The MadCat Stamper

2011-08-22T06:52:00.000-04:00

Good morning, just a quick post before heading off to work. My son brought me these lovely cigar boxes from Tampa. I will spruce them up a little before using them. I will try not to put any 3-D effects on them, so that they will still stack on the shelves.

Here is the first one that I did. I will use this one to house all my Zentangle supplies.

I love my boxes. Matt I want more!!! lol

2011-08-06T23:15:00.000-04:00

Here are the pictures of Maddie's birthday. When I baked the cake I had so much extra batter that I also baked a dozen cupcakes. This was not planned. I used a Paula Dean recipe for chocolate cake and the chocolate cream cheese frosting. The cake is a treasure chest full of gold coins, candy rings, rock candy, Rollo's and gold wrapped kisses. A true child's treasure!

I also made cake balls. If you have not had any of these you are really missing a treat!

Zack created a real treasure hunt for her. He went to the bank and bought $20 in gold and silver dollars. He put them in a felt bag and buried them in her front yard. He has already created a treasure map from her back door to the treasure at the front of their 1 1/2 acre yard. She was so excited when she finally dug it up.

Here are the two gift bags that I made for her gifts.

I had so much fun creating for her party. I am kinda princess-ed out! I never thought I'd get to do a pirate theme. I hope she picks a fun theme next year too! My luck, it will be Justin Beibers........

2011-08-05T10:12:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the extended absence. Things have been somewhat difficult around here. I have managed to get a few things done in my craft room though. I have been working on my Zentangled Christmas ornament for the Twistedtangler's club meeting. I will share that next week after our meeting. Hopefully, I will have it completed by then.
Madison turned 6 yesterday. Happy Birthday Maddie! I have been working on several things for her Pirate Party on Saturday. Big change there, from princess to pirate! Here is this years special Birthday card for her.

I decorated cotton-candy containers with the same skull and crossbones. I will upload pictures of the treasure chest cake and the cake balls tomorrow.

Another project I made was for my collection of Zentangles and swaps. This book measures 13 1/2" X 4" and will hold 90, 3 1/2" sq. Zentangles.

I played around with some mixtures of stamps, tangles, and color. Here are some of the results.

I hope everyone has had a great summer. I will upload a picture of Maddie's treasure chest cake tomorrow.

2011-05-21T11:43:00.000-04:00

Last night was my first Zentangle Club meeting at Priceless Scrapbooks. I recently took the beginners and advanced classes and quickly fell for this relaxing style of drawing. Check out zentangle.com or tanglepatterns.com if you are not familiar with this art style. We had a wonderful time at the club. Here is the tile I created for the club swap:

2011-05-16T22:31:00.000-04:00

I won this fantastic basket full of goodies from Priceless Scrapbooks. This was a great surprise, because I never win anything. The basket is slap full of just about anything your heart desires. I got 12 X 12 papers, designer papers, stickers, stamps, jewels, trinkets chalk ink, chipboard stickers, ribbons, tag scrapbook, matchbook album kit, Word Book, chipboard letters, and even a Canvas Kit. Whoa! My head is spinning!

I sat down and created my first project from the items in my basket. Everything on this layout came out of the basket. All I had to add was double stick tape.

2011-04-16T23:40:00.000-04:00

I have been working on this card all week. I just did not like anything about it when I finished, so I have redone different parts. For some reason I redid the front three times. I think I am just extremely self-critical right now. I used Hey Birdie paper by Kaiser Craft. The stamps are CTMH, Sensational Season. The pop-up tree is by Sizzix, as well as the Embossing folder used on the front.

My water iris' are in bloom, they are just beautiful. I can't believe how big it has gotten and how many blooms are on it this year.

2011-04-09T20:41:00.000-04:00

Here is an egg shaped card using the same bunny.

2011-04-09T08:45:00.000-04:00

Another Easter card. I really need to get busy on these.

2011-04-06T23:51:00.001-04:00

It's time to start working on my Easter cards. I haven't made a list of how many I need, so I guess I better get that done soon. I made my first card from the new stamp set that I just bought from Laura at CTMH. It's called Sensational Season, I love it!

I'll have to dig a little to find the rest of my Easter stamps. I put them away, which really means that I will never see them again. Not really, but it may be a while. (Like the day after Easter!)

LeCircut Bank

2011-03-13T18:25:00.000-04:00

This is a wooden coin bank that I bought at Hobby Lobby. I used the new Graphic 45 "Le Cirque Collection", purchased at Priceless Scrapbooks in Ocala. My graddaughter picked out the papers that she wanted on her bank. I used ModPodge to stick the paper to the wood.

2011-03-13T08:28:00.001-04:00

I don't know what I did different to these cupcakes, but they were the best ever! The frosting is Dunkin Hines fluffy white and the cake mix was DH yellow. These were for my class. I use a reward system to encourage them to use their best behavior and turn in all their assignments. This time it was cupcakes and I think I heard them discussing pie for the next celebration. I usually have to bake some goodies about every 6 weeks.

2011-03-08T22:46:00.000-05:00

This is a quick little birthday card. I used Stampin' Up's On a Pedestal stamp set. The paper is called Sunny Garden by SU. This one opens in the middle and is kept closed with a belly band.

2011-03-06T16:55:00.000-05:00

I was trying to design a card to duplicate for the Orlando Stampin'Up Regionals on March 26th. I CASED this card from CTMH, latest idea book and catalog. I used Stampin' Up's Trendy Trees and For a Friend stamp sets. The circular card is Rich Razzleberry cut with a circle cutter. I used the extra large oval punch from SU for sentiment "Friend". I love the card, but it would be too costly and time consuming to mass produce.

2011-02-27T01:25:00.000-05:00

I need two cards this week, so I had to get busy creating. The baby card could wait for another week or two, but the sympathy card couldn't. I made a very quick sympathy card using an embossing folder called Birds and Branches.

I already had a design in mind for the baby card. I had seen one a long time ago and added it to by sketch book. I didn't write down any information as to who or where I had seen it. I switched it up a little to create my version.

2011-02-24T23:14:00.001-05:00

This is my second Birthday card organizer. This one was made using K & Co, "Lemon Drop", and Stampin'Up's "Time Well Spent" stamp set.

2011-02-20T12:15:00.000-05:00

I created this Birthday card organizer with K & Co., Faded China paper. I used Stampin'Up's Birthday Greetings, Very Versatile and Baroque Motifs stamp sets. The butterflies are Sizzix Beautiful Wings embosslits from Stampin'up.

Organizer and Matching Card

Inside pages of the organizer

Matching Birthday Card

Close-up of Birthday Card Organizer

2011-02-16T06:33:00.000-05:00

Here is my second Quilt card. I used the same colors for the quilted background. I pre-cut way too many! I used a Sizzix die to cut the flowers and leaves, added a little distressing, a label, twine, and a few brads to complete this little gem.

2011-02-15T07:07:00.000-05:00

I tried my hand at a quilted card. I used Stampin' Up's Family Phrases on the tag. I used green,blue, and orange scraps cut 1 1/2" x 1/2" to quilt the three rows. I then punched out a few stars out of solid cardstock, added ribbon and a clear tag.

2011-02-12T10:12:00.000-05:00

Just a quick little Valentine

I used Stampin'Up sets, Always Elegant (current) and So Many Sayings (retired). The Top Note die added the special border to the card. The heart is from the Heart to Heart punch.
I hope each of you have a wonderful Valentine's Day.

2011-02-07T23:26:00.001-05:00

Warning! This is a long post. This is a scrapbook that I made for Madison's birthday back in August. I didn't get any pictures of it at the time, so here they are now. I took a child's 8" x 8", board book that had windows cut into it, I separated the pages, covered them and decorated it. Then I used the Zutter Bind-it-All to create the book you see here. I planned each set of pages so you could get a peek of her on the next page to come.

The Cover: After viewing this Celebration of Madison, you will see why I Love my Cricut. I used the Create-A-Critter cartridge to decorate this book.

Pg. 2-3, Mermaid Halloween costumes for Madison and Cousin Catherine! (That's a container of buttons holding the cover up while I was taking pictures, pretend you don't see it. lol)

Pg. 4-5, Madison helping Grandma bake a cake, or rather clean up afterward!

Pg. 6-7, Beach Baby . . . Jacksonville Beach

Pg. 8-9, Her first encounter with real baby chicks.

Pg. 10-11, Stamping with Bamboo the Panda

Pg. 12-13, Taking pictures with Grandma's sleepover bear.

Pg. 14-15, Maddie's first dog Dixie

Pg. 16-17, Madison's 3rd birthday, the Princess one!

Pg. 18-19, First trip to Daytona, Beach, she had the best time.

Pg. 20-21, Thanksgiving at Great Grandpa's house

Pg. 22-23, Getting ready for Christmas, 2009. What a great cookie baker!

I hope you enjoyed Madison's special book, it will be cherished forever by all who know her. She is a sweetheart. Psst: she loves to craft too! She is already making her own books.

Have a great week, sorry this is such a long post.

2011-02-03T22:46:00.002-05:00

The paper used on the card is by Kaiser Craft called Hey Birdie. The stamp set is called Fresh Cuts from the current Stampin' Up catalog. This layout is this weeks Viva La Verve Friday Sketch.

I hope you all have a wonderful week.

2011-01-30T23:08:00.001-05:00

This is another special request. I used my Big Shot to die cut Hello Kitty, and to emboss the Happy Birthday on the front center. Then I created a pull out tag for the personalized Happy Birthday wish.

2011-01-29T00:06:00.000-05:00

This is a special request for a friends grandson's first birthday. This was the only dump truck stamp that I had. It's from Stampin' Up's retired set called, CONSTRUCTION.

2011-01-22T23:38:00.000-05:00

What could be simpler? The white pre-embossed card is from Michael's. Add an image cut with your Cricut. Finally, stamp the greeting of your choice and you have before you a sweet, simple card ready to be mailed to one of your lovely friends.

2011-01-21T22:47:00.001-05:00

I used my Cricut cartridge April Showers, to create the bird and birdcage on this card. The colors are pear pizzazz, concord crush, and crumb cake. I stamped the for you, using Stampin' Up's set called Fresh Cuts.
The layered scalloped circles were created using my nestabilities. I embossed the music notes using the Cuttle Bug embossing folder called Allegro. The dots were embossed with the folder called Swiss Dots.
Have a wonderful weekend!

2011-01-19T22:27:00.000-05:00

This card will meet the qualifications of two of this weeks challenges. The sketch of the week at Skipping Stones. http://skippingstonesdesign.com/

The other challenge is the Color Throwdown #125, http://colorthrowdown.blogspot.com/

For this card I used Stampin' Up's Awash With Flowers, and Noteworthy. I also used SU's embossing folder Textured Impressions.

I found this sweet little frog prince photo holder at Hobby Lobby. He is just the most presious thing, I had to give him a new home!

2011-01-16T23:56:00.000-05:00

I teamed the Owls and Bluebells set from (My Favorite Things), with Stampin' Up's real red and baja breeze cardstock. Throw in some BoBunny designer paper, a few pearls and a card is created.

2011-01-15T22:15:00.001-05:00

Go visit Moxie Fab World for another challenge: http://www.moxiefabworld.com/

2011-01-15T13:05:00.002-05:00

I had stamped and colored a second image while working on yesterdays challenge card. So, hating to waste a good image I created a second card. I used the same colors and image as Katie's card, but I changed the tri-fold card to a basic card design.

This little sticky note holder was created with Stampin' Up's owl punch. This was one of Lynnor's club projects. You may know Lynnor better by "just add glitter". Visit her site, she is awesome. http://justaddglitter.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-release-blog-hop.html

2011-01-14T06:32:00.003-05:00

I stayed up late to finish this sweet little card. I created a tri-fold card of early espresso card stock. I then added some scalloped rows of early espresso, melon mamba, and sky blue, (The color throwdown #124) The stamp sets I used are SU, Very Versatile (Inside verse), Whimsical Words (front verse), and The Nicest Things (front image). This card was created for Katie , a fellow paper crafter. See this address for more information about Katie, http://katiespaperhaven.blogspot.com/ Imagine how it will brighten her day to receive a card knowing someone is thinking of her. Please send Katie a card.

Her address is:

Katie Renz
PO Box 5913
Bellingham, WA 98227-5913Have a wonderful day.

2011-01-12T21:50:00.000-05:00

Using the " Sizzix Scoreboard XL Die : MEMO HOLDER", I created this cute little Sticky Note Holder.

The Sizzix Die makes these so easy to whip out. I have a stack of memo pads that just might find themselves all dressed up looking for new homes. ha, ha, ha!

2011-01-09T00:07:00.001-05:00

Just playing with some Valentine stamps. This card was made using the Hero Arts set called "Whoo Loves You?" The cardstock is from Stampin' Up (crumb cake, not quite navy, and ridinghood red)

I made this card using a pattern downloaded from Paper Craft magazine. I used a mixture of stamp sets from various companies. Hearts-Animal Valentines, Stampin' Up

Be Mine-Have a Heart, Stampin' Up

                                 Scallop "I am a sucker for you"- Whoo's your Valentine, Stampin' Up

                                                                Raccoon- ? (I forgot)
                                                       Background- Dotted, Stampin' Up

2011-01-06T06:40:00.000-05:00

These calendars take a little time, but they are worth it.

Have a wonderful week!

2011-01-04T22:15:00.000-05:00

Here is my second attempt at the January Sketch SFYTT2011.
Stampin'Up: Words by Wanda (retired), Old Olive and Blue Bayou card stock
BoBunny: Olivia paper pack

January SFYTT2011 Sketch

2011-01-03T21:15:00.002-05:00

SFYTT2011 sketch challenge for January.

Stamps: Stampin' Up (King of the Grill) and (Voila), Hampton Art (Living the Sweet Life)
Paper: Stampin' Up (crushed curry), daisy d's (French Market)
Punches (1 3/4" circle, and 2" scallop circle)

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T20:56:00.002-05:00

I'm sending each of you best wishes for a happy, successful, dream come true New Year ever. 2010 is behind us and I have resolved that I will take my life back, and share my love for stamping and paper crafting with the people I love. I will post on my blog, but probable not everyday.
I wanted to share the calendars that I made this weekend for my wonderful sisters. I am still working on the last one, so I'll be back in a day or two to share it with you.

I'll get these to each of you ASAP. They turned out so good.... (Sharing that love!)

2010-08-03T01:12:00.000-04:00

I made these fun little journals from discarded food boxes. Talk about going GREEN! They turned out so cute. They would make fun gifts for kids of all ages. What's your kids favorite food? Create a journal for them with the empty box........ I see Endless possibilities!

2010-07-12T10:44:00.001-04:00

I used my Cricut to design this picture for Zack's girlfriend, Jamie. I am trying to get back in the zone. Right now, my stamping ability really sucks! It's hard to believe that stress can cause you to lose the ability to function like this. I have been using my Cricut so much more and have really learned to love it.... It seems to be my only creative outlet at this time.

I took this picture out on the front porch. You can see the reflection of the trees on the glass. The background mat is actually plain black layered on celery cardstock.

2010-05-21T01:37:00.000-04:00

I went to stam club tonight. It was good to see all the girls. Zack had speech therapy this afternoon, so I was a little late getting there. I had to take him all the way home and then go back into town for club. It was worth it.

Here is a project that I finished up a few weeks ago. I had most of the flip book completed, I just needed to put the final embellishments on it.

2010-05-15T12:52:00.000-04:00

Here are more of the note card sets:

There is not much else going on around here. Zack continues his therapy and his long healing process. We are so excited about how far he has come. Only time will tell, as to how much his brain will heal. Thank you for all your prayers.

2010-05-09T00:29:00.001-04:00

My niece was participating in a craft sale. So, I helped her out with a few of my hand-crafted wares. lol I created a few things and finished up some others. Here are just a few of them. The first one is a funky animal print and purple grocery list, for the cook that wants to stand out in a crowd.

The next project would make a great teacher gift. It's a sweet peppermint treat bag.

This one is a note card set with a holder.

2010-04-28T22:08:00.000-04:00

Zack has made so much improvement. Thank you for all your prayers and well wishes. I'm still not doing much stamping. Although, I did rearrange my craft room again. I know, I know, I will NEVER find anything in there again. I even took things off the shelves and moved them around. Now, I need the energy to get back in there and put everything back on the shelves. I secretly think this is a form of self-punishment! lol

Here is a gift card holder/birthday card that I made for my best bud, Margi.

2010-04-11T12:11:00.000-04:00

I feel so special! Thank you Lynnor for the Ms bright side Award, and the kind words. You are the talented one for sure. I really had to think to come up with 10 things that make me happy, then I couldn't stop.

Ten Things That Make Me Happy!

1. My family

2. My friends (that's all of You!)

3. My granddaughters (Madison and Catherine, thus MadCat)

4. Vacation Get-away

5. Chocolate

6. Quiet Time

7. Stamping and Creating Crafts

8. Boating or being near the water

9. A beautiful Garden

10. A long hot shower

Five Bits of Trivia About Myself!

1. I love taking photos

2. I do my best stamping and creating late at night

3. I drink Way too much coffee!

4. I love a good Action flick.

5. I'm a John Wayne fan.....

Five Stampers to pass this awards to!

Amazing Paper Grace

http://www.amazingpapergrace.com/

Chic'n Scratch

http://www.chicnscratch.typepad.com/

Thinking Inking

http://debbiedesigns.typepad.com/

Cupcake's Creations

http://cupcakescreations.blogspot.com/

Cottage Creations

http://cheryllrowley.blogspot.com/

Well, that was fun. You made me think today..

2010-04-07T15:34:00.000-04:00

What a beautiful day out. I actually got this wild hair idea that it was the day to clean my windows. Well, it was more work than I was up to. I did finish all the windows on the back and south side of the house. I hope to get the rest on Friday. Thursday will be eaten up with Zack's therapy sessions in Gainesville.
I did get to stamp one day last week and created this journal for Zack's girlfriend. She has been by his side through this entire ordeal. Thank you Jamie.

2010-04-04T10:39:00.001-04:00

Happy Easter!

I have been away from my blog far too long. As many of you know my son suffered a TBI (traumatic brain injury) in an ATV accident in January. It has been a very trying time in our lives. We continue down the road of recovery, which will be a long one. Thank you for all the prayers and well wishes.

One would think that I was the one who hit their head. I don't seem to be able to do anything that I once did without thinking about it. Forgetful! Oh my, don't ask me anything! My creativity has got up and left. For the last month I have gone in my craft room and just sat there. I have hundreds of dollars invested in Copics, but I can't color worth beans. I need to practice!

Well Easter snuck up on me. So, yesterday I was forced to get creative. Thank goodness I had some nice looking stickers. LOL Here are my Easter creations.

Here are the things that I completed last month for Easter.

Have a wonderful Easter.

2009-11-29T13:22:00.000-05:00

I created this quick little book. The only thing it needs are some well loved pictures.

The paper is Love Nest (by MME).

2009-11-24T06:24:00.000-05:00

I am making the Christmas card that my school will be sending out this year. I completed the last of the seventy-five cards last night.

I cooked three batches of cornbread to dry out for stuffing along with two loaves of white bread. Then later in the evening, I remembered that I need a cake for today’s covered dish lunch at school. So, out came the cookbooks again. I came up with a cherry cobbler. Looks, and smells yummy! I as so thankful for my resourcefulness.

2009-11-22T21:12:00.001-05:00

I have several new creations to share. I actually took some time for my stamping. Here are this months Stampers Ten Club projects. There are two different cards, one was for the Monday night club and the other was for Thursdays club.

These were all fun projects, if you didn't make it to club, you missed a good month.

2009-11-01T11:35:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween. Zack and Sabrina stopped by as they were headed out for a Halloween party. They took a step back in time to the Bonnie and Clyde days. They were so cute together. I knew right away that Zack had on a zoot suit.

Here is another of my Christmas cards that will be going out next month. I love the Ornament punch from Stampin' Up.

2009-10-29T22:46:00.000-04:00

I manage to sneak 20- 30 minutes of creative time for myself every now and then. Most of the time, I just look at the project that I am working on and move a few things around on the table. But, my brain is taking it all in. I'll come back with a new idea and finish it up in a day or two. Here is a little book to help me prepare for Christmas. I'll be able to jot down everyone's wish list and keep it with me for shopping.

2009-10-27T21:50:00.000-04:00

I finally completed one of my Christmas cards.

Don't you just love this dear old Santa? I believe in the magic of Christmas...
how about you?

2009-10-26T21:33:00.001-04:00

My life continues to evolve around work. I can't wait until my weekends and evenings are mine again. I keep saying that I am not going to work at home, but . . . . I don't have any other time to do it.

I will share with you this months projects. I already have November's projects planned in my head, now to get the time to do the hands-on part.

2009-10-26T06:49:00.005-04:00

        Ribbon Share
                        Taffeta Ribbon
                2 yards of 8 eight different colors
                     That's 16 yards for--
                      $11.85 each share

The tax is included in the price. There will be no shipping charges on the Ribbon Shares. All orders must be paid for in advance. Contact me at   jamesj@windstream.net, 595-2524 or 502-3153

2009-10-24T14:24:00.000-04:00

These are Halloween bookmarks that I made for my students.

2009-10-20T14:57:00.000-04:00

Stampin' Up is offering a new Deal of the Week!
Contact me if you are interested in purchasing one of these current deals.

2009-09-30T22:44:00.000-04:00

Boy, I'm back to work and it is TOUGH! They are killing me with placement tests, FCA's, Benchmarks and paperwork. Oh My! The paperwork this year is killing me.......

I attended Scrap Pink at Priceless last weekend. We had a wonderful time. Thanks girls for all the good laughs - - - I needed that. :-)

Here are a couple of gift cards that I made at Scrap Pink.

2009-09-16T23:40:00.002-04:00

The Science department at my school collects Box Tops for Education. Please save your Box and bring them to our club meetings for me. We use them to purchase equipment for the science lab. Last year we raised $1000 and purchased four new microscopes. This year we are using the money to purchase new balances for the science lab. My students have really enjoyed going to the lab this year. They have measured the density of water and started learning how to use a microscope. This week we dyed onion skin and drew the cells as they appear to them under a microscope. Thanks.

2009-09-14T21:02:00.000-04:00

I picked up the new Herringbone embossing folder at Priceless and just had to put it to use in one of my projects. I used the Sizzix bag w/scallops from Stampin' Up to create the small treat box. The stamp set is Stampin' Up's new set called Gifts of the Earth.

2009-09-10T23:24:00.000-04:00

Well this card is definitely a step away from tradition. I made an all brown Christmas card. I didn't realize it until I went to photograph it.

2009-09-09T22:28:00.001-04:00

Happy 10th Birthday Catherine!

I guess you noticed that my granddaughter just turned 10. We celebrated her birthday at my house on Sunday. It was really nice to have all three of my sons and thier families here for the day. I know Catherine had a great time.

I used Stampin' Up's new Christmas Scrapbook Kit, Decor Elements Blocks, and Decor Elements Holiday Mix rub-ons to create these.

2009-09-03T23:24:00.000-04:00

I don't seem to be able to get my work station cleaned off. I decided this morning that I would create something from things that were laying on the table. I picked out some scrap paper and this note pad to start with. I should have dug a little deeper and pulled out the white paper for the image. Other than that, I think it turned out ok.

2009-09-02T21:12:00.000-04:00

Blogger has upgraded and hopefully makes it easier to upload my entries. I'll see in a moment. I am working on building a blog for my classroom. I will challenge my students with vocabulary builders, mind teasers and writing activities. I hope to have it up and running by next week.

I used the small Sizzix scalloped envelope die to create this awesome little box that would look adorable at any Thanksgiving table.

Enjoy your day!

2009-09-01T20:41:00.002-04:00

I emptied two rolls of ribbon and created this candy tube from them. I used more of the Stampin' Up Christmas paper. It matches the Christmas countdown calendar that I made yesterday. I just didn't distress it.

2009-08-31T22:32:00.005-04:00

I made one of the countdown calendars for myself. I used the new Christmas paper by Stampin' Up. I distressed mine just a little bit. I like that new soft suede, it has just a teeny-tiny bit of green undertones. Lynnor had a great idea, create a countdown until the last day of school! We are so bad!!!!!

2009-08-30T11:15:00.007-04:00

I haven't posted in a week. School is back in session for the 09-10 school year. There is so much that needs to be done and so many meetings to attend. I also have a new assistant to train. She is doing a great job. I just have to get administration to realize that she needs to be in the classroom, not running errands for them. I am fortunate to have an Intern from the University of West Florida this fall. That means I also am busy training her. I have so much I want to share with her that my brain seems to be churning all the time. I am totally worn out when I get home at night.

Here is the project that I will be teaching at Priceless Scrapbooks in September. I saw this on someones blog about two years ago. I printed it out, but I can't remember who's it was. Sorry! I used the Christmas papers by S.E.I, I believe they are called Winter Song. Start your countdown to Christmas with this sweet little calendar. You can start counting as far away as 99 days before Christmas. Don't let Christmas sneak up on you! Stay organized and be prepared for the big day by always knowing how many days you have left to get ready. Contact Trish at Priceless to sign up for this class.

2009-08-19T22:50:00.005-04:00

We picked one of the watermelons from the garden yesterday. I'm going to cut it tomorrow. I can't believe that we actually got a watermelon. Sonny only planted about a dozen plants. Most of the vines yellowed and died. There is still two more melons out there. Yummy!!!

I made this stack of notes for Thursday's Stamper's Ten club door prize.

2009-08-15T13:51:00.004-04:00

I love the new ribbon by Stampin' Up. Here is a stack of note paper created using the Real Razzleberry color. The paper is Cottage Wall and the stamp set used is Cheep Talk, all in the current Stampin' Up catalog/idea book.

2009-08-14T05:01:00.008-04:00

Linda Ruquet, you have won! I will bring your prize to club Monday. Congratulations!!! Thanks for following my blog.

I created this card using one of the new Sizzix embossing folders. The new In-color, "Rich Razzleberry", and designer paper, "Cottage Wall", match each other very well.

I wanted to share this wonderful three compartment box that Lynnor Goodwin made for me.

What a awesome surprise! Thanks Lynnor, you do such beautiful work.

Is this what the future holds? Not so funny when you realize that it could really happen: http://aclu.org/pizza/images/screen.swf

2009-08-13T13:04:00.003-04:00

Fifth Avenue Floral is a beautiful stamp set. I cased a sweet little card from someones blog. I chose one of the new In-colors for this year. Isn't the new Melon Mambo just beautiful with it's matching ribbon? I added glitter to help make it pop!

2009-08-11T05:02:00.008-04:00

Hello,

I have updated my blog. http://themadcatstamper.blogspot.com/ Go there, look around and send me an email naming all the new additions and you may win a prize. I will let the winner know on Thursday evening.

I hope you are ready for the new 09-10 Stamper's Ten Club. They will start next week. Both meetings will be held at Priceless Scrapbooks after closing.

This is what I spent my weekend doing. I started on Saturday:

This is/was my Utility room. It was just a junk room. The table made it very easy to just put things down and forget about them. I had already started removing items from the room before I took this picture. Here it is empty..... around 3:00. (I was tired already, but everything from that room is now in my living room, dinning room and kitchen). I painted the ceiling and then stopped to take two Aleve and fix dinner. (Fried pork chops, fresh black-eyed peas, and mashed potatoes and gravy). Once I cleaned up the dinner dishes, I painted all the trim. Around 10:00, I took my shower and collapsed on the sofa. The new walls are now Apple Cider. I got up Sunday and got right to work painting the walls. I painted the two two-drawer file cabinets off white and stacked them on top of each other. I think the red storage boxes will have to have a face lift. They are just "in your face" bright! I have so much room in there now.

2009-08-09T09:23:00.006-04:00

Oh my, I actually had to take breaks from this project. If I hadn't I would have tossed it in the trash. But, now that I have done one.... I think I can do another one. It was a good feeling to finish it last night and it really worked!

Here is my photo box:

2009-08-07T11:00:00.009-04:00

Rough week! My step-mother had to go into the hospital Monday to find out why she was having breathing problems and a tingle in her arms. I spent seven hours sitting up there with my dad waiting for the test results which never happened. My dad would not go home without her. She had to check herself out of the hospital just to keep him happy. He has really become dependent on her. I stayed the night with them and picked up her medicine and some groceries Wednesday morning. Debbie came over around 1:30 and took dad for some blood-work. I came on back home for some well needed rest. I didn't sleep very well Tuesday night.

I've been having some telephone problems since Thursday. We had a bad storm come through and now my phone has issues. It works sometimes and sometimes it doesn't. The storm knocked down about 3/4 of the big pine tree by our driveway. Sonny had to pull the tree out of the road when he got home from work.

I did finish a project that I have been working on for a few days. I bought several of Becky Roberts tutorials, http://inkingidaho.blogspot.com/ . She does an awesome job on them. They are worth the money. Here is my Tote-ally Awesome Tote:

The tote has three pockets on one side and one long pocket on the other side. The inside has two clear pockets to keep the cards and envelopes in place. There are four cards, two bookmarks, a note pad, and an ink pen. I used Stampin' Up's retired designer paper called Summer Picnic. The images I used were the ones I did last month to practice my Copic skills with. They matched the paper perfect.

Check out Tricia's blog at Priceless. I sent all the pictures I took at CHA to her.

2009-08-02T10:47:00.015-04:00

I still haven't been able to get the rest of my pictures off my camera. But, this morning I was able to view them on the camera for just a moment before it started flashing "ERROR". I still have hope that I will be able to retrieve them.

I created a little fish shaped album for my brother Robby. It's just a little thank you for all the scallops we brought home.

2009-07-31T22:23:00.007-04:00

We are back from CHA. I went to Priceless to finish up a few of the projects for Tricia to display. Tricia and Bonnie are just as worn out as I am. But, no complaints! We had a great time. I am still working on the pictures. I'm having a problem with one of the disks from my camera. Here is the project that I will be teaching in August. See Tricia at Priceless for more details and to sign up for the class.

This is a picture of the one I made for myself. I have the worst time remembering all my passwords. But, now my problem is solved. I just keep this little book by my computer.

2009-07-30T07:54:00.002-04:00

Another day at CHA! I was so tired last night. Sorry that I didn't post. I had another great day of project making. I saw Tim Holtz, not once, but twice. I got a picture of him too! I made a necklace at his booth. I got to make a different framed picture, a note box, business card holder and a Halloween candy box. You are going to be so excited to see the new products. I am going to have to have the Gypsy by Provo Craft. Anyone know where I can get a second job? lol

2009-07-29T05:44:00.002-04:00

CHA is fantastic! The new product lines of the different companies are NICE. I can't wait to get my hands on some of them. I created so many make-n-takes yesterday. I know I made a scrapbook page, a tag, layered flower, candy jar, calendar, a T-shirt, and a cookbook. It makes me wonder what I can get into today. lol I forgot to bring my camera cord with me. So, no pictures until we get back. The hotel is fantastic! I went down to the lobby at 5:00 yesterday to watch the traditional march of the Peabody Ducks. They really roll out a red carpet for these ducks. Don't worry! I did get lots of pictures. I'll talk to you in the morning.

2009-07-27T20:46:00.002-04:00

Wow, what a wild week. I have actually had a real vacation... or at least I feel like it. We took Catherine and Madison to Weeki Watchie to see the mermaids. Catherine had a little boy follow her all over the park. Her first stalker! I hate the fact that she is growing up. Sonny and I went to Steinhatchie with my brother Robby. I don't like to wear my bathing suit in front of people. But since he is family, I conceded. I had the best time scalloping. I have decided that I don't care how fat I get. I will go scalloping every year. We need a bigger boat. I am at CHA in Orlando with Tricia and Bonnie. We are having fun already.

2009-07-24T06:29:00.002-04:00

New email address: jamesj@windstream.net alternate email: madcat54@easydoesit.com

2009-07-20T21:30:00.004-04:00

Week #4, Deal of the Week: 112454, page 178, Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware for only $18.99.

Add some hardware to your projects. Our high-quality metal Hodgepodge Hardware contains etched designs on brads and accents that coordinates with several of our punches. Each kit contains approximately 100 embellishments and 100 3/16" brads.

2009-07-17T09:19:00.002-04:00

I am in the process of switching to high speed Internet. I will let you know when my email changes. It will be very soon. You can always leave me a message on my blog.

2009-07-15T21:31:00.006-04:00

I am working on my bedroom. Texturing and painting the walls and such. I will share pictures of the before and after when I am done. Right now my bed is in the middle of the room with everything pulled away from the walls. I took a break from my current home improvement project and went to Priceless to play for the day. I was inspired by a card made by Michele Zindorf. I used a sponge instead of my brayer and I changed the card layout. Thanks for the inspiration Michelle. Then I made a paper bag purse. These are really easy to make. I'm sure you have seen them all over Splitcoaststampers. I made one more card using some of the new stamps that Tricia has at Priceless. I used Stampin' Up's Rich Razzleberry ink. Gotta love those owls!

2009-07-13T16:07:00.004-04:00

I saw this on a blog this morning and thought it was super cute. Then I realized that I have all the supplies needed to do it. I don't think mine turned out quite as good as the one I saw, but I'm happy with it. I used the Sizzix Flower, Daisies #2. Cut three of each size flower and layer on a scalloped circle cut with Nestabilities.

Check out Stampin' Up's New Deal of the Week. Square Fire Rhinestone brads for $6.99. Deal ends July 20th.

2009-07-10T08:59:00.002-04:00

Good Morning, I'm back from a wonderful two days at Debbie's place in Crystal River. We had a great time fishing, talking, playing games and of course, shopping. I have a nice tan for show and tell! lol I haven't had time to even look at the pictures, but I will share them ASAP. I cleaned house all day yesterday. I hadn't done anything around here in weeks. I have had a very active summer. I was also feeling just a little guilty for the attempt I made on jump starting our economy while out shopping. I went to a friends house to stamp last night. We had a great time and another friend from Jacksonville came down to join us.

2009-07-06T21:26:00.004-04:00

Check out Week #2 Deal of the week. If you have the Sizzix Big Shot you can get the Doctor's Bag for just $49.99, plus shipping and tax. That's $20 off the regular price. Wouldn't it just make the cutest overnight bag? lol. The Ribbon share is going well. I am now filling positions in group #3. Let me know if you are interested. Group one and two has been ordered. I'll let you know when it's ready. I am leaving tomorrow and I'll be back Wednesday ...... Gone Fishing!

2009-07-04T21:06:00.004-04:00

Happy 4th of July! I spent the day at a family reunion on the Rainbow River. There were many activities to participate in this year. Paddle boat, water volleyball, cork ball, horseshoes, and the annual float down the Rainbow River. The food was fantastic as usual. The men fry the fish and hush puppies and the women pull together all the fixin's. It's a wonderful time to come together and catch up on each of our lives.

2009-07-02T13:27:00.003-04:00

Stamper's Ten Club special........ Ribbon Shares Here's the details on my Ribbon Shares. You'll get 3 yards of all 6 colors for $15 with free shipping (you're welcome to order as many shares as you'd like and even if you're a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator). I will place my first order today, {For the first 5 people}. I will place additional orders as groups of five people join. This is the 1/2" Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon Colors include: Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Rich Razzleberry, Dusty Durango & Soft Suede Contact me to join: Sjones9004@aol.com

2009-07-02T12:43:00.002-04:00

News Flash!!!!!!!! Every week during the month of July, Stampin' Up will offer one discounted product as a "Deal of the Week." No Limits and no minimum purchase required. I will post the deal of the week here on my blog. Check the left hand column for "Deal of the Week". July 1-6(11:50am Eastern time) .... Scallop Edge Punch... $10.99 The Deal of the week will only be available at their discounted price during the specified time. Buy now and save!!!!! ........................................................................................................ Important!!!!!! Stamper's Ten club! If you are a current member of my stampers ten club, please notify me if you plan to remain in the club. I am organizing my 2009-2010 clubs. If you are interested in joining this year please let me know. I will notify you of openings.

2009-07-01T10:44:00.010-04:00

I started on a project last night, I hope to finished today. I am making a CD Photo Album. Here is what I have so far: I have to pull it all together and put photos on it. I think I will add some fibers and charms. We'll see!

2009-06-30T00:04:00.006-04:00

I used Madison's teddy bear for a prop the other day and she decided that she wanted a photo shoot too. Here are some of her pictures:

We worked in the yard today. The elephant ears are taking over our little fish pond. So, today we pulled them out and raked the accumulation of leaves out of the fish pond. Once we finished terrorizing the fish, Sonny tilled more fertilizer into the garden. Then we tag teamed dinner. I peeled the potatoes, seasoned the steak and Sonny did the actual cooking.

2009-06-28T23:34:00.009-04:00

I'm back! We had a wonderful time. The girls were so good, as usual. The temperature was HOT! It fluctuated between 99 and 105 degrees. We planned on getting there around 4 pm. But, in reality, it was more like 5 pm when we got there. It was a good thing too, because it was hot. The laser show didn't start until 9:30. We staked out our spot on the hill overlooking Stone Mountain for the laser show. We left our blanket and drink cooler and explored the rest of the park until about 9:00. We rode the air bus to the top of the Mountain and enjoyed the cool breeze as the sun began to set. We left the mountain top and went down to ride the train around the mountain. This was what Madison wanted to do the most and she was so happy. When we returned to the hill for the laser show it was packed. We knew our blanket was there, but we had to step over people and find little paths to it. I am so glad we staked out a spot early. We returned to our motel room around midnight. Exhausted! Big Shot Materials List for Bigz and Originals Dies The following materials work well when creating die cuts with the Big Shot machine and Bigz and Originals dies. Please note the maximum thickness of several materials. As a rule of thumb, you can cut a material with your Big Shot machine and Bigz or Originals dies if you can cut it using your Craft & Paper Scissors. Thick corkboard, Thick chipboard (59 mil) , Colored magnet , Ruffle board, Paper wood, Balsa wood (3/32"), Bass wood (1/16"), Metal mesh, Aluminum (.016), Tin (.008), Adhesive and non-adhesive mat board, Drawer liner , Shelf liner , Vinyl , Static cling vinyl, Shrink film, Fine sandpaper, Clear acetate (20 mil) , Vellum , Card stock , Patterned paper, Flocked paper, Contact paper, Textured paper , Metallic paper, Linen paper, Suede paper, Embossed metallic paper, Basketball embossed paper, Faux alligator textured paper, Self-adhesive glitter paper, Fabric, Canvas, Iron-on fabric , Soft plush fabric , Burlap, Velvet Corduroy, Lace, Heavyweight denim, Terry cloth, Funky fur, Thin leather , Quilt batting, Warm & natural batting, Fusible fleece, Self-adhesive craft metal, Self-adhesive cork, Self-adhesive foam, Self-adhesive magnet, Self-adhesive felt, Adhesive and non-adhesive rubber, Pop up sponge, Poly foam, 100% pure beeswax (cut with parchment paper on top & bottom of beeswax.)

2009-06-26T23:05:00.010-04:00

The wild blueberries are almost ready to pick. I doubt that we get any, all the little critters usually stop in for a treat. I need to walk down to the other end of our property to check on those berries. These are the ones up near the house. The bushes are not as full as they have been in the past.

Here is the Folded Photo Wallet that I will be teaching at Priceless in July. If you are interested in taking the class, just go by Priceless Scrapbooks and sign-up. I would love to see you in class.

We are taking our granddaughters to Stone Mountain, GA for the weekend. I'll be back Monday. Have a great weekend.

2009-06-26T11:24:00.010-04:00

I needed to prep the 6 x 6 Purse Scrapbook class for Saturday. So, I decided that I should follow the direction sheet to make my own version, just to make sure that they didn't need tweaking. Of course, the directions needed major tweaking. But, I created a cute 6 x 6 Purse Scrapbook once it was all said and done. Here is my version: I used the Glistmas paper by S.E.I.

2009-06-24T10:03:00.004-04:00

I worked on a project that I will be teaching at Priceless last night. It's not ready to share just yet. Here is the Recipe Flip Book that I taught last Saturday. We used S.E.I's Mimosa paper, which is just gorgeous. It was a fun class, everything went very smooth. I shelled the last of my black eyed peas - for a while anyway. Sonny turned them over last night. But, the new batch that we planted a week ago are peeking out of the ground. The second batch of green beans are blooming, so they will be ready to pick in a few weeks. The new squash plants look awesome, I am ready for more squash.

2009-06-23T09:35:00.009-04:00

Boy was yesterday HOT? ...or what! I stayed inside as much as possible. Sonny was looking for some punishment, he went out and made some adjustments to our new steps. By the time he came back in he was soaking wet from sweat. I practiced coloring with my new Copic markers. I am getting better, but I have decided that I need more colors. Now, I will have to do something with all those images that I colored. I have a box full of containers that I have kept thinking that I will alter and reuse. I hate throwing away a perfectly good container. LOL Well, I finally did one, can you figure out what this box was used for originally? Have you seen the new Sizzix Bigz Die that Stampin' Up will have in the new catalog? When I first saw it, I thought, I'm not impressed. I don't need to have that one. Then! I watched a demonstrator video on it! Bad, bad, bad, thing to do. Well, I am now the proud owner of it. It's called "Pop-Up Look Here". I used Cosmo Cricket paper to create my first gift card holder using this die. I liked the card better before I added the stickles. I wanted the arrow to be real sparkly, pointing to the gift card. I guess that's what happens when you use an off brand that you have not experimented with yet. I'm off to shell black eyed peas, have a relaxing day.

2009-06-20T10:15:00.008-04:00

Here is one of the projects that we did at my Stampers Ten club meetings for June. I have been rearranging my stamp room. I just have to get better organized, because I am running out of room. I moved my punches and added another row. I changed the way that I organize my ribbon too. Here is a little project that Maddie and I did for her to give her Dad. She argued with me on every move.... for three, she is very opinionated. I guess she just knows what she wants. PS: There is now a gold star on her hat (Maddie insisted! She's a Rock Star and she had to have that extra star.) It was fun to make with her....

2009-06-15T07:02:00.006-04:00

Good Morning! I want to share a few things that I made for birthday gifts this month. Here is a set of cards that I made for Patti. I used S.E.I's Black Orchid paper. I made six cards, two note cards and a box. I made Bonnie a 12 x 12 bag to carry four of her project boxes. I'll be making one of these for me I'm sure.

2009-06-09T13:05:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone! I know that you have all missed me this week. (busy,busy,busy) I am in a class right now learning how to make my blog even more fantastic than ever before. I will have more on this later.

2009-05-28T06:48:00.009-04:00

Good morning! I made cupcakes for my classroom awards celebration last night. So, you know what that means. No stamping going on here. I did take a picture of a beautiful lily to share with you. The color in this lily is so dark it's almost brown. JP grew this in his fifth grade science class. It's odd that in 14 years, the plant blooms every year, but it doesn't really get any bigger. I just think that's odd. lol It is a beautiful flower. Sonny built the new steps that I have been asking for. We added one more step, it makes it a little easier to get up and down them.

I woke up at 3:30 last night and tossed and turned until 5:00. Then I gave up and went into my stamp room to make that last altered clipboard. This one has a sports theme. I hope everyone has the coolest day ever!

2009-05-27T06:51:00.009-04:00

There is so much that needs to be done to close this school year. I am staying busy, just trying to keep up.

Another teacher has asked me to make some altered clipboards for the teachers that are being forced to leave us for other schools. I have one more to make. I am trying not to embellish too much, I want them to be functional.

I have a few other things that I am working on. Bonnie has a birthday coming up. What in world could I make the Queen of scrap and stamp? Maybe I'll add some bling to a gift card! lol

I did alter a clear glass bottle to use as a vase. It matches the candle holder that I made last week.

2009-05-23T11:18:00.004-04:00

Another night without stamping. I had too many other things that had to be done. I did another candle holder in Basic Gray's lavender and purple rub-ons. I hope you are enjoying the little bit of sunshine we are getting.