Aren't these cards beautiful? I was so lucky this year to receive quite a few hand-stamped birthday cards from my stampin' buddies, and I'd like to share them with you over the next couple of weeks! The beautiful card at the top was stamped by Trudy Scott and the card below it was stamped by Debbie Johnson, members of The TOPICS! I think both of these cards are LOVELY! Thanks, Trudy and Debbie, for remembering my birthday!
I'm becoming more and more interested in punch art - especially when I receive cards like THIS! My sister, Pam D'Urso, sent me this ADORABLE birthday card - and I love it so much because she used the owl punch to make a penguin! My sister nicknamed me "Penguin" many years ago and it stuck. It evolved, kinda-sorta, by taking my first name and my middle name and squeezing them together to get "Penguin." Isn't he just the cutest? I may have to start offering some punch classes this fall - and he'll definitely be on the agenda! Thank you, Pam, for ALWAYS sending me the cutest cards! Anytime there's an envelope from you in my mailbox, I rip it open because I KNOW it's gonna be good - and you never disappoint me! I LOVE YOU!
My birthday is on Sunday, June 26th, and my friend Judith Walker sent me this BEAUTIFUL birthday card! It is special to me for a couple of reasons: (1) I didn't know Judith even knew when my birthday was, so it was a complete surprise to find this in my mailbox; and (2) I can feel the warmth and friendship oozing from this card because Judith knows I love vanilla on vanilla, so she made my card vanilla on vanilla! The cupcake icing is glistening with Dazzling Diamonds Glitter! I am thrilled that Judith and I have become friends! She came to me by way of our mutual good friend, Kelly Doan! Whenever I think of Judith, I feel happy! She is as wild about stamping as I am, so we are like two peas in a pod! Thank you, Judith, for remembering my birthday and for this beautiful card! It means so much to me! And you even crimped the little cupcake holder! I LOVE IT!
Isn't he cute? I love him and he loves me, too! He told me so. We are now best friends and we are going to have a long and happy relationship! This is an adorable new stamp set called "Best of Everything." Don't worry, he can be your best friend, too, very soon - on July 1st!
Looking at this card just makes me want to have a Popsicle - a big red one! I guess that would be cherry. I got this adorable card idea from Carol Millay and knew it would be perfect for my Sunny Days Camp Wannastamp. Here in Texas, we wear flip-flops all the way up until Christmas, so this is not only summer fun - but TEXAS fun - and the more bling on your flip-flops, the better! This card was a big hit at my Sunny Fun Camp Wannastamp. For those of you who don't like coloring in outlined images, I offered a spotlighted alternative. To do this, punch a 3/4" circle out of scrap paper; place the scrap paper over your flip flops, centering the flip-flops in the open circle, and sponge-daub in the different colors. Still so darn cute! The recipe is below. To order these Texas fun products, visit my 24/7 online store by visiting http://www.pennythomas.stampinup.net/ and click on "Shop Now."
CUT ME A PIECE OF THAT CAKE! As beautiful as it looks, it's sure to taste fabulous - and you know I love vanilla on vanilla! Lorri Heiling had this card on her blog, but I added glitter for some sparkly fun! On every single one of those swirls you will find Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, so this card has BLING, although you can't see it too well in the picture. We made this card at my Sunny Days Camp Wannastamp for all those June brides you might be encountering. All supplies used and shown are from Stampin' Up! The recipe is below. To order these elegant products, visit my 24/7 online store at http://www.pennythomas.stampinup.net/ and click on "Shop Now."
Oh, my, that Mary Fish is something else, isn't she? This is her card that I have copied. It is so perfect for July 4th! Thank you, Mary, for making such beautiful things for me to enjoy! We made this card at my Sunny Days Camp Wannastamp. The recipe is below. To order these great products, visit my 24/7 online store at http://www.pennythomas.stampinup.net/ and click on "Shop Now."
Oh, boy! These are right up my alley and MY KIND OF CARDS! I'm oozing all over them and they make me incredibly happy. July 4th Americana cards that are C-U-T-E! We made these cards at my Sunny Days Camp Wannastamp. I could make 50 of these and then still want to make one more! I saw a card very similar to this and then put my own spin on it! The recipe is below. To order these patriotic products, visit my 24/7 online store and click on "Shop Now"! SALUTE!
Do you like this card? I think it could be used for so many different occasions - and I love cards that are versatile like that. We made this card at my Sunny Days Camp Wannastamp. The original idea came from Le Anne Pugliese. The recipe is below. To order these products that are so fun to use, visit my 24/7 online store at http://www.pennythomas.stampinup.net/ and click on "Shop Now."
Here's a cute little card we made at my Sunny Days Camp Wannastamp! I believe I got this great idea from Debra Currier - I just love her stuff! I hope she doesn't mind that I'm always copying her! The recipe is below. To order these products, visit my 24/7 online store at http://www.pennythomas.stampinup.net/ and click on "Shop Now."
I'm not an athletic person, but these cool colors and the rhinestones ALMOST make me want to pull out my boogy-board and head for the coast, which I'll be doing very soon! This is one of the cards we made at my Sunny Days Camp Wannastamp and I love the two rows of polka dots - just makes a very HAPPY card! The recipe is below. To order these fun products, visit my 24/7 online store at http://www.pennythomas.stampinup.net/ and click on "Shop Now."
My sister also sent Hunter this birthday card to celebrate his birthday. Once he's enjoyed it for the day, I'm confiscating it for my card samples! I think it's so cute!
Balloons and cards below for Hunter! He wanted a gaming computer for his birthday, which hasn't arrived yet, so my husband Xeroxed one and put it up on a stand to remind Hunter that WOO HOO - the computer is on its way! Wish us all the best as we have about 20 guys converge on our backyard today! These are good times!
The card above was submitted by Faye Wilson. 
The card above was submitted by Amy Hansen. 
The card above was submitted by Jan Spencer. 
The card above was submitted by Lizette Lobpries.
The card above was submitted by Gail Mikeska. 
The card above was submitted by Cathy Vogel. 
The picture above is the Celebrity Infinity as we were boarding in Seattle, Washington. So many things are happening before a ship sets sail, adding to all the excitement!
All of the cruise achievers had this magnet stuck to their doors - a nice welcome! So many of my buddies were on the same floor, so we could stand on our balconies and talk with each other. Ruth Bingle was right next door to me! That made me very happy!
Me and Randy on our first formal night. I had so much fun with my dinner mates Nancy Thompson and Catherine Harwood. I ate more food than I should have, but hey, isn't that what a cruise is for?
In Victoria, Canada, I twisted Randy's arm to experience a "high tea" with me at the famous Empress Hotel. It's something I've always wanted to do - and where better to do it than at The Empress, right? I really enjoyed it. We had tea, of course, with finger sandwiches, scones, and desserts. It was more than I could eat, but I had a super time. These are the gals that had high tea with us - other Stampin' Up! demonstrators, of course!
Pictures from the high tea at The Empress. Those strawberries were huge and so delicious.
Pictures from the high tea at The Empress. The scones were out of this world, and when paired with an orange cream butter and strawberry jam, I was in heaven!
That's me way up there at the top of the stairs! The hotel is covered with ivy and it looks so beautiful. Victoria, Canada is gorgeous! The homes and the scenery are unbelievable, most homes having a view of the ocean and the mountains. I think I could live there, too! Many retired people live there because of the climate, but many young newlyweds are moving in, too! It is quite expensive to live there. The average home goes for around $650,000. The flowers and gardens in Victoria are stunning! Our tour guide told us they have a saying about Victoria: Newlyweds, garden beds, and nearly deads! Ha!
The picture above is Creek Street in Ketchikan, Alaska. The street is made of wood and is on pilings. Set beneath the beautiful snow-covered mountains, it was simply gorgeous and I loved spending time there. I can't imagine what it would be like to wake up every morning to that kind of scenery. Certainly would get your day off to a good start, I would imagine!
The little green house above is the famous Dolly House, which used to be a brothel. I purchased a great watercolor picture of the same picture above. Whenever I travel, my favorite thing to purchase as a souvenir is a watercolor picture of where I've been. 
Salmon market in Ketchikan, Alaska.
As we were docked in Ketchikan, this was the scene from our balcony. I enjoyed sitting on my balcony and looking at those snow-covered mountains. It was absolutely gorgeous.
That's a bald eagle on top of that building! We saw LOTS of bald eagles on this trip.
There was really good shopping in Ketchikan and I'm sure they were happy I showed up! I spent a good amount of money there!
The picture above is from the Tracy Arm Fjord. If you EVER have the opportunity to pass through the Tracy Arm Fjord, you must do it. It is, without a doubt, the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen in my life - and it lasted for four hours! You must be on a cruise ship, though, that has a reinforced hull to go through the icebergs or you will miss out on it. It was simply magical - almost felt like we were in a fairytale and that it couldn't be real, but it was. I was awestruck for four hours.
Me and Randy on the back of the ship going through the Tracy Arm Fjord. We stood out there for hours drinking coffee and taking it all in. I would do it again in a heartbeat!
Icebergs in the Tracy Arm Fjord. Yes, they are a beautiful blue! There were hundreds of waterfalls throughout the Tracy Arm Fjord. Waterfalls are a favorite of mine!
We were able to get really close to the Sawyer Glacier in the Tracy Arm Fjord. I have never seen anything like it in my life. It is indescribable. You just have to experience it yourself to feel the majesty. Words fall short.
Passing through the Tracy Arm Fjord. Those are clouds hanging in the air, not fog.
Passing through the Tracy Arm Fjord.
The Red Dog Saloon in Juneau, Alaska. We tried to get in, but it's very popular, and there was a long wait!
One of the excursions we did in Skagway was to canoe up to the face of the Davidson Glacier with my good friend Judy Garza and her husband Pablo. We had to first take a catamaran to get there! This is Judy and Pablo on the catamaran. Isn't she cute with her fur hat? We had a blast with them!
After the canoe trip, we were able to go shopping in Skagway, which turned out to be the best shopping of all. I could have spent hours there. They have a wonderful fudge shop, so you know I was all over that. The fudge was incredible - wish I had bought more! We stopped inside the Red Onion Saloon where Randy had a beer and I had a Margarita. We could see that gorgeous mountain from our table and I had to pinch myself to see if I was really there!
Shopping in Skagway. No matter which way you turn, you are surrounded by incredible mountains. The people in Skagway are so lucky to see that every day.
Me and Randy are all dolled up in our canoeing gear. Behind us is the Sawyer Glacier that we'll be canoeing to.
To get to the canoes, we had to walk a quarter mile through the wilderness. You could smell the fresh pine. It was lovely. We had to be on the lookout for bears, which at first kind of scared me, but then I realized it would be AWESOME to actually see one! We did see a black bear, but it wasn't on this excursion. Pretty cool!
Here is the Davidson Glacier that we canoed up to. It was spectacular to get that close. There were rushing waterfalls nearby that you could hear and there were eagles flying around, too. It was something I'll never forget.
As we were rowing back in our canoes, here's what we could see. All around you is nothing but gorgeous scenery like this. How can anyone question that there's a God?
Scenery on our canoe trip in Skagway. I was sad that my kids weren't here to see all of this beauty. I'm determined to take them there someday. Thank you, Stampin' Up!, for allowing this wonderful trip of a lifetime to happen. I'm one lucky, thankful, and very happy girl! I had a wonderful time and many incredible memories.
