Card Swap

I didn't finish my cards in time. I had to scrap my bag toppers -- they just wouldn't turn out!! It was incredibly frustrating. So at the last minute I bought new paper to make cards. We'll see how it goes :( blug.
Here are the cards from this month: (amazingly everyone used different paper ;)
I'll post mine and Tammy's later.

The kids are going crazy so I don't have time to post a description, so you'll just have to guess who made what :)

I LOVE sour cream containers

This has to be the easiest and cutest paper craft that I've done in a long time. Even easier then those cricut-box bags. Anyway, Here are pics of the sour cream containers that I made for our R.S. treat (for those who did their reading).
As you can see all it took was a glue stick, paper scraps, and a paper crimper (THANKS AGAIN TRISH!). In fact, I used paper that came with one of those stack pads that inevitably have papers you don't like. It was great. Anyway, here are some pics! They are small too, they only fit a smarties-type candie and a p.b. cup inside them.

Response to Marcie's Blog

Okay Marcie asked for nonfiction recomendations. I have to admit, besides church books I don't really read a lot of non fiction. I did however, read one that was totally fabulous! Well, in the interest of full disclosure I haven't finished it yet but I am working on it. It is Zell Miller's Deficit of Decency. He is one of the most admirable people in politics today. While he is a democrat he recognizes the need for his party to become what it once was, something to respect. I believe he also spoke at the RNC when Bush ran the last time. I recommend reading that speech as well. I normally am not really into politics at all but so much of what he has to say is so right on, he's totally a dry mormon! In the book he compares the goverment to a dead fish and when a fish dies it starts to rot from the head down and how the disinigration of our country is because that is what we are learning by example from our leaders. So much of that book is one awesome quote after another. I am going to try and post the cards from my stamping class for the last couple of months sometime this weekend:)
~Tricia

Card Swap

Sorry these pictures stink! You get the idea though.
These are the pictures minus Aubrey and Jen (and Tricia's get well)


First off, mom's card was by far the most popular. Definetly unique;)
Here is Tammy's. I love that stamp.
These two are also tammy's. You can kind of see the embossing on the left in the pic.
This one is Delaina's and Laura's. Delaina made her truck with DSS, and I love laura's paper.
Trish, here are your two baby ones.
The top one is mine. My bug looks grey becuase I have a crappy half-dead stamp pad. I embossed the red with swiss dots. The bottom is the first from Grandma Whimpey!

Finale

Part 2

Cookbook Final Results

Recommendations

Okay so my original intention was to create a craft blog and only post crafts and stuff like that well I am going to deviate from that in this post. I want to tell you all about a really cool web site that I found unintentionally while web surfing. It all started when I was doing a google search for scripture reading charts. I thought I could find one that I could just print out and color as I go. My goal was/is to read D&C before our trip to Nauvoo Memorial weekend. In my searching I came across the web site readthescriptures.com It is basically an online scripture calendar! It is amazing! What you do is create and account. Then you tell it that you want to create a reading schedule. They have all of the standard works listed as well as the current manuals for sunday school, rs, primary and others. Lets use the Book of Mormon as an example. I have decided to read it and I want to finish it by Sep 1. After I have selected BOM it then takes me to the reading length screen. You have tons of options here. Reading it in 30, 60, 90 days or a chapter a day or a custom schedule. Since I have a specific date for when I want it finished I will choose custom schedule. You then tell it where you want to start. (i.e. 1 Nephi 1:1 or Alma 14:8 if you wanted) After telling it the date you want to finish it calculates the number of verses you need to read every day to accomplish your goal. Then it e-mails you the readings every day. (the actual verses are in the e-mail to read as well as a link to the audio for every chapter) At the bottom of the e-mail is a link to click when you are finished. When you log in and look at your account there is a progress bar that tells you how far you have read. The only way for you to get the e-mail for the next day's reading is for you to click the completed link. If you finish the required reading and want to continue you click the send more button, other wise you will get tomorrows reading tomorrow. I personally don't like to read the passages from my e-mail, its a little too casual for me but Dad loves it! He is currently set up to read the entire standard works in a year. If you read them on their web site they have the highlighter option as well as a journal option. I find that it really motivates me to read just so I can see that progress bar move, not to mention I want to accomplish my goal. One last thing about the site. You can read in teams. I am not quite sure how it works because I have never used it but if there are a group of people who want to read together they can see each others progress and discuss what they are reading. Anyone up for reading the BOM by July 18?

My book recommendation goes hand in hand with the web site. It is Scripture Study For Latterday Saint Families: Church History (or Book of Mormon, New Testament) This book is FABULOUS! I truly love this series and in fact own all of them. They are actually meant for families to use as a help during family scripture reading time. (hence the name) It takes you chapter (or section as the case may be) by chapter and gives the background of what is going on at the time as well as gives brief bios on key people. There are awesome quotes that go along with the reading by church authorities. There are also thought provoking questions. When I read I have a notebook by my side and write down thoughts that come to me, answers from the questions as well as some of the quotes. There are games you can play, hymns to sing etc. I have learned tons from the book already. Did you know that out of the 11 witnesses to the book of mormon 8 of them were Whitmers by blood or marriage? Sidney Rigdon was excommunicated in August (personal differences with Joseph) and came back the following January. I cannot tell you how much I have learned using the book. The retail price for the book is 19.99 which is a bit expensive but it is worth every penny, especially if you use a 25% off coupon from the catalog or buy it used like I did.
~Tricia

Church card swap

Here are the cards I made for my church card swap. I really liked how they turned out so I thought I would post them. I was so excited when I found a use for this random patterned paper that I had bought at a 5/$1 sale (thinking I would use it). This paper inspired me to buy Swiss Dots to match :) I used mini mono for the monograms on the cards -- and totally remembered why I love this font. I need to use the scallop circle/monogram more often. I used a glue dot to make the monogram 3D.

behind the times ...

Sorry this took me so long to post. Here are Chelsee's lo's which by the way, I like a lot better than mine ;) I did glue on her recipes before I mailed them, but they're obviously not on in the pics yet.

We did these completely from scraps from the paper I bought for my half so that rocked. Also, I was thinking maybe we should all do the states in the same color? I forgot to send paper to cut out the states with, so maybe all of the states should be light yellow or something. Just a thought.

stoopid mday layouts

For starts I really hope that I was assigned California. If not .... oh well. The big gap on the California page is for the cutout of the state that trish will be doing. There is yellow vellum behind the title and the years on the bottom are written on yellow vellum. The brads are silver even though they look black. It's very very simple and unfortunatly doesn't look that great -- not like it did in my mind ;)
The title page is allright. Sorry about the large flower trish! haha. Oh well. I'm here to motivate everyone else to get theirs done ASAP. Btw. I say we punch holes and hook them together using rings. My cricut was malfunctioning the whole time. BIG PAIN. So the project wasn't that fun ;)

Card Swap

Sooo Trish ... look at your blog: 1 POST IN APRIL. Slackeretta ;) Here are the cards from card swap this month:
(minus Aubrey and Tammy and yours)

These ones are mine. You can't really see the white eyelets on the blue one in the pic, but it's the same as on the pink one. They turned out all right :) I think I was just excited to use my cuttlebug :)

These ones are moms obviously. Last month's Thank You and her boy cards ... I think it is SO funny that almost everyone made boy cards!!!
These are Laura's. She just bought Zooballoo :) So Cute -- I want that cart
These are Delaina's. She had leftover cards from her sister's babyshower (remember i posted it) and she used them for this :)
This is Jen's from last month and then the baby one from this month. She just bought a cricut can you tell?! :) Too bad I can't get commission off of all the people that now have cricuts within my sphere of influence ...

Would you believe that I forgot my cards and moms cards at home?? How annoying!! Sooo next month I should have 3 cards to bring from mom, 3 cards to bring from me (since I made two this month) and 3 cards to bring from you trish. Tammy will prolly have 3 cards and Aubrey will have 2, and we've added a new member. HOLY COW that will be quite the swap ;) hahah. ... Hopefully we'll all be back on schedule after that ;)

Its The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (AKA Tax Season)

Okay so I am being a little sarcastic. I have just spent the last two hours doing my taxes, keeping in mind that I am paying two different state taxes this year. Well I actually prepare my taxes online and e-file them through TaxAct.com To file the federal is free and to file your state its 13.95 per state. I totally find that reasonable considering I have paid about 100.00 to have someone else do it for me. It totally guides you through process and fills out the appropriate form based on your answers. As someone who has messed up her 1040EZ I will take any help I can get:) Well, anyways on to the reason for my post about tax season. I have always dreaded MO taxes because I have always owed them. Well I have decided I hate Ohio taxes even more. Apparently if you do not pay taxes on what you buy online (or in a state that does not charge taxes) then you have to pay them to the state of Ohio! In the words of Lyssa ARE YOU KDDING ME?! Not only do I have to pay shipping on an item I have to pay city tax as well! Correct me if I am wrong I thought the whole point of buying online was to AVOID paying tax! Well I guess I will be buying mostly locally unless it is a really good deal. Luckily the craft stores have pretty good sales on the carts. (like next weeks 39.99 at Michaels) I really only buy books, and the odd gift or two at fisher price so it won't be terrible but I will definitely think twice before buying something! I have to admit their reasoning is understandable but I am still very irratated! They say that by charging tax locally for something you buy somewhere else you are taking business from the local person and therefore reducing jobs etc. This is going to make me sound rediculous and obsessive but I really would have thought something like this would be illegeal! Mom and Dad were in the room when I was doing my taxes and they too were totally schocked! Okay, I am moving on now:) There are some high points to all of that work. I am completely done and several dates before the due date no less, I am getting a HUGE tax refund. I have never gotten back so much before, not to mention I am going to get a stimulus package refund thanks to my hero Pres Bush which will cover the cost of my new laptop! Saturday I am sending a big box to the Jessee/Rowley families full of cookies, muffins and clothes:) I had better head to bed I still have to get up for work in the morning!

For all you slackers out there ....

Here are this months cards. Jen and Tammy will both have their's next month as well, so I guess you can't feel too bad Trish and Mom ; )



This one is my card. I think I'm obsessed with the "Thanks a Melon" theme. I borrowed Laura's Doodlecharms for this one. You have to untie it to open it and it has the message on the inside.


This one is Delaina's. Once again I love her paper. I don't want to know how much time it takes her to make all of the cards though!
This one was made by our newest member, Aubrey. It looks like she cut the "Thank You" phrase from an existing Thank You card. I think that is an awesome idea for reusing old store-bought Thank You cards!
This one is Laura's and I'm sorry that I was too lazy to flip the pic! She used Cuttin Up -- I love that font. You pull the paper out from the top to write your message. Cute paper :)

card swap

Hey trish, I hope you check this. The card swap has been moved to the 19th.

stamping site

As if everyone needed another stamp site to look at ; ) I like this lady's work -- very simple and pretty. PLUS she does tutorials for ALL of her detailed projects. She has the link to her video tutorial site on this one.

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

Wantsies

I want a paper crimper so I can make these :( They look so cute (even cuter without the tag in my opinion)

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ee/index.php/resources/tutorials/sour_cream_container/

Card swap

Here are the two "Hello" cards from my Feb. church card swap. I'm posting because I am pretty bored ;) btw, the background "chicken fence" pattern is a stamp.

Step 4 - Finishing Touches

Make two small holes on each side of the bag. Then run ribbon through and knot. Attach a tag. fold the sides in slightly to give it more of a gift bag look and you are done!