Up!, but life has called me in a different direction.  I'm not sure what that is, but I'll be patient and wait to find out.  If all I do from now on is take care of my mother and my family, that is BIG enough for me, and I will be fulfilled! 

More Birthday Cards!

Hi, Friends!  Hope you had a great 4th of July!  It was such a nice weekend, and having my mom here made it extra special!  A week ago I posted some birthday cards I had received.  Since then, I've received a few more cards, so I wanted to share them with you!

The adorable card above was made by Judy Sumner.  It looks like she used the bottom part of the Cupcake Builder Punch to make the purse.  Isn't that cute?  I love that!

The gorgeous card above was made by my dear friend Judy Garza.  I'm really missing her!  I'll have to get in touch with her soon and chat for a while.

The fabulous card above was made by Benedicte Richard - one of my favorite people in the whole wide world!  I was excited to get a birthday card from her!

The fun card above was made by Linda Bradshaw.  Can you read what it says?  Hippo Bird-Day Two Ewes!  Isn't that cute?  Thanks, Linda - I had fun with this one!

Thanks to everyone who sent me birthday cards.  It really made my day and I appreciate all of the hand-stamped cards!

Tag It Celebratory Card

Greetings!  I've been a busy gal lately!  My mom moved to Katy last Saturday and I've been spending the last several days with her, unpacking boxes, taking her to the doctor, decorating, and just helping her get settled in.  We have made great progress and her apartment is looking really nice!  I think she is going to love living here - she's already gotten into a group of women who meet every morning for breakfast.  Isn't that spiffy?  I am so happy for her and I'm hoping that before too long, she'll feel right at home here in Katy!

Remember the card I was supposed to make for my ear, nose and throat doctor for an event she's having to celebrate her medical studies?  She's going to need 40 of them.  Well, I think the card below is what I'm going to show her.  I purchased a beautiful stamp that had a vintage doctor's bag with a stethoscope next to it, but it ended up being WAY bigger than I thought it would be, which posed a problem.  One of my friends reminded me of the Stampin' Up! stamp set called "Tag It," which has a stethoscope in it.  I never would have remembered that - and it turned out to be just perfect for my purposes!  My doctor wanted something fun with either "Way to Go" or "Woo Hoo" on the card.  I eliminated the "Get Well Soon" greeting on the stamp and used "Hip Hip Hooray" from "Hip Notes" in its place.  I think this card is cute because of the playful nature of the stethoscope, but it's elegant because of the color, the herringbone embossing on the left side of the card, and the satin ribbon.  I'll see what she says.  I'm going to deliver it to her this afternoon - I'll let you know if she likes it or not.  I think it's adorable!