Tourists are everywhere and I mean everywhere!  Every other car on the road has an out-of-state license plate and has what seems to be at least two college-aged kids in it.  If the car isn't full of college students, it usually consists of your typical, everyday, garden-variety family of 4 with "Dad" at the wheel.  "Dad" is often the frenetic driver bobbing and weaving from lane to lane trying to read the signs for the Disney theme parks and frustrated at the number of toll roads leading to them (By the way, we thank you for your generous donations to the maintenance of our highway system).  Oh, to be a tourist in Central Florida during Spring Break!  On behalf of THE Mouse and myself, we welcome all of those fabulous, revenue-generating tourists to to the happiest place on Earth!

Okay, on to the business at hand...

The main image of this card isn't Stampin' Up!, it's made by Magenta.  I've had this stamp for about a year and this is my first time using it (sad, but true).  I thought today would be perfect to do something with it with all the kids out of school for Spring Break.  These images depict what a perfect Spring Break should consist of.  I used my Stampin' Write markers and Aquapainters on watercolor paper for the images.  The white embossed background is the new Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder.  Various Stampin' Up! cardstock, brads and ribbon finish it off.

This sketch is a mild adaptation of the sketch challenge on Splitcoaststampers (sketch challenge 169 ).  I didn't follow it "exactly" but it certainly served at a nice guideline.  These sketches, and others like them, are just what I need when I'm not feelin' the stampin' love.

Happy Spring Break.

Mary Ann 

This idea has been around for awhile but I'm just getting around to making a few of these cute photo holders now.  There were very popular late last year, particularly around Christmas.  I'm always asking myself, "Who sits around and thinks these ideas up?"  The creativity of some people out there is really amazing.  Kudos to the clever inventor of this cute little number.

In case you can't tell what this was in its original state, it's a 2" binder clip.  Clever huh?  All I did was cover it with some designer paper, tie a ribbon at the top and added an embellishment on the front.  Very, very quick and simple. 

Some other uses for this besides a photo holder could be to use them as name holders at the dinner table or to use them on your appetizer table to indicate the name of various dishes.   You could also use it as a recipe holder.  I'm sure there are a number of other uses I haven't even thought about.

Here's a few from the side.

Here's my new photo holder at work.  This is a picture of my handsome husband.  Isn't he adorable?   

Have fun with these and let me know if you can come up with some other uses for them!

Have a good weekend.

Mary Ann

I'm in the process of preparing for next month's Stamp Camp and was playing with a couple of different card folds.  I pulled this one out of the archives and updated it a bit with some current designer series paper.  This is a double pocket fold, but different than the one I did in December (seen here - scroll down to Dec 17th).  Today's card actually opens like a traditional card whereas the previous pocket card had both pockets on the front and did not open.  I don't have anything in the front pocket in the sample only because I enjoy the contrast of the designer paper.  As you will see in the next photo, I did put an insert in the pocket inside.

I have two jumbo brads positioned approximately 1" from the bottom for ribbon to tie it shut.  These really aren't necessary because the card stays shut on it's own, but I added it, well...just because I could.

I have been meaning to jump on the You Tube bandwagon and get videos onto my blog like so many others have done, but I just haven't taken the time to master my new video camera yet.  My hope is to have a video sooner rather than later.  It will make tutorials SO much easier to show than by picture.  But, until then, pictures will have to do.  Below are instructions on how to re-create this double pocket card:

Cut your paper to 9 x 12.  Fold the bottom edge up to the top (then unfold) and then fold  in half left to right (then unfold).

As shown in the diagram, fold the bottom right edge to the center fold line and do the same for the top left edge.  Use adhesive to secure these corners down.

Fold bottom edge to the top edge (no adhesive).  To complete the card, fold the left side to the right.

Here is what the card looks like from the side.  Embellish as desired.

Have fun with this.  Let me know how yours turns out!

~Mary Ann

I needed a little pick-me-up today.  Not that I was sad or depressed, just kind of "blah".  It's a little chilly outside (according to Orlando standards) and the day started out a little gloomy.  I set out to change my mood by grabbing some fun ribbon and a stamp set with a great flower.  The flower used in today's card is from the set Be Happy (how appropriate).  The colors in the ribbon match the colors in the Bold Bright family almost perfectly -   Green Galore, Lovely Lilac and Pink Passion.  I also recently became the proud new owner of some of the new Cuttlebug embossing folders from Provo Craft, so I just HAD to use one of them.  This embossing folder is called Swiss Dots - aren't those dots awesome?  I <heart> my Cuttlebug!  I'm feeling better already...

I hope all of you are having a great day! 

~Mary Ann

My friend, Allie, just found out on Thursday that she is having a baby girl.  How awesome is that??  This will be Allie's 4th child and she couldn't be happier.  The baby isn't due for several more months, but I wanted to send Allie a card to let her know how happy I am for her.  Allie had the most beautiful smile on her face when she told me the news.  Don't you just love how pregnant women *glow*?  As the sentiment on the card suggests, this little girl will be one blessed baby.  She'll have 2 older brothers and sister to watch over her and a mom and dad who will adore her (and lots of family friends to oogle over her!).

The stamped image is from Inkadinkado.  I've had this stamp for a long time and honestly can't remember if I have ever used it before (that, unfortunately, is the story of so many of my stamps...).  I was itchin' to use my Prismacolor pencils and gamsol again so this image was callin' my name.  The background was made using my Cuttlebug machine (love that thing) and the little stars were made with my brand new little star punch from Stampin' Up!  It may be hard to see in the photo, but for some added bling, I used my clear Gelly Roll glitter pen on the blanket, hat and stars.  I then added a few more punches, a few brads and a little bit of ribbon - Voila!  A special card for a special friend. 

I'm looking forward to spending time with my family tomorrow on Easter.  My husband and I rebelled against the traditional Easter ham and opted to grill filet mignon instead (oh, darn).  Happy Easter to all of you.

~Mary Ann

I've had the idea for this card in my head for a long time.  The actual layout is an idea I got from a banner at my church.  It's a gorgeous banner and has been displayed throughout Lent. 

I wanted something special for Easter, something different.  The cross is made from masonry nails.  What a powerful statement, don't you think?  The idea of using this type of nail came from a fellow stamper ( I think her name is Holly).  Thanks for the inspiration, Holly!

The sentiment at the bottom is from the stamp set Symbols of Salvation (retired).  The background stamp is Weathered and is embossed in gold on the brushed gold cardstock.  The various cardstock at the bottom is brushed silver, copper and gold, in addition to basic black and white.

For those of you celebrating this Holy Season, I wish you and your families a blessed Easter weekend.

~Mary Ann

I realize it's St. Patrick's Day and that my card should be shamrocks instead of hearts but this set doesn't have shamrocks!  This stamp is from the set A Little Bit of Happiness which is a level 1 hostess benefit.  I really like this set, particularly because I enjoy coloring images.  I used the Stampin' Write markers and then added a bit of glitter with my Gelly Roll roll-on glitter pen (which is hard to see in the pic).  The large scallops were created using the large (retired) corner rounder and I added pink brads for some dimension.   The new striped grosgrain ribbon is a great touch to any card.

Today is the last day of the Sale-a-bration promotion.  A big *thank you* to all of my awesome stamping customers who made this such a successful sale.  You are the heart of my business I appreciate each and every one of you.  Thank you for your business and your loyalty.  I look forward to stamping with all of you soon.

~Mary Ann

My photo editing program was giving me a few problems, but I think I've got everything figured out.  This is a few days past due, but today I want to showcase my stamp club in Clermont.  I have had the pleasure of meeting with these women every month for over three years.  My class size ranges monthly from 8 to 15 people.  I am fortunate enough to have access to the community clubhouse - it's awesome!  All of the arts and crafts classes are held in here and is perfect for my monthly stamp classes.

A big thanks to my girls in Summit Greens for allowing me to put their beautiful faces in cyber space.

I had a small class this month so I will post another photo next month when some of the other ladies return to class.

Until next time...Mary Ann

I've been meaning to post this for a few days but things got a little hectic around here lately.  Now that things have settled a bit, I'm trying to get back on track. 

A number of you have asked how Kayla is doing.  I'm happy to say, she is doing pretty well.  After speaking to her vet yesterday, we have decided to hold off on her MRI (and potential surgery) for a little while.  Kayla seems to be stable and in minimal, if any, pain.  She has her moments, but overall, I'm confident we are doing the right thing.  The vet just wants us to monitor her closely.  He felt that as long as she was comfortable and able to get around we could wait a couple of months.  I'm relieved that we don't have to rush into anything and can take this opportunity to prepare financially for her future tests/procedures.  Obviously, should her well-being be in jeopardy, we will have it done immediately.  In the meantime, I'm enjoying her company.

Last Saturday my church had it's first parish retreat.  What an amazing day it was!  So much hard work went into making the day go smoothly.  There were a number of people I wanted to thank for their efforts and this is one of several cards I made.  I love lighthouses and this retired set (Coast to Coast) has always been one of my favorites.  I don't think I can ever sell this set.  I needed to keep this masculine, so I kept the colors blue and brown and added three jumbo eyelets along the side.  I also used my Cuttlebug to add the embossed circles for dimension.  For the first time in ages, I pulled out my Prisma color pencils and gamsol to color the image.  I forgot how much I like using those.  Finally, it seems like I can't complete a card or project without adding ribbon, so despite this going to a man, I still had to add some.  Perhaps I over did it, but I felt the card needed some balance with so many eyelets on the right.

I made a few other cards, but I forgot to take pictures of them before they went into the mail.  Oh well. 

Check back tomorrow so you can see some pictures of today's Stamp Camp in Clermont.  These ladies are awesome and I finally wanted to give them their moment in the spotlight.

See you then!

Mary Ann

I'm relieved to have yesterday behind me, although I'm not so sure my dog is.  She's really hurtin' today.  Poor thing.  Thank you for the numerous well wishes I found in my inbox - she and I both appreciate it very much.

This is a card I recently showcased at a workshop.  The hostess requested that I demonstrate the new rub-ons featured in the Sale-a-bration catalog but also wanted me to use a background stamp.  It's probably hard to see, but I used the Canvas background stamp on the pink cardstock.  Typically, I don't do well with simple cards, but I enjoyed making this one.  The colors appeal to me, because pink is my favorite color, but I also really like using the rub-ons.  Simple, quick and very easy to use.  Even the sentiment "happy day" is a rub-on.  The pink grosgrain ribbon added the necessary accessory to bring this card together.  The hostess loved it and so did her guests.  I love when that happens!

I'm off to spend some quality time with Kayla.  Thank you for dropping by.

~Mary Ann