(NOT SO) Final Blog Hop of the VC-Rocks 2012 Season

Our final blog hop this year is upon us! But wait! There's MORE - we have another in August, lol - whew! I thought this was the last one but our Maven of Blog-hopping, Loni (last stop on the hop) just let me know that we have another one in August, so watch for that next month!!!!!!Stampin’ Up! Convention is ON and that marks the approach of our final fun and festivities! August will be here before we know it!

You probably arrived here from:

Creative Designs by Jackie ~ http://jackielwatson.blogspot.com
This blog hop is about Non-Card items. When I signed up, I was thinking, “Nanc, what ARE you thinking??? What do you do that isn’t a card?!!?” Well, I must have thought it (or would that be thunk it ;) aloud, because I was informed that I made lots of non-card things (albeit, not all Stampin’ Up! type things)...

Here is one of those things, from the annals of Nanc!
Click on the pictures for a bigger look ;)


Now this was done several years ago – it was a Mother’s Day gift for my mom (wonder what happened to that when we moved her out here with us?). I purchased the pot at a local store, and stamped it using a SU flower stamp and acrylic paint. After it dried completely, I sealed the stamped part with a spray sealer – easy-peasy.

A similar craft would be the tiles I have made a kajillion or two of.



These are a few of my favorite. Even though “Long-stemmed” is long retired. I loved these so much that after giving away or selling that set, I bought myself a new set of it off some online auction purchasing site so I could make some more of them! These were stamped with Stazon inks (the only one we now sell is the Jet Black and the White, but we previously had colors, and I still have them, use them and have added to them ).

Addendum: I've been asked my process, and since these are still gorgeous after NINE years of use, as I made them my first year as a demo, here it is!
1. Wipe tile dust off with clean shop towel (or any kind of towel you have hanging around).
2. Stamp your stamp choices on a 4x4 square to get your layout in mind, then, using Stazon Jet Black ink, stamp your tiles with your design. (Note - the Christmas trees above were stamped in a Stazon green - forest, I believe, and the leaf/square were stamped in Olive Stazon and an medium brown).
3. Color your designs. Mine are colored using an old, gnarly set of blender pens (that are no longer good for ANYTHING else!). I squish the clear cover in the Stazon pads or the lids in Brilliance ink pads to get a little puddle of ink in the lid/cover. Then I pick up the ink with the blender pen (they are each marked by color - red, orange, yellow/white, blue, green, purple) and sparingly add color where I want it.
4. Stamp your sentiment - I always do this last for some reason, but you can do it sooner if you like. It is your tile, and I am NOT the Stampin police ;).
5. THEN, I bake them in a 350* oven for 30 minutes, and place in a child free zone to cool when done.
6. When completely cool, I mask the non-stamped areas and lightly spray my stamping with a Matte Sealer from that craft store that closes on Sunday (which I love - both the goods and the ethics they have!).
7. Finish it off by adhering a 4x4 ish (mine are about 3 3/4 or so square) piece of cork on the bottom. That same store has them pre-cut or you can buy a roll of cork (more cost effective) and cut them with your tabletop cutter  (no lie!).
8. When selling in craft fairs I stack four together and tie with rough twine and use the tag punch to cut out the price and tie in with the twine. I cross the twine on the bottom and tie a knot in it on the top so folks can pick it up by that knot.
If that isn't clearer than mud, you know where to find me - comment or email me your question :)
(The only set of tiles I've ever done this way that faded were given to the mother of a stamper after she made them in class, and the mother left them out on the patio in high summer, high in the mountains of Colorado... mine have been kept in sunny places with no discernible fading, but just be warned. If you keep them outside, cover them or turn them over, or the ink may bleach out :).

Whew!

A more contemporary product that I am so glad I made for a friend was this envelope album. It took very little time to make – in fact, it took longer to get her wedding pictures than it did to make and embellish this with a Simply Scrappin’ kit.


This is viewed from over the top, lol – so it’s kind of upside down…. but you get the gist of it! This is a really fun project! (The instructions are way too lengthy to put here, so if you want them, request it, and that will be a follow-up blog post :).

My very most favorite non-card thing to make, though, is….

can you guess….?

If you know me, you know that my favorite thing to craft is…

SCRAPBOOK PAGES and SKETCHES!!!!!!

Like this:


and this:


and sketches like this one, which is perfect for (dare I say it) the First Day of school!:



Sorry for saying the “s” word… you know…. (escuela). Anyway, the tree was handcut by me and stamped with the woodgrain stamp. Of course, now I would emboss it with the new woodgrain folder that we are getting on page 33 of the Holiday Catalog...just sayin'

For more great non-card projects, please head on over to:
www.loniholt.blogspot.com

And for the complete list, just in case you started somewhere other than the beginning (a very good place to start):
StartVC Rocks (Michelle McCarthy)    www.vcrocks.blogspot.com
1   Technostamper   http://technostamper.blogspot.com
2   The Love of Stamping   http://www.theloveofstamping.com
3   June's Creations   http://junescreations.blogspot.com
4   Stamp With Jane   www.stampwithjane.com
5   Krafting with Karen   www.kraftingwithkaren.blogspot.com
6   Pedstamper's Stamping Tree House   www.pedstamperstampingtreehouse.blogspot.com
7   Life with a Wiener Dog   www.lifewithawienerdog.com
8   My Little Patch of Dirt   www.mylittlepatchofdirt.blogspot.com
9   Something To Scrap About   http://somethingtoscrapabout.blogspot.com
10  Elizabeth's Stamp Room   http://www.elizabethsstamproom.blogspot.com/
11   Artful Imagination    http://artfulimagination.blogspot.com
12   Stamper Shirley    http://stampershirley.blogspot.com
13   Brenda's Stamping Corner http://brendasstampingcorner.blogspot.com
14   Creative Designs by Jackie     http://jackielwatson.blogspot.com
>>>>>YOU ARE HERE: 15  Scrapbook Kits and more    http://fancynancykay.blogspot.com/
>>>>>>>NEXT STOP: 
17   Loni's Life    www.loniholt.blogspot.com

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoyed my non-card trip down memory lane!

Scrappin’ STARS ~ September Blog Hop by SUStars

Welcome to my little piece of scrapping here - you should have arrived from Eileen LeFevre's blog if you are following the SUStars blog hop. The next stop is down at the bottom. A link to the home stop so you can go back to the beginning is also at the end of this post.

(Psst - my post is up early - I have had it scheduled for a couple of weeks - and just added the links and couldn't wait, so it's up Friday night - the blog hop actually starts Saturday morning, Sept 17)

This really is no big secret, but I was a scrapper before I was a stamper. I started scrapping when my youngest daughter Katie (who is 24 today, September 17 – Happy birthday, mi bebe!) was 4 years old. That means I started scrapping – wow – 20 years ago!

My friend Kim is really responsible for me beginning to scrap. We lived in the beautiful town of Iola, Texas ~ one block off Main Street on a dirt road in the church parsonage as my husband Bo was the pastor of the Baptist church in town there. One weekend we packed the kids in the car and went to Houston for a few days to see family and friends since that is where we are both from (we’re high school sweethearts ).

We got to visit with Kim and her husband Greg, and Kim was showing me some scrapbooks she had started for her kids. I was SO excited about this great idea. Having always been into painting and creating things, I couldn’t wait to get back home and start pulling out pictures and put them in albums in a creative way. Turns out, it’s a really good thing I was so excited that I pulled them out before I unpacked. Unbeknownst to us, while we were gone the air conditioner pan had overflowed and was running down the wall of the little closet where ALL my photos, including my formal wedding pictures in their humongous white leather album were. The water (I can still see it in my mind’s eye) was only an inch or two from my wedding portraits!!!!

If not for Kim and her sharing nature, I would not have some of the pictures I so love to have scrapped over the years!

So, speaking of sharing, I have some things to share with you!

I used to make and sell a LOT of scrapbook pages, mini albums and scrappin’ lunch boxes on eBay, back in the heyday when you could make some serious money doing so. One of my favorite projects was to make a quick mini album like this one. this particular one was done with my stampers one year.

I’m not going to share the whole thing due to the fact that you have several other blogs to hop to, but this mini album included pages like this:

and was given to my mom. I think I still ended up putting the pictures in it for her :).

Currently, I pretty much scrap 12x12, mostly two page layouts, and have a ton of layouts I could share, but will limit myself to a few favorites:

One of the layouts from the album I created for Katie when she graduated high school and left home for the first time…The first sets of layouts were based on a song sung by Sandi Patty called, “Masterpiece”, but as they are not all SU, those are a share for another day…. this one celebrates just one tournament of many that Katie played in.

…and a layout celebrating my first grandbaby, Ava – who is now a bit over 3…

(Circle Circus © Stampin’ Up! 1990-2012)

I love Circle Circus and the circle punches from SU made this a snap to create. Some circles are popped up on dimensionals. On the title piece, I goofed up and smudged a stamping when I had it almost done, so I took the 3/4 inch circle punch and punched out a few holes to cover up – how did I do?

…and more recently, Emma, Ava’s baby sister, now 8 months old

(and yes, that’s my in the green jacket, and my hubby, Bo, in the next picture, and Katie in that great sunlit photo)

All letters and punch art shapes by SU – Big Shot for the alpha letters.

And Ava and Emma’s mommy, Kari – my oldest daughter – growing up pictures with Katie, and then the two of them with Ava at about a year old.

White gel pen, Big Shot letters and flower – simple, simple sketch!

Finally, a layout that means so very much to me because, however I started scrapbooking, it has become such a vital part of my life, and is so much cheaper than therapy ;)

My Heritage is the name of this layout – from the left are my mother’s parents and Uncle John, my dad’s parents and my sister Connie – they died the year I was born and this was taken before I was here. Then, my mom and dad’s wedding photo, in the middle, the two of them in uniform – Daddy was in the Army Air Corps and mom was a Cadet Nurse. Next a photo of my mom’s daddy, who died when I was only 7, and my Aunt Carolyn who died when I was 17, with her baby daughter Lisa, who was born on my 8th birthday.

Finally, my mom and daddy, holding the three granddaughters they had at the time. Hannah (4/15) my sister’s first grand, Ava (7/3) my first grand, and Zoe, born in August to our cousin/brother, John (long story – but he’s my big brother – trust me!). Daddy died in March of 2011.

I hope that you were inspired by my layouts and mini album. Please come back for more scrapbook sharing this week!

Click here for the next stop on the blog hop - Carol Parcell's blog: www.cjstamps.blogspot.com

http://su-stars.blogspot.com

VC ROCKS - BLOG HOP #4 - Last one for 2010!

VC-Rocks has been a real blast this year, and I'll be sad to see it end for another year! For those who don't know, VC-R is a virtual celebration of Stampin' Up! for demonstrators and non-demonstrators alike. This is our fourth and final blog hop for this year, and as we get set to say "see you next year", I'd remind my VC-R pals that are demos to check out SUDEMOSONLY yahoo group, and non-demos and demos alike to sneak a peak at Stampin-UpI yahoo group. There are many great groups out there, but these just happen to be ones that I moderate or own.

Also, please feel free to browse my blog to find other fun things and leave comments - those are always welcome!

If you are following the blog hop, you should have landed here from LORI PALMER'S BLOG.

Here is my offering for the last blog hop of this year from VC-R - a scrapbook layout showcasing the owl punch - item 118074 and some new cool designer paper - PlayDate - item 117168. (Link to my website for ordering in the sidebar :)

(The white papers are placeholders for photos...)
To find the blog hop beginning, click on this: VC-ROCKS BLOG and to move on to the next stop in the blog hop, go HERE to Stace's Blog.

Moving

Ah, moving is SO much fun!!!!

But, it needs to be done. In case you've missed my saga, here is the Nancy's digest condensed version... we decided over two years ago that it would be wise to plan for mom and dad to be living in the same house as us as they are getting to the point where they need some extra help, and we all are adamant that we won't be shipping them off to a nursing home or assisted living place unless it were absolutely medically necessary... so we started talking about building a house. Well, here we are - we had hoped to be in the house last September (!), but purchasing the acre from our daughter and son-in-law was insanely difficult thanks to the employee of Chase who no longer works there, because evidently she did others like she did us (fax that to me TODAY - then not look at it for 2 weeks after my wonderful SIL called her three times to ask about it... then something else always had to be done that she hadn't communicated to him, etc, rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat - when she was replaced, her replacement got us finished in 2 weeks!), then the county approving the plat of the land took months, plus an additional $6K in surveyor's fees (which he definitely earned:), etc, etc, etc...

Now, FINALLY, Bo will, dare I say it? - be able to get our building permit next week, but, since we decided it was time to close the LBC chapter of our lives and move on to a different ministry - we know not where or what at this point... it may be just taking care of mom and dad... we have to be out of this house (church parsonage) by WEDNESDAY - can you say... "Nancy is not packed yet" with me???

So today, I am packing, moving stuff and will be repeating that tomorrow, Sunday after church, Monday and Tuesday (thank God our SIL is off today and tomorrow and is willing and eager to help, God bless him!). I need to film and upload my blog hop entry... it is a 2 page scrapbook layout for the 4th of July, so hopefully it will inspire you... but then, once I get that done, I'm off the computer (yeah, we'll see) for a while!

Have a lovely weekend, and think of me while I'm packing, sorting and moving... and if you're in the Houston area and want to come help, I'll give you directions to my house, lol!!!

ASTROS and Scrapbook in a Day

Oh, ye of little faith - the Astros showed up for games at home, but they showed up to PLAY in St. Louis last night and tonight! It was awesome to see some of my favorite hitters HIT, and in Berkman's case - walk - 4 times....

WAY TO GO, 'Stros!!!!!!!!

I got LOTS of WHOO HOOS in there tonight - thanks for a GREAT game!

In other news, I have all but one of my packets cut and prepped for Saturday! YEAH! However, I still have a bazillion kids to test, amendments to print and send home to parents, and ARDs to hold! I'm feeling the love here!!!!! If you missed signing up got it, remember that you can still order the precut kit TO GO!

I completed 20 scrapbook pages - Christmas pictures from 2002 to 2009 - last weekend - and still did a BUNCH of other stuff! Most of the sketches in the plans are my own, or loosely based on various sketches I've seen... one is directly borrowed from SU's My Digital Studio (which is another awesome scrapbooking tool!).

Have you scrapped or yelled WHOO HOO today? Well, what are you waiting for?

Bella Rose

Here is the Bella Rose scrapbook page we made at August's meeting.

Left hand page:



Right hand page:



We used a variety of "friends, family, fun" pictures with this one. The pictures are not formally laid out as in most sketches (and most of my own pages), but rather a sampling of photos - great for those "one of this and one of that" type photos you don't have enough of for a layout on their own :).

What we made on our Stampin Saturday ~ 7/12/08

Here are all three of the card projects we made... I couldn't seem to get a good photo of the pink card - based on a set of cards by Angie Juda (chicnscratch). Mine says "Tickled Pink" and is a standard sized card :)

The scrapook pages use the Felt Fusion flowers in the current catalog, as well as a popsicle for journaling in...PRICELESS was the stamp set used to make swooshies 'dripping' off the dreamsicle and indicating the butterfly flight...

This card could be a Thank you, Happy Birthday, or whatever card - easy and fast! We added some detail inside:

We scored around the edge of the inside Bashful Blue piece, and used the punch out area of the sentiment on the front to stipple in some color with the sponge daubers...

Just wanted those who missed to see WHAT they missed! ANy of these cards would be FAST and easy to make up a bunch at a time. New club starts in August... if you aren't signed up, you'll be missing the fun!!!!

Enjoy!

Updating...

Wow! It has been way too long since I posted, but a LOT has happened...

Finishing out May - school was maniacally busy! Kari continued to increase in girth with baby Ava...Bo completed his first year of teaching successfully.

June flew by - my stampers came and made several cute things... like this

with a new set that will be in the Fall-Winter Idea Book and Catalog...

and this...

and taking photos like this:

And tomorrow... we go in to the hospital for Kari to be induced, and hopefully this time tomorrow, I'll be updating with Miss Ava Kate's first photographs!

Please keep us in your prayers...

Hugs,

me

Blueprints 2 is out

If you don't have it, you need it, lol! This is a great book to help you scrapbook more efficiently - wish I could say I had layouts in it - I tried - I got Honorable Mention in several categories, but just didn't quite get in... it has awesome layout sketches and samples, with wonderful ideas to help you scrap those pictures well and more quickly!

Email me for more information on how to get it!

As promised, here is the layout I am doing with my ladies on Saturday - - - Chocolate Chip and Close to Cocoa cardstock, Close to Cocoa Designer papers, On Board Chipboard, Close to Cocoa ink, Kraft Taffeta Ribbon. The tag and flower are both chipboard covered with stamped cardstock and inked and sanded a little bit... this is NOT my Mother's Day gift - rather that is something practical she wants and needs right now - this one is for MY book :)

In the photos, on the left, my mom back in the late 1940s in her Nurse Corp uniform (I still have buttons from this uniform). On the right, my mom and dad on Mother's Day about 3 or 4 years ago when Connie and I made her a mini album based on the Alan Jackson song, "Remember When" - cousin Josh played the song over the house's stereo system while she perused the album... and cried a little :) Below that, he most recent birthday - with several of her grandchildren goofing around in the background. Then, a picture of she and Daddy in their wedding duds and a picture of (L to R) Aunt Mildred (her older sister), mom (in front), Mary Carole (niece), Grandma (holding Connie) and John Boyd (Josh's dad, our cousin, Mary Carole's brother - and pretty much like a brother to Connie and I, too).

I left room on the tag to journal - when I figure out WHAT I want to write there :)

Sketch update for Dana

OK - So Dana laid down a challenge to me to create her a sketch to go with two pics


and the poem from "Daddy's Girl" below.

DanaLea - you better share that layout when done... and the clock is ticking, girl :)

(tick tock tick tock...)

Done yet?

If you do a layout with my sketch, please share it with us!

Have a great Thursday tomorrow!!!!!

New layout, new grid paper

OK - had to share - this is the layout I just finished of my daughter, Kari, who got married in November and her daddy, but the background is four pieces of the new style of SU grid paper - it has a centering rule, plus the gray over to the right has card/envelope dimensions, basic supply reminder checklist and wish list area - i LOVE it!!!! (If you click on the picture you get a bigger view and can see more detail!)

I love the layout, too - the ribbon is from Hobby Lobby (bridals) and the letters are Heidi Swap, the big flower is off a flowering bush - Hobby Lobby again with a pink Prima centerflower and the stamens are from the cake-decorating area of HL again....who would have thought to look in cake decorating for flower stamens???????

I handed this to hubby to read the poem and he read the first verse and said, "um,...nope, not right now" lol - I got really misty reading it and so did he :)

Here's what it reads - found it on the web by "Anonymous"

Today is finally the day
that I will be the bride;
I look at you to see
a father gleaming with pride.

But first there are a few things
that I would like to say,
I love you more and more
with every passing day.

I remember as a little girl
I felt comfort in your arms,
and hoping that someday I'd find
a man with all of your charms.

I've found that man, daddy,
that I do love so,
but please know this daddy,
that my love for you will never go.

So as you walk me down the aisle,
I know we'll shed some tears,
and remember all the good times
and love through all the years.

I am the bride today
but in my eyes you'll see,
that some things never change,
"Daddy's Little Girl" I will always be.

OK - now, all together - awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww - isn't that sweet???

Have a good one - off to do one of Garrett and his mum with a different, yet really sweet poem....

Back from Scrappin Retreat

I managed to do 26 pages this weekend. I am going to share some with you, along with some items I decorated with Stampin' Up's rub-ons - they are WAY cool!!!!

This first layout is of my hubby and I after the wedding, in our "Wedding Daze".

The poem on the right hand page reads (with my apologies to Clement C Moore):

‘Twas the night of the wedding and all through the hall
Most guests had departed, the group left was quite small
The tables were cleared by the busser who said
Two hundred twenty four guests to the tables he’d led.

The candles were guttering, wax melting like rain
And visions of bedtime seeped in my dazed brain.
And Bo in his tux and I in old sandals
Were pooped out and melting, just like the candles…

When here in the hall there arose such a sound
That to my swelled feet I attempted to bound
To help clean up the tables I crawled like a snail,
And hoped that I would not aloud start to wail.

Our friends who were helping weren’t nearly as slow,
And to my tired body this gave a warm glow.
When what to my unfocused eyes should appear
More things to pack up, I thought with a sneer.

But again our dear friends were so lively and quick,
They packed and they loaded ~ man ~ that was slick!
More quickly than Nascar they hauled all those things
And into my house all those things they did bring.

Now Donna, now Javier, now Gregily and Kim,
Garrett’s friend, Josh – I can’t forget him…

And Katie & Brandon,
they helped pack up, too
If they hadn’t pitched in
Well, what would we do?

On the couch, on the floor, on the table, in the hall,
Now dash away, dash away, dash away all.

And as all our helpers pulled out of my sight, I fell into my bed and thought, “What a great night!”

(And truly - we could NOT have pulled this wedding reception off without the help of Kim and Donna, their hubbies Greg and Javier, and our friend Don and his brother - I thank God for each of them! And I have to add that my youngest, Katie - in spite of having been at it all day fulfilling her duties as Maid of Honor - and her boyfriend Brandon - helped pack up at the reception and load the car before they headed back to College Station that night!)

Some other scrapbook layouts I finished this weekend, and underneath them, some mailboxes and hippo bank decorated with the SALE-A-BRATION rub-ons you might choose with any $50 purchase between now and March 17 - email me to ask about that!

TWO DAYS!!!!!

Oh, my goodness! My baby is getting married in less than 48 hours!

Scary, isn't it?

We are all pretty much ready - I have scrapped 4 more pages - that makes 34 counting my 'cult' weekend and since then (Go, ME!!!).

I made 300 hot chocolate wedding favors...reserved signs for the bridal party's tables at the reception...Kari and I decorated the arch at church this evening...should have seen us stuff packing bubble thingies under the tulle to make it poofy, lol!

Printing a few pictures to display on the table at the reception...got my outfit, shoes, strapless bra (can you believe I didn't own one? can you believe they really make them in my size??? not that i am sharing what *that* is!)

Anyway - here is one of my favorite layouts of my darling daughter in her gown...no, wait - can't do that in case Garrett decides to check out my blog (why he'd wanna is beyond me, but you know, she'd kill me!)

OK - well, then here's another layout - enjoy! (Or not, just don't throw any rotting vegetation my way, ok?)