Paper Trufflez

A Muse News: Fortune Cookie Tutorial

Link: A Muse News: Fortune Cookie Tutorial.

I really enjoyed writing about Stephanie's fab paper creations!  Everybody really fell in love with her fun fortune cookies. She's such a sweetheart, and took the time to write out directions for me.  I understood her directions perfectly, but, it's always so nice to have a visual aid, so I actually made one myself, and took step by step pics as I went along!  Worked out spiffy!

If you like making little paper 3D treasures, you'll find them very fun and easy to make!

And, as for this last question, over a recent post: 

What the heck is tube steak?

That, my friends, is a hot dog, as someone kindly chimed in.  LOL!

I like a good hot dog, slathered in grilled onions and sweet pickle relish . . . but, whether or not I still will by the end of baseball season, after eating them twice a week . . . ?  And, mind you, they don't serve 'em with grilled onions down at the ball park; you're lucky to get a squirt of ketchup and mustard and a bun-length dog for your $2.50 . . .   I'll let ya' know . . . *chuckle*

Or, mebbe I'll become a domestic goddess and advance prepare a meal, carefully packed into a cooler, to take down to the ballpark for each game.

ppppppppfffffffffffftttttttttttttttt!!! 

Still a Spring Chick. . .

Still A Spring Chick:

Images:  Tiny Bird, Cluster of Daisies, "Still a Spring Chick" (A Muse Artstamps); Sheep (The Saltbox Studio)
Paper:  Cryogen White; Surf (A Muse), Textured Celery paper (Bazzill Bling)
Ink:  Brilliance Graphite Black (Tsukineko)
Coloring Tools:  Alcohol Markers in Nile Blue, Pale Porcelain Blue, Cream, Honey, New Leaf, Sand, Africano, Orange, Cadmium Yellow, Pale Greyish Blue, Clear Blender (Copic)
Embellishments:  Dotted Peach Sheer Ribbon (May Arts); Buttons (Stampin' Up!)
Other: Mega Scallop Scissors (Retired, Making Memories), Copic-proof Multi-liner in Black (Copic)
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I finally got to play with my Saltbox Studio Sheep set!   I dunno why I think sheep are so cute--I have no animals whatsoever!   A dear friend of mine out in E. Washington lives on a farm and has told me stories about her sheep . . . that must be why I find them enchanting!  I'm such a wuss, tho; I would never last on a farm . . . *sigh* . . .

Once I finished the scene, which ended up being larger than I anticipated (it was beggin' for an A-2 canvas), I didn't have a layout in mind . . . on a whim, I visited Anna's blog today--I just love her coloring, and fun designs with animals and thought mebbe she'd spark me--she has a way of doin' that, UKWIM?! *chuckle*  And, as luck would have it, as I sat happily drooling over all her eye candy, I spied a wonderful layout in one of her galleries that worked perfectly for this piece.  YAY!!! 

I had colored in the "rolling hills" of this scene with the chisel end of the New Leaf Copic Marker--man, was that a cake-walk!  Love it!  But, the only green card stock I had that seemed to truly have the *right* shade and intensity of green I wanted was from a pack of Bazzill Bling I'd gotten in a box of swag for having something published a while back in Cards Magazine.  It has a shimmery finish to it.  I typically prefer a totally smooth solid card stock, but, the added texture and shimmer on this was a nice compliment to the shimmery Cryogen White.

Wanna know sumpin' tricksy?

I was lazy (moi???!!!), and didn't wanna go digging around, trying to find matching thread for my buttons . . .  So, I used my Fiskars trimmer to "shave" these super narrow strips of Surf card stock and slipped 'em through the button holes, trimmed off the excess, folded the ends down and stuck a mini glue dot on the back and plopped 'em onto the card.    I am not the genius that thought of it, but,  whaddid I tell ya'?  Tricksy!

I also wanted to take a moment to thank you for your kindness, and all the encouragement and positive comments about my latest news. MONDO cyber hugs radiating out to you!

Discovery . . .

So, I've been doing some practicing.  While I don't necessarily believe that "practice makes perfect", I do believe practice is essential to acquiring any new skill.  Trial and error are goodly things, that lead us to all sorts of discoveries that enhance the learning experience!  I like to take my time and "absorb" things.  I'm rather on the methodical side, I suppose.  This can be rather maddening to those around me! *chuckle*

At any rate, my latest studio messings with Copic Sketch markers have given me a sense of accomplishment, and great satisfaction.  I feel like show & tell is in order on this cloudy, rainy Friday afternoon here on Whidbey Island.  So, without further adieu . . . wanna see? *grin*

All stamp images, Watermelon Tinplate Note Card, by A Muse Art Stamps.  Inks:  Brilliance Graphite Black by Tsukineko, Colorbox Pigment Cat's Eye in  Daffodill and Papaya Cream, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in Lime Pastel; Copic Sketch Markers, Spica Twinkling Markers by Copic

OK, before ya'all mess yer dress looking for the "ground" image beneath the house all over the A Muse website, lemme stop ya' right now.  You won't find it.  Why?

Cuz I am BRILLIANT!!! *chortling, arms wrapped around self!*

If you don't have this A Muse stamp in your collection, #3-5019G Big bl, you need it.  Get one.  Trust me.  It's one of the handiest images you'll ever invest in.

So.  Here's why I say run, don't walk, and get yerself this stamp:

I just free-hand cut a swoopy line along the sticky edge of a Post-It Note, and then masked off this background stamp.  Inked, removed mask, and stamped.  See?  Brilliant!  Now, this particular image can be used for all sorts of things, but, that's a good one to add to your stash of slick tricks, eh?! *seriously gleeful chortling going on here*

I have another cool idea now flashing in my head, but, experiencing too much brilliance in one sitting, could result in a brain anurism, so I've gotta pace myself. *snort*

I digress.  There is more to today's entry, so let's keep it moving, shall we?

Come closer.  Closer!  That's right.  Up close and personal!  This is what I have been practicing!  Notice the shading to the left of the house and the trees!  Here's how I achieved it:

I colored the left side of the trees with a darker, olive tone marker, and the house with a turquoise, "hugging" the inside of the image line with the brush tip of my marker.  I think on the house I also added a little stroke of blue green.  Then, I used much lighter colored markers, like a yellow green on the trees, and pale cyan toned marker on the house, going right over the top of the dark color, and blending out to the right, giving shadow and depth to the images.  My sun, over there on the right, plays up the illusion that my "light source" is towards the right, and any shadows are falling towards the left.  Light source:  yeah, that's an artistic term.  I'm not gonna get overly technical, cuz outside of Art History 101 in college,  I haven't studied art formally, so I just catch the little tidbits I overhear now and then, and tuck them away in my head, hoping they'll come in handy later on.  You don't get to actually make any art in Art History, anyway; they just make you read this big book, and test you later on about dates, and whatnot.

I also used the colorless blender pen, to remove some of the color on the right, to lighten it back up.  This was my first experience with the blender pen, tho.  And, it removed more color than I wanted it to.  No problem! I came back in with my pale cyan marker (actually Pale Porcelain Blue, to be exact), and quickly put some of the color I'd removed back in, smoothing the transition of where the colors met.

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS!  It has a watercolor-like effect, don't you think?!  AWESOME!  Afterwards, I used the Spica Twinkling Markers to accent the images with some pretty shimmer!  Spicas come in 13 colors + clear.  The ink is made with transparent micro glass flakes, just in case you were curious!  It has no silvery/metallic undertones to it. AaaaAAAANNND!!!  The tip is NOT a rolling ball--it doesn't freeze or get stuck! 

WAAAAAAAAY!!!

I continued my practice, and here are some more examples:

Dad's Restful Day . . .

All images, Cottage Green Argyle Square Note Card, by A Muse Art Stamps; Palette Hybrid Ink in Noir; Copic Sketch and Prismacolor Markers; Ribbon by Strano Designs; Antique Copper Buckle and Mini Brad by SU!; 1 3/8" Square Punch

Ever since A Muse released these summer images, I've had the above card design rolling around in my head (well, lots of ideas rolling in my head, but the time to make them reality has been the elusive thing).  I wanted Sniffer to be bringing Dad his slippers and paper so he can kick back and relax in his comfy chair. *grin*

There are two slick tricks in this design:

1. The ribbon is wrapped around the card front, with one end snipped to resemble a real belt, and a ribbon sliding "buckle" (it's hard to see here in the photo) that was secured in place with a mini brad inserted from the back side of the card front--poked a hole with my piercing tool first, to make this easier.  The prongs were folded to the left side to resemble a REAL belt buckle!
2. See the newspaper? Heh, heh, heh . . .   It's actually the A Muse graduation diploma!  I simply stamped it onto white card stock, drew some squiggly details with a 005 point Pigma Micron that I thought made it resemble a newspaper, and then trimmed it out, cutting off the ribbon /bow.

I AM BRILLIANT!!!

(she shrieked, falling down on the floor, arms wrapped around self, chortling like a mad woman . . . ) *wink*

Hope all the Dads in your life have a wondermous Dad's Day . . . *grin*

Good dog!

GAAAW-JUS Faux Batik!

Link: Batik Technique.

................THUD!  I haven't done this technique in years, but Dorinda's stunning creations with it, made my head swivel, my eyes fixate, and:  BONK!  Right into a street pole!

Are they not the most splendiferous things???  I just had to share!

Good golly, Miss Molly!!!

When Life Gives ya' Limes . . .

Well, girl, you *know* what to do! *wink*

OK, so this turned out even more fun on paper than it was in my head!!!  Am I bouncin'?  Oh, baby, you know it!!! *ROTFL*!


All stamp images, patterned paper, pre-fab papaya note card, solid lime paper, by A Muse Art Stamps; Palette Hybrid Ink in Noir; Versamark; Detail White Embossing Powder; 1", 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle Punches; Sakura Quickie Glue Pen; Prisma Glitter; Gingham Ribbon by May Arts; Prismacolor Markers

I sat down tonight, after working all day, while the best teenage daughter on planet (*wink*) cooked dinner, (Yes, ma'am, you heard me right:  she cooked dinner!!!  Actually, she's been doing this all week, and I've been happily doing dishes every night--WOO HOOOOOOOO!!!) and, finally committed to paper this idea that's been floating around in my head for weeks!  Aaaaaaah!!!    Booyah!!!  This was a happy thing to occur, after struggling with one particular design which I had botched nearly 20x, but had to get done by today's deadline.

BTW,  Mahloumel posted a GREAT thread on SCS yesterday, titled "Don't let the 'perfect' become the enemy of the great!"  I'll admit, even tho I dorked around a bit on it, it was a most excellent read, and I thought it was cool of her to share what she learned from a podcast.

At any rate, it was gratifying, after looking at that darn piled-high "circular file", to achieve victory once today, without 20 failed attempts!!!  This is a euphoric moment, I will admit!

OK, enough blathering, and back to the deets, eh?!

So.  When is a spiral daisy not a spiral daisy?  When you punch it out with a circle punch that is slightly smaller in diameter.  In this case, a 1" punch.  Then, layer it onto a 1 1/4" circle punched out of darker green paper (in this case, palm--a lovely cross between lime and olive).   Aaaaaaaah, yes.  Citrus SLICE.  And, if you cut that in half, you'll have a citrus WEDGE.  At this point, I was giddy (!).  And, it was something I'd figured out a year, ago, but, getting on in years as I am, I'd completely forgotten about it.  *snort*!  Until now. The ellipse along the polka dotted piece was done with the 1 3/8" circle punch, so you would see a border of yellow surrounding the lime slice, which is elevated with foam mounting tape.

Note the "sugared rim". Or is it a "salted rim" ???  I can never remember; I haven't had a margarita since discovering the appletini at Janice's some few years back . . .

I think this makes for a great any-time friendship card . . . I think it would happy up anybody that received it--at least I hope so, as that is the intended effect!

For those of you who may not be aware, "margarita" in Spanish, translates to "daisy" in English.  Cool, huh?!  Do you get it???  I used a daisy to make a slice of lime for my margarita???  (arms wrapped around self, chortling!)  I know, I know . . . I am one chiquita loca, eh?!

P.S.  Thanks for cheering me up.  You guys ROCK, and I appreciate you! 

{{{{{{{{{Mondo group hug}}}}}}}}

You Pop Up . . .

Toaster Image (debuted at CHA 07) by  Sunshine Designs (available in the US only through American Art Stamps), Long Skinny Oval by A Muse Art Stamps; Fabriano Mediovalis Reply Card, plus scrap remnant; Black Pigment Ink; Creamy Caramel Classic Ink by SU!; Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in Ice Blue; Clear Embossing Powder; Derwent Watercolor Pencils; AquaPainter; Pigma Micron Pen (for sentiment); Ric Rac by May Arts; Sakura Quickie Glue Pen; Prisma Glitter Ultrafine Multi-Iridescent

Having been away from my rubbah for so long, I desperately needed some creative play time, just for me and only me, so I cut loose with the above, which was so fun to make!  Isn't this just the most darling toaster image?  When I saw it I went AGOG!  Don't even ask me WHY I like toasters!  They just make me think "cozy"!  ROTFL!  This one is easy and quick to watercolor, and the image is large enough that you can do a few fun things with it that you might not be able to otherwise, were it any smaller!

I had a scrap of Fabriano left from a previously botched design, so I black embossed the toaster  and quickly watercolored it in.  I cut a slit into one of the toaster slots with an X-acto knife, and then free-hand cut a tiny piece of toast from a scrap of vanilla card stock, to insert into it, sponging it so it would look toasted . . . After I trimmed the toaster out, it looked too flat and one dimensional on the card, so I stamped the skinny oval with chalk ink to give it a shadow to sit upon and then 3D mounted it with foam mounting tape.

The heat waves rising up were hand-drawn and the sentiment was hand-lettered, as I didn't have any stamp that remotely said what I needed. 

A trick I learned from somewhere online, is to pencil your lettering lightly first, then go over it with a pen, and then erase the pencil lines!  This helps you determine placement and whether or not the writing is level, prior to committing it to ink! Slick! Well, at least it's pretty slick if your hand isn't shaking from the java jitters!  Bwah ha haaaaaaa!!!

The ric rac was glued on by first running it through my Xyron 1.5 (the little "X" machine); after applying it to the card front, I trimmed off the ends, and then used an adhesive eraser to remove any excess adhesive along the edges of it.

I tried wrapping ribbon, even very narrow ribbon around the gutter crease of the card, but it didn't balance well to my eye, and it seemed a little too nekked without some ribbon somewhere, due to the white space in this landscape orientation . . .

I noticed Sunshine Designs images are scheduled to be uploaded late February at American Art Stamp's website--they have a refrigerator image that is so flippin' cute, I gotta have it!  Too fun!  How much longer before the end of February? (nosed pressed against the glass door)

Glitterfied Chipboard Daisy

Sentiment "Friends make life Blossom" stamp by A Muse Art Stamps; Patterned Paper (Charlotte Scrap Strip #1) by Scenic Route; Pumpkin Pie and Chocolate Chip Card Stock by SU!; Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in Dark Brown, Yellow Ochre; White Chipboard Coaster by American Coaster Co.;  Daisy Thick Cut Die (Possibly retired?) by Ellison; Big Shot Die Cutting Machine; Eyelets by SU!; 1" Circle Punch by EK Success; Bottle Cap from home brew supplier; Sticko Clear 1" Epoxy Circle Sticker by EK Success;  Xyron Adhesive;  Prisma Glitter Ultrafine-Multi Iridescent

Scenic Route is among my favorite patterned paper companies--I just love the clean crisp designs and sharp colors.  I think their "Scrap Strips" papers are among the most clever I've ever seen and I went nuts over the Charlotte line when I found it at my LSS.

I pulled a color from the paper, and matched it as closely as possible with an ink pad, and then DTP'd the die cut coaster daisy.  After the ink was dry, I ran the daisy face down through my Xyron machine to apply adhesive all over it, and then dumped glitter all over.  I used a soft brush to get off as much excess glitter as I could, before applying the embellished bottle cap to the center with foam mounting tape.

The bottle cap, BTW, was an "uncrimped" cap from a home brew supplier, and I flattened it by sending it through my Big Shot.  Man, I *love* that machine!  It can do so much!  I had to stop by the Ellison Design booth at CHA to pet it.  They don't make it in teal any more--now it's more of a blue shade . . .  I like the teal better . . . they should bring it back.

Anyhoo, the bottle cap fell off!  Evidently still too much glitter on there for the foam adhesive to make a strong enough bond to hold.  So, I brushed even more vigorously, and added another piece of foam mounting tape, and that one seemed to stick.  I'm too lazy to wait for Diamond Glaze or 3D Crystal Lacquer to dry over the punched out circle, so I cheated and used an epoxy circle sticker.

The sentiment above is actually a single line sentiment--to make it double line, so it would fit inside the 1" circle punch, I actually inked and stamped only the 2nd half of the sentiment onto paper.  Then, I thoroughly cleaned and dried the stamp, then inked and stamped the 1st half of the sentiment, directly above the previously stamped portion.  Voilá!  I just love that little trick--it makes longer/single line sentiment images just that much more versatile! (wink!)

That sentiment is actually one of my very favorites, and I adore the font used on it.

Hoping the family has survived my week-long absence; I had a major melt-down on Monday after I finished the SCS @ CHA blog entry that morning and I realized my son was on his way out the door for school . . . by himself . . . Taylor is 10, but of a sudden it hit me Monday morning that I would be gone all week.  I'm NEVER gone like that.  I'm *always* there to see him off to school, and always there waiting when he gets home!  It feels weird . . . while I'm sure HE is ready to be more independent, I'm not so sure *I* am . . . sigh . . .  I felt like a total baby, but, I was so glad Mona understood, and she just let me have a little weep on her shoulder there in the bathroom.

I fly back home tomorrow; I've had a grand time with my sister and her family, just hangin' out . . . Connie makes a mean Mud Slide (wink!) . . . one of these days I'll hafta introduce her to appletinis . . . chuckle!  It has been fun having my 4 yr. old niece and 6 yr. old nephew crawl all over me, and shower me with hugs and kisses.  But, at the same time, I miss my own babies . . .  big and independent as they are . . .

Paper Roses

All Patterned Papers, Clear Art Stamps, Victorian Photo Turn Sticker, and Vintage Reproduction Photo by Crafty Secrets; Ink Jet Transparency by Hammermill; Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in Pink Pastel and Alabaster; Palette Hybrid in Burnt Umber; Dye Ink Creamy Caramel and More Mustard by SU!; Antique Copper Mini Brads by Creative Impressions; Velvet Ribbon source unknown; Layered Flower Die (Thick Cuts) by Ellison; Multi-Flower Punch by SU!

I was so pleased with a paper rose corsage I'd created for a vintage friendship design.  It was a rejected magazine submission, but I loved how it turned out, and just had to share it in the January DD Gallery.  Anyhoo, the response to that piece was very enthusiastic, so I decided to try another one for this wedding creation.

When you click on the link to the Layered Flower Die, you see what the paper pieces (cut from vanilla card stock) look like when they come out of the machine; each layer is an individual piece.  I DTP'd pink pastel chalk ink to the edges, then proceeded to crumple and curl the paper edges of the petals with my fingers, shaping and molding as I went.  Then, each layer was secured together with a single brad.  After it was assembled, I DTP'd more pink ink, and then caramel and a little mustard to antique it.  The same was done to the leaves, which were actually cut free-hand for this one.

I was trying to pick up that hint of pink in the patterned paper.  I tucked a vintage wedding image underneath the flower, and then decided I wanted to add one more touch:  an acetate overlay.  So a flourish was stamped on the textured side of a square of transparency cut to the same dimensions as the image.  I typically stamp on the textured side, and then flip it over so the image is protected and can't be smudged or scratched off.  BUT, I botched the first one, because I didn't think about which corner it would end up on, once it was flipped over; it ended up on the upper left, which crowded the design towards the center.

So, had to do another one, and this time I stamped it in the corner where I knew it would appear to the upper RIGHT, once I flipped the acetate over.

I like stamping overlays this way--inkjet transparency is so much easier to work with, and will accept a variety of inks very well, with far less slippage, including Colorbox Fluid Chalk, Versamagic Chalk, Brilliance, Palette Hybrid.

Remember, however:  this method of stamping on the textured side and then flipping it over will not work with words.  They'll appear in reverse. (Wink!)

I realize I haven't uploaded a lot of card designs of late; there has been a lot going on, including helping my son with a big school project (The International Festival of Lights) that finally was concluded last week,  my daughter's physical therapy, work-related design I can't share at this time, etc.

Taylor had to do a report on a country of his choice--a lot of writing.  They had to go online and do research, etc.  He chose Russia!  In addition to the report, the kids had to design and build an electric light that represented their country.  This had to be done all at home.  After a lot of brainstorming and discussion, Taylor zero'd in on the idea to build a light representing when the USSR defeated the US in the Munich Olympic Basketball Games, as it was a pretty historical moment.  Oh, and he had to use supplies and materials from home--no running out to buy anything.  Great . . .

Of course, a project of this magnitude is quite difficult for a 10 yr. old kid to tackle all on their own; as you can imagine, a lot of parental assistance was required--it's one thing to come up with an idea, and entirely another to figure out how to turn it into reality using only stuff you have on hand.  Chuckle!  When all was said and done, this was the result:

After working on this all weekend before it was due, we plugged in the lights and high-5'd each other in glee--we'd accomplished the task!  Oh, but there's more! (wink!)

I then realized that we also had to bring a potluck dish, again, representative of Russia, to the International Festival of Lights Evening Presentation and Dinner.  WHAT????!!!!!! (insert serious shrieking) Oh, noooOOOOOOoooooOOOOOO!!!  What do I know about Russian cuisine????  ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!   Just when I had resigned myself to trying to prepare Bev Stroganov (OK, if I can't even spell it, how am I supposed to cook it????), my buddy Linda, who just happened to have spent time with a Russian family while growing up, rescued me with a Krasny Apple Cake recipe!

Now, we all know:  Julie doesn't cook anything from scratch.  But, in this instance, I had to come through for my son and the entire 4th Grade Class!!!

So, I did it.  But, being NOT a Suzie Baker . . . I didn't realize you hafta flour the surface when rolling out the dough--and the rolling pin, too!  Dough was sticking everywhere and I had a fine mess going on. (grimace)  I finally scraped up the dough and smashed it as best I could into the bottom of the pan . . .

Whaddiditellya'??????  I swear I am Martha Stewart's culinary nightmare!

I plunked in the apples, and didn't even attempt to roll out the top crust and instead, pinched it out all over the top.  I think it turned out puuuurdeeeeeeeeeeee, and nobody else knew the difference cuz it tasted AWESOME and disappeared!!! (very big grin!)

On another good note:  Yesterday's appointment with the Ortho Surgeon was a positive one!  Doc says she's clear for ACL surgery, which will happen February 13th.  Then, we'll have even more work to do as far as her rehab goes.

I think I'll make another Krasny Apple Cake to celebrate--and this time, I won't even attempt to roll out the dough!  Just don't tell Martha, 'K?!  (chuckle!)

Mmmmm . . . chocolate!

WOW!  I *sooooooo* have Christmas on the brain still that it is extremely difficult for me to think beyond that!  I'm afraid I am horridly linear sequential . . . (sad)  That, and I so busy livin' the "now", that it's always a struggle for me to leap very far--OK, even a LITTLE far-- ahead! chuckle!   Good thing my husband is the financial advisor for this family!  He's always planning for the kids' college years, and retirement, etc. and me??? . . . Well, I'm still scratchin' my head and trying to figure out what I'll slap on the table for dinner tonight . . . (rolling eyeballs) pppppppffffffffffttttttttttt!!!

All images, note card, Micro Dot Twinkle Stickers, by A Muse Art Stamps; Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in Dark Brown and Warm Red; Chocolate Chip Craft Ink by SU!; Clear Embossing Powder; Ribbon by May Arts; Scallop Oval Punch by Family Treasures; 1 3/8" Circle Punch by EK Success

Fellow A Muse Instructor Mary Bieber is responsible for the original development of this great layout, which features a window punched out of the card front, including the polka dotted band running across it, and, it popped into my head when I was trying to highlight this fun new truffle image by A Muse.  Gee, do ya' get the impression I like truffles?????? (wink!)  ROTFLMAO!

A piece of chocolate card stock is mounted to the inside of the card to give the scallop oval and truffle more prominence in the window.  The truffle was clear/dark brown embossed onto a scrap of vanilla card stock, and then colored in with a pink marker, and trimmed out.  After layering it 3D fashion with a foam mounting dot to the scallop oval, this was all positioned within the window.

I could NOT resist securing a few red Micro Dot Twinkle Stickers to the truffle for a little added bling!  Folks seem to struggle with working with bling, so here's a tip:

Use a craft knife to cut through and separate the glue lines that hold the bling to the carrier sheet.  You need that glue to make the sticker hold to your project, so don't try removing the sticker from it.  Instead, slide the point of your knife down under the glue, to lift and transfer it to your project.  Then, carefully press it down firmly into place with your other finger--have a care, though, that you don't cut your finger with the knife!

And, there y'a have it:  something sweet for the sweetie in your life!

Be sure to accompany the card with the real McKoy, as well. (wink!)

Other notes of the week:

Hayley's knee is scheduled for an MRI on Tuesday afternoon.  But, the consult with the ortho surgeon and his interpretation of the results of that scan won't occur until Dec. 26th.  While this is frustrating, all Hayley can do at this point anyway, is to continue to rest the knee.  She is walking, slowly, with a brace on it, and without crutches now, but the issue of her ACL is still unknown, until the doc fills us in on the 26th.  We are still hopeful that it was only the ligaments along the outside of her right knee that were torn/injured, and not her ACL (which will require surgery, if it is damaged).

Debris from our recent windstorm is still evident everywhere, and crews continue working on the power lines; the south end of the island is still experiencing some issues in that regard.  I hope it gets resolved quickly for them, as it *very* cold last night . . .  On Sunday, we ventured off-island to do some holiday shopping (I am behind, naturally), and we could see all the trees the DOT had to saw through and get moved off to the side so traffic could resume.  Nasty baaaaaad!!!  In Oak Harbor, one of the bus-stop shelters had broken free of its mounts and was tossed on its back side . . .

Mother Nature sure can wreak havoc when she gets her dander up--we saw on the news some homes in the Seattle area where a tree ploughed right through the house and, miraculously, the two teenage children whose bedrooms it landed in, escaped what probably would have been a fatality.  The son was able to roll out of the way as the tree literally crashed right onto his bed, and his sister had just gone to the bathroom seconds prior to this . . .

Another gentleman escaped with some minor injuries when a tree actually impaled his car, coming right though the shield.  I still cannot believe this man survived it!  Incredible!

Well, package wrapping and shipping are the order of the next day or so, in hopes of getting my gifts to family in time for Christmas, so I best get m' holiday gift wrappin' game face on!