A Busy, Busy Day

Today was the first Saturday I have had to spend all to myself since ... oh ... May? I love doing the weekly Farmers Markets, but after October, I kinda lose my desire to sit outside in the wind and the cold (it finally did get cold here) for 6 hours and not sell anything, so I cancelled today's appearance and did some much-needed catching up with life.

Silly me, I posted my SU stamps for sale on SCS last week in addition to here (see the link to the right - hint, hint) thinking they would probably get lost in the masso list of other people's lists of stuff for sale, but I have been flooded with responses. Yay! I am selling these babies as fast as I can answer the emails. I am VERY happy with the results. So this morning I hit the Post Office with 4 envelopes to get postage pricing, then I responded to the emails so people could get their payment to me.

Then I went to [shudder] The Store to look for new jeans and slacks for work. No one told me stamping would be FATTENING! This sedentary hobby is deadly in combination with the sedentary Day Job. So having outgrown my blue jeans, I first decided to just wear my chinos instead - not gonna buy new, she said. Nuh-uh. Well, it became tough to keep up with the laundry and getting to work and having anything to wear with only three pair of pants that FIT! So I caved and went shopping today. Did I ever tell you that I am allergic to shopping malls, and I think shopping in general?

So the local stores only fit those skinny minnies. Even their larger sizes are slim-cut...what's up with that?!?!? But I grabbed a few pairs of chinos in hopes they will fit and escaped the nasty place. Then I was off to the Outlets about an hour away, where they have Eddie Bauer, Liz Claiborne, etc. Liz saved me (found some jeans) and I came home. Not bad for a Saturday morning.

Then it was time to start stamping. First, I decided I should include a Thank You card in the bubble envelopes I am using to mail out all these stamp sets, so I whipped up the following card.

I re-discovered this stamp set when I was rummaging through my stamp storage drawers in search of retired sets to move to the Out Box (for sale). I had already done Phase One of The Purge last summer, but I decided if I have not looked at a set since July, I really do not need it, so out they went. It was quite liberating! And all the income should help me be in the black for Uncle Sam this year. A bonus!

Anyway, I ran across Artfully Asian, and I remembered I bought it because I LOVED it, and I still do. It is one of those sets where it is tough to mess up - cards just work with it. I am very pleased with how it turned out.

Recipe: Stamps - Arfully Asian; Card Stock - River Rock, Purely Pomegranate, Very Vanilla; Ink - Purely Pomegranate, River Rock, Wild Wasabi; Other - Purely Pomegranate double-stitched ribbon, Ticket Corner punch.

Then the mail arrived, and what a bounty it was! I got my latest order of irreverant sayings from River City Rubber Works, and also my first pack of ribbons from my latest cave-in - the monthly Ribbon Club at ReallyReasonableRibbon.

I have two weaknesses besides stamps - paper and ribbon. With Recollections closing, I should be saved in the paper category. Kidding! I am sad Recollections is closing, but I know I am weak when I go there...I'll just have to find a new paper source to haunt.

Now for ribbons - I succumb very easily to the Mike's enablement threads on SCS and I have the collection of ribbons, mostly unused, to show for it. I DO NOT need more ribbon. So why join a Ribbon Club? So I get a small selection of ribbon, delivered to my door every month, I am not going out looking for it, I am not tempted by "other things" I pass by, and I still get my fix. See, I think it might work!


So here is what I got today - a silver & light blue collection. VERY cool! Not things I would have picked out, but definitely things I could use. They will serve as inspiration for me.



Last week's cave-in purchase was from The Cat's Pajamas, and I still had not touched the stamps yet. Well, I touched them, but just to put them away. Very sad.

Given that I have a Holiday Show on Dec 1st, I thought it was time to work on some holiday cards. I love this pooch with the menorah on his nose, and since most of my Hanukkah cards are blue, I incorporated some of my new ribbon in the design. I am not jumping-up-and-down crazy about it, but I like it all the same.

Recipe: Stamps - pooch by Cat's Pajamas, sentiment by SU; Card Stock - Going Grey, Night of Navy, Whisper White; Ink - Night of Navy craft, Black, Close to Cocoa and Going Grey markers, Bordering Blue (sponging); Other - ribbon, sponge dauber, gold gel pen, double-hole punch, Marvy oval and scalloped oval punches, clear EP.

Tomorrow I have plans to make more holiday cards and to re-do my ornaments from toppers to ones with an acetate image inside. We'll see how far I get.