SUSTARS January 2011 Blog hop... Love is in the air!

This has certainly been an eventful couple of months for me. I'll post more on that later, because this weekend is the first SUSTARS Blog Hop of 2011.

My thanks to our fearless Blog Hop coordinator, Loni!

You probably arrived here from Stamp With Jane. A complete listing of this blog hop may be found after my Valentine's shares, along with the next stop on the hop! If you are just starting here, there are only a dozen stops, and they will be worth your time, so get hopping, would ya? Our theme was a choice of Valentine or Thank you items.

My first item is a test tube holder. It is made of textured Real Red cardstock and decorated with Blushing Bride patterned paper, punchies, Real Red ink.

(ADDED 1/15 - Finally found the pattern on my desktop - thought I had filed it correctly - original pattern for this holder by Lisa Somerville, printable pattern and instructions by Marie at stampinginspiration.blogspot.com - do want to give credit where credit's due!)

My second (and last item for today) is my Valentine card for my honey. 32 years of marriage, 2 kids, 2 grandkids - and i'd do it all again -

Riding Hood Red cardstock and Love Letter DSP make a really cool Valentine card that you can give to a guy... add an antique brad, and look out! Enjoy!

(This card sketch was based on one by Robin Messenheimer)

Add the "three little words" stamp, and hit the bonus! You see, when we were in high school, our government teacher, Mr. Harper (who seemed much older than dirt to us as 17 year olds) had a lot of fun ways to teach us things. I'm not sure what those three little words had to do with anything in government, but one day he was talking about COBs (come over baby - curves that you drove fast to make your girl slide over closer to you) and those 3 little words.... and he admonished us to not forget to say those important three little words to one another... and that has stuck with us since the days of being high school sweethearts.

Bo never forgets to say those three little words, and he always finds special ways to show me that he loves me. Frequently we write notes on the bathroom mirrors with dry erase markers, and they are always signed with the number 3, for those three little words. It was really cool to walk into my grown daughter's bathroom one day and find that our tradition had become theirs, and to see the notes of love and affirmation she and her honey had written on their mirror.

(Note - dry erase markers can safely write on glass and be easily cleaned off - leave your honey a note on his car window, the window in the door leading to the garage or the mirror... you may start something wonderful!)

Hope you have a very happy Valentine's Day, and that these projects help inspire you!

next stop on the hop: Mimi to Jett

Full Lineup in case you missed anyone:

Monica Weaver - Add a Little Dazzle http://www.addalittledazzle.com
Denise Foor - Denise Foor Studio PA http://www.denisefoor.blogspot.com/
Raissan Spatola - RaissaStamps www.raissastamps.com
Jane Hignite - Stamp With Jane www.stampwithjane.com
Nancy Keithley - Scrapbook Kits & More by FancyNancyKay http://fancynancykay.blogspot.com/

Mary Campbell - Mimi To Jett http://www.mimitojett.blogspot.com
Veronica Miller - Bluegrass Stamper Studio http://bluegrassstamperstudio.blogspot.com/

Angela Walters - Life with a Wiener Dog www.lifewithawienerdog.com

Courtney Johnston - Brighten Your Day the Stampin' Up Way! www.letsubrightnurday.blogspot.com
Diana Soling - Stamping My Life Away http://handmadebydiana.typepad.com

Maria Nguyen - ScrapLoveCreate http://www.scraplovecreate.blogspot.com/
Loni Holt - Loni's Life www.loniholt.blogspot.com