Altered Tablets

Hello & Happy Thursday!!

Been another busy week at the Aungst Pad. Ryan had his surgery Wednesday morning and was discharged from the hospital about noon. He has some pain & discomfort but nothing too severe. All went well and today he's been resting and his appetite is slowly coming back. Let the healing begin!

So, today while he slept I went to my stamp room and did some reorganization. I picked up a few Christmas stamps at Micheal's that were marked down or half price. They are things I will need this year for my Merry Monday DT commitments. I do need to refill my drawer of adhesives after this Christmas season! And now that my table is cleaned up i'm ready to sit and do some stamping, soon!

I do have a bunch of stuff yet to share from my craft show. It was a terrific year and I was pleased with the outcome! Here are a few tablets I made....

The best part is....not one of them came back home!

Well, that is all for today!

Tomorrow Shawn & I will go out & finish up the last of our Christmas shopping and Saturday I am having the family over for a lasanga dinner and playing Pokeno after. I think Ry will enjoy having some company and some fun!

Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!

Happy Holidays!!

~Wendy

Come to Bethlehem

Hello & Happy Saturday!

Lots of errands to do today so i'm gonna make this post real quick!

Just wanted to share a pack of cards I made for the craft show that I simply loved! 

I seen the idea for these cards somewhere and changed things up a bit. I especially loved how flat they are for mailing purposes and the little bit of sparkle from the clear rhinestone.

Come to Bethlehem Card:

Stamps: Come to Bethlehem

Ink: Early Espresso

Cardstock: Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Deck the Halls DSP

Accessories:Stamp A Ma Jig, Clear Rhinestones, Early Espresso 1/8 Taffeta Ribbon, 2 Sided Tape

Well, my hubby is nodging me to go get showered so we can get our errands started!

Thanks for stopping by & have a wonderful day!

~Wendy

Happy Holidays from Shady!

This is my grandpuppy, Shady and he is almost 6 months old. His brother, Dawkins wouldn't sit still for a picture. Shady is so cute and we just love our grandpuppies to pieces!

He is ready for Santa in his cute little outfit and wanted to wish everyone a  

Happy Holiday Season!!

Seize the Birthday!

Hello & Happy TGIF!!!

Your probably wondering about my blog title today. It's the name of a new challenge that our good friend, Lesley, has started to help us get a variety of birthday cards made! I know I am in major need of them since I have been working on Christmas for months. I also am on the Merry Monday design team so I found out that making 1 Christmas card a week is so wonderful when it comes to the holiday season and having cards ready to send out. There was no stressing this year! This birthday challenge will start January 10, 2013 and here is the link to the blog: Seize the Birthday!

Here is my card I made to kick things off....

I'm also trying to refresh my card rack since i've had a few card orders that depleted my supply. 

I decided to go with a masculine birthday card since I will soon need it for my brother.

Masculine Birthday Card:

Stamps: Front: Sail Boat from Class Act, Sentiment is Impression Obsession

Inside: Sentiment from Schooner (SU retired), Perfectly Penned

Ink: Cherry Cobbler

Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, SU Whisper White, Nautical Expeditions DSP

Accessories: Oval & Scallop Oval Nestibilities, Going Gray Grosgrain, Silver Pearls, Dimensionals, 2 Sided Tape

Before I close this out I wanted to say "Thank You" to all who visited the Craft Show at Llamaloopfarm this year. We had the best year ever! Pam gave me a call on Wednesday to share the excitement! It seems each year gets a little better! :)

Well, today will be another busy one around here. I'm off to grocery shop and get what I need to wrap up my 10 White Chocolate Snack Mix Boxes that my cousin ordered for her neighbors and a few friends. I'm excited to get them finished and take some pictures to share! This is the very last order on my agenda this year! Yipppppeee Skipppeee!

Hope everyone has a great day & Thanks for stopping by!
~Wendy

Snowman Tealights

Hello & Happy Thursday!

 Things are in full Christmas swing around the Aungst Pad. Gifts waiting to be wrapped and cookies are slowly being baked! I love this time of year!

Last night we had our stamp girls Christmas get together as we have been doing so for the last 4 or 5 years. We met up at Chili's, talked, ate and exchanged gifts. The laughs and hugs are the best part of the evening as we do not see one another very much.

I have been racking my brain thinking of a nice handmade gift for them this year. I think this year my brain was woren out because nothing was registering! LOL After surfing SCS, Facebook and some of my favorite blogs....I came across Becky Roberts blog, Inking Idaho, and seen the cutest idea ever! So, I had to take a stab at it to make my own! 

Since I love Cherry Cobbler and Marina Mist, those are the colors I went with on mine. I did the brim of the hat a bit differently since I didn't quite understand how Becky did hers in her directions. I really think that was a sign that my mind is toasted this year! I also made her little boxes to match so it made the cutest little boxed gift for my stamp girls! They loved them! 

 Snowman Tealights:

Stamps: none

Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Marina Mist, Frostwood Lodge, Window Sheets

Accessories: LED Tealights, Recollections White Pearls (colored with a black Sharpie), Word Window Punch, Large Oval Punch, 1/2 Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Decorative Label Punch, Cherry Cobbler Sweater Trim, Hot Glue & Liquid Multi Mono

We also got a surgery date for Ryan whom is having some minor surgery done. Next Wednesday is the scheduled day but I seen now they are calling for snow so who knows what will happen there. I know it's a week away and it could all change till then....atleast that's what i'm hoping for!

Well, that's all for me today!

I'm off to grab my shower and try to do some crafting. My hands have been giving me a really hard time lately and I think I am just burnt out from all things Christmas! Time to move on to another occasion!

Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!

~Wendy

Acrylic Post It Note Holders

Hello & Happy Saturday!

As usual, life has been hectic here at the Aungst Pad but I see things getting a little calmer in the next few days (I think)! How's things at your Pad?

Yesterday was a rainy, dreary day here in south central PA. I lounged a bit to catch my breathe, worked on some laundry then ordered Pizza Hut for supper! After that I made my way downstairs to my stamp room to work on an order from my cousin. She asked for 10 boxes of White Chocolate Snack Mix for the holidays to give her neighbors & friends. I got my boxes almost completed and I will share them next week once I have the snack mix made and the boxes are completed. So far I think they are so cute!

Anyways, I have been working on another order for a friend from Florida since mid August. I took me awhile to round up all the supplies I needed and then get the motivation to make them! She ordered 48 Acrylic Post It Note Holders for 3 different organizations she works with. I really had to put on my thinking cap for this order!

Here are some of the pictures I took of them....

I believe the first dozen are for a Domestic Abuse Organization. She wanted purple & blue for the colors and butterflies.

The second dozen are for the American Red Cross. 

And lastly, this 2 dozen was made for people she attends school with at Indian River State College.

They all have matching RSVP pens.

They will go out in the mail on Monday as she will need them for Christmas gifts this coming week.

Phew, another job off my table and out the door!

Hopefully I can soon come up for air!! LOL

Well, that is all for me today!

I'm heading out shopping with Kirsten this afternoon then we will go pick up my craft show stuff this evening, whatever is left! Today is the last day!

Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!
~Wendy

Stocking Stuffers...

Hello & Happy Wednesday!

Hope your all having a great day!

I had Dominic this morning for a bit and now i'm gonna go try to do some housework before the hubby gets home from work. I really feel like taking my butt back the hallway to my bed for a nap but I have so much to do! So before I head off to get started I wanted to share some of my Candy Bar Wrappers I made for the show.....

I made these really easy on myself this year by using Stampin Up stamps that have coordinating punches. These are huge sellers every year so I try to make alot of these. I made 35 this year! Inside is a regular sized Hershey Bar.

I'm not gonna post the details on these but if there is any questions please shoot me an email.

Well, that's all for me today!

Time to get the dust rag and get to work!

Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!
~Wendy

Big Stockings....

Hello & Happy Tuesday!

Hope everyone is having a great day so far!

Our weather here in south central PA is suppose to get close to 70 degrees today! Crazy stuff for the beginning of December and i'm kinda wishing for some cooler, snowy weather soon for the holidays! It paints such a pretty picture outside and I think it would put people more in the mood for Christmas! I'm dreamin of a white Christmas this year!! Are you???

So, today I just wanted to share some big stockings that I cut out months ago. 

Stampin Up's Stocking Die is so adorable but I always forget about it. 

I made them into 2 huge gigantic stocking cards.

I love how sparkly they are!

Big Stocking Cards:

Stamps: Sentiment from Hero Arts

Ink: Memento Black

Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Wild Wasabi, Neenah White, Silver Glimmer Paper

Accessories: SU Felt Accessories, SU Snow Burst EF, Swiss Dots EF, Ribbon, Liquid Multi Mono, Dimensionals, Rhinestones

That's all for today!

Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!
~Wendy

Merry Monday in Review

Hello & Happy Monday!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

It was a busy one at the Aungst Pad as we celebrated my son Ryan's 26th birthday which is today! I was also busy with shopping and getting some last minute things wrapped up for the last weekend of the holiday craft show, which will be this coming weekend! It's crazy to think that once our kids get older that they can pretty much take care of themselves that we have more time to do what we want to do. I'm finding this to be completely backwards but not only that....I am slowing down the older i'm getting. I'm really starting to have issues with this getting old thing! The aches & pains, the sciatic nerve issues with my back and the sinus issues that I usually am plagued with every winter....ughh is all I can say!

Ok, so enough with the whining!

Since today is Monday, normally that means it would be time for another sketch from Lesley's Merry Monday challenge but since it's the first Monday in December, she decided that we were to take the month off to prepare for the holidays! It was so wonderful having this challenge this year and having all these pretty Christmas cards ready to go that there is no stressing over making cards right up to Christmas Day this year! I LOVE it! BUT with that being said, Lesley asked us Merry Markers if we'd be interested in doing a "Year in Review" Challenge for the first 2 weeks in December. I happily agreed to join in when I could. So, pop on over to Lesley's blog, Always Playing With Paper to see what some of the other Merry Makers have done with "A Year in Review".  Adorable cards once again, I promise you!

For my card I chose Sketch #5 followed by my samples.....

I had these images lying around that I stamped long ago. They had already been cut with the Circle Nestibilities just waiting to be used. I laid my image onto a piece of Champagne Glimmer Paper which I just added right to my card (no dimensionals!). The card base is Garden Green and I stamped that with my Woodgrain Background stamp to go along with the woodsy feel of the card. I used a piece of Frostwood DSP (retired) for my panel and stamped the Merry Christmas sentiment on the bottom. Love this card so much that I made a package of 5 for the craft show! Even better.....they are as flat as flat can be which makes for easy mailing! :)

Merry Monday "A Year in Review" Card:

Stamps: Autumn Days, Woodgrain Background, Christmas Greeting

Ink: Garden Green & Chocolate Chip SU Markers, Garden Green, Chocolate Chip

Cardstock: Garden Green, Frostwood Lodge, Champagne Glimmer Paper, SU Whisper White

Accessories: Circle Nestibilities, SU Delicate Doilies Dies, Multi Mono Liquid Glue

Well, that's all for me today!

Hope you can find sometime to check out what the other Merry Makers have created this week and possibly play along! 

It's gonna be a busy day for us! Ryan has a doctor appt with a surgeon this afternoon for some minor surgery coming up soon then running Kelsey to work and in between fixing supper. Never a dull moment!

Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!
~Wendy

Altered Notebook....

Hello & Happy TGIF!

Was up early this morning partly because I couldn't sleep but also because my little Dominic is coming again this morning. His papa has to go in to work early today because he's off tomorrow for a wedding so he asked if I could keep him a few hours this morning while Amy went to her classes. I'm always happy to help out....afterall, he's such a good little boy! :)

Today, I am sharing a notebook that I altered for the craft show. I hated to part with it but that's how it goes sometimes! I love making these notebooks more so than cards at times. I tear the entire notebook apart and redo it and add a pen to match.

These notebooks are probably one of my biggest sellers at the show, year after year! I think that's a wonderful thing since I enjoy making them! :)

I used a Stampin Up set for the skate image called Winter Memories and the paper is from Kaiser Craft that I found at L&L stamps in Ephrata, PA. (LOVE that place!!!)

Winter Skates Notebook:

Stamps: Winter Memories, Sentiment is computer generated

Ink: Soft Suede

Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Soft Suede, Neenah White, Kaiser Craft DSP

Accessories: Word Window & Modern Label Punches, Circle & Scallop Circle Nestibilities, SU Basic Pearls, Baja Breeze Ribbon, Pearl Brad, Hot Glue, 2 Sided Tape, RSVP Pen

Well, I need to go get some breakfast before my little one comes so this is all for today!

Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!
~Wendy

Fruit Trays....really?

Hello & Happy Thursday!

Today, I wanted to share something that I think makes a cute gift for the holidays or even any holiday for that matter! When we still lived in Joplin, I started saving these plastic fruit trays that strawberries & grapes come in. I had no idea what to do with them and one time I even used it to package cards in to send back to my old neighbor, Emily. It kept the cards protected from the bouncing around that comes from shipping and because you can decorate them, it made for a cute gift too!

I decided to make a bunch of these in all shapes & sizes for the holiday craft show this year! 

Your probably gonna ask me what I put inside of them. I seen people put cookies, cards and candles in them. I made my White Chocolate Snack mix and placed in a cello bag and put inside. I also put some smell good candles in them too. You could put almost anything inside of them as long as it fits. I was thinking candies or homemade fudge or a variety of different cookies for the holidays! The possibilities are endless!

These are just a few of them for now! I'll share the others later!

All of these are made with Stampin Up stamps & supplies.

Well, that is all for today!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
~Wendy

It's Time.....

Hello & Happy Wednesday!

Yes, it's time that I start sharing all the Christmas goodies that I have been working on the last few months. I love Christmas and work on it all year long behind the scenes. Even though I try to work on it all year long it always seems every year I am fiercely working on more right up to Christmas Day! Truthfully, I can see that happening again this year too!

My first project is one I seen from the famous Becky Roberts last year. I love making these!

These are made with the SU Top Note Die and scored at 1 1/2 in. Added my choice of DSP, ribbon for my strap and a cute little sentiment! Inside is a small cello bag which unfortunately Stampin Up does not carry anymore. I added 4 Hershey's Nuggets with a 1 X 3 pc of DSP wrapped around the nugget. Added a cute sentiment to the front with circle & scallop punches and attached with 2 Stampin Dimensionals. I embellished them with a cute little bow and either a rhinestone or a pearl. I attached my cello bag with some double sided Scotch tape. SO fun to make and love them as a cute little gift!

Candy Purses:

Stamps: Hero Arts & SU Sentiments

Ink: Real Red

Cardstock: Wild Wasabi, Real Red, Glorious Green, Neenah White, Holly Berry Bouquet DSP, Red Holly from Hot Off The Press DSP

Accessories: SU Top Note Die, Circle & Scallop Punches, White & Real Red Grosgrain Ribbons, Rhinestones & Pearls, Scotch Double Sided Tape, Mono Adhesive

Well, that is all for today, friends!

Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!

~Wendy

Merry Monday Challenge Week #43

Hello & Happy Monday!

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving! 

Ours was such a nice day but boy, was I ever ready to crash & burn after everyone left! I stressed & stressed for days and as most know me, I want everything to be perfect! Everything went well and we had a great time! My parents came, my younger brother and his wife came and Kirsten & Berto came. Of course my 2 little grandpuppies came too! Dawkins & Shady love visiting Grammy & Pappy's house! :)

So, here we are at the last Monday in November....can you believe it?

Lesley from over at Always Playing With Paper has another awesome sketch for us this week to help us get those Christmas cards made! All the cards that I have made so far this year I sent up to the craft show but I also have a bunch on hand for myself. It's been awesome not having to stress with making Christmas cards this year!

So, here is Lesley's sketch and my sample....

I waited until the very last day to get my card made. I thought & thought all week on what to make. Shawn suggested to make Christmas balls but I wasn't quite sure how to play that out. I seen snowflakes used for the circles and I too almost used snowflakes then it hit me to use a Poinsettia flower. I coordinated that with the Petals A Plenty EF. The white circles I embossed with the Square Lattice EF for interest. I used the Spellbinders Poinsettia Dies for my little white flowers and red rhinestones for the center. I like the monochromatic look of this and I think it looks better IRL than my picture.

Merry Monday Week #42 Card:

Stamps: Sentiment from More Merry Messages

Ink: Real Red

Cardstock: Real Red, Neenah White

Accessories: Red Sheer Ribbon, Poinsettia Die from Nestibilities, Red Rhinestones from Kaiser, Circle Punches from SU, Petals A Plenty & Square Lattice EF, Dimensionals, 2 Sided Tape

Hope you can find some time to play along this week! If you need some inspiration please be sure to stop on by Lesley's blog, Always Playing With Paper to see what the other Merry Makers have created this week! Some really cute stuff!!!

Well, that is all for me, folks!

Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!

~Wendy

Merry Monday Challenge Week #42

Hello & Happy Monday!

I'm late on getting my Merry Monday post up today!

 Been beyond busy and i'm exhausted. Last night I was putting my Christmas Tree up when I should have been getting the blog updated. It completely slipped from my mind.

I spent the day making White Chocolate Snack Mix & Clear Toy Pops for the craft show then delivered it. My mind is fried!! I have a long list of things to do to get ready for our Thanksgiving this week and then dealing with more family drama....ughh is all I can say!

So, this week Lesley from Always Playing With Paper, gave us another terrific sketch to help us get those Christmas cards made!  I thought I would struggle with this one but I did fairly well with it and loved my card!

Here is Lesley's sketch & my sample:

Merry Monday Week #42 Card:

Stamps: Curly Cute

Ink: Cherry Cobbler

Cardstock: Gumball Green, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, Champagne Glimmer Paper, Be of Good Cheer DSP

Accessories: SU Snow Burst EF, The Paper Studio Snowflake Punch, Gold Bead, Dimensionals, 2 Sided Tape

Well, that is all for me today!

Hope you can stop by Lesley's blog to see what the other Merry Makers have created this week! 

Super cuteness!

Have a great week and Happy Thanksgiving!

~Wendy

Another Merry Monday Card....

Hello & Happy Sunday!

Just have a few quick minutes here to share with you another card I made for the Merry Monday Challenge this past week. I was playing around and need a few more Christmas cards for another order my Aunt gave me. Loved this sketch that Lesley gave us so I decided to make another card!

 

I'm not real good with cutting the tails for these flags but i'm getting alot of practice here lately!

I adore this designer paper and i'm getting down now to about half a sheet of 8 1/2 X 11. I sure wish I could find more. Love the colors of this card and those pretty snowflake stickers! 

Merry Monday Challenge Week #41 Card:

Stamps: Many Merry Messages

Ink: Marina Mist

Cardstock: Marina Mist, Neenah White, The Paper Studio DSP

Accessories: Jolee's Snowflake Stickers, Circle Punch, Dimensionals, 2 Sided Tape

Hope you like!

Stay tuned for tomorrow!

Lesley gave us another awesome sketch to help us get those Christmas cards made!

Hope you'll come back tomorrow to see!

Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!

~Wendy

Merry Monday Challenge Week #41

Hello & Happy Monday!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Saturday, we had lunch out with my Mom & Dad and I ended up with a migraine which resulted in going to bed about 8:30 on a Saturday night! Sunday was an absolutely gorgeous day here in PA! Temps almost hitting 70 degrees! I felt better once I got up. Sat and watched Shawn's Baltimore Ravens win football that afternoon then it was time to deliver craft show stuff. I told Pam, I work on this all year long and stress up to the last minute of walking out the door with my stuff. The weight has been lifted!!

I do still have a few things to finish up that I will deliver next Sunday but that's trival things. I'm very pleased with my creations this year and hope for a wonderful turnout!

So, it's Monday and that can only mean it's time for another sketch from Lesley from over at Playing With Paper!!  Let me tell you how wonderful it was handing over my entire basket of Christmas cards to Pam for the craft show from cards I made from the Merry Monday Challenge! I have quite a collection and just love this challenge! The next couple of challenges for the remainder of the year I will use for myself but knowing this year I will not have to stress about getting cards made is a wonderful feeling!

Here is Lesley's sketch and my sample....

 

I love this card in real life! With the Red Glimmer Paper it was so hard to get a good picture of this card. I love the little red Santa hats with the Ho Ho Ho! sentiment!

Merry Monday Challenge Week #41 Card:

Stamps: Sentiment from Hero Arts

Ink: Memento Black

Cardstock: Real Red, Neenah White, Red Glimmer Paper

Accessories: Circle Punch, Jolee's Santa Hats, Dimensionals, 2 Sided Tape

This card was so quick & easy to make....hope you can take some time this week to play along!

Pop over to Lesley's blog to see what the other Merry Makers have created! Super cute stuff!

Well, that is all for me today!

Thanks for stopping by & have a wonderful day!

Happy Veteran's Day!

Thank you to all our veterans & military people for all you do everyday to keep us safe! :)

Thank you to my son in law, Alberto Osorio! He's in the United States Navy stationed at the Pentagon. Thank you for your service!

~Wendy

Thanksgiving Thursday Week #2

Hello & Happy Thursday!

Hope your all doing well!

I've been very busy getting last minute things wrapped up for craft show delivery this Sunday. I'm quite happy with the progress and things are lookin good! :)

So, with being busy with Christmas i've learned to try and squeeze in some Thanksgiving cards & gifts. Today is week #2 for my Thanksgiving Thursday card. I wanted something quick, easy & very mailable!

Here is my card for week #2....

I broke out a PaperTreyInk set that I hardly ever use.

 It's such a beautiful set and one I must use more often!

Thanksgiving Thursday Week #2 Card:

Stamps: Wreath of All Seasons-PaperTreyInk, SU Sentiment

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie

Cardstock: Chocoalte Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Neenah White, Basic Grey-Mellow DSP

Accessories: Tim Holtz Woodgrain EF, Lg & Scallop Oval Punches, Circle Nestibilties, Pumpkin Pie 1/8 Taffeta, Rhinestones, 2 Sided Tape

Well, that is all for me today!

We were lucky that we did not get any precipitation from yesterday's Nor'easter that came up the east coast but it sure is cold enough to snow!  I'm gonna make a big pot of sausage potato soup for supper tonight. I'm sure it'll warm us nicely! 

Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!
~Wendy

Merry Monday Challenge Week #40

Hello & Happy Monday!!

Hope y'all had a fabulous weekend!

It's Monday once again and that means it's time for another sketch from Merry Monday!

Lesley from Always Playing With Paper gave us a super easy sketch this week so I hope you can find sometime to play along this week. You can also pop over to her blog to see what the other Merry Makers have created this week and you'll also see we've inducted another Maker to the Merry Maker design team! We love Sherry's work and i'm thrilled to be working with her for the next several months!! Congrats, Sherry!!

Ok, here is the sketch & my sample....

I'm not sure why but I really struggled with this one. I had a card completely done and ended up not liking it. I think I was just trying to rush to get it made. After being unhappy with my original card, I walked away and came back an hour later and made another card in 20 minutes. One that I LOVE! I think it's something with these colors & papers!

Merry Monday Week #40 Card:

Stamps: Sentiment from Word Play

Ink: Marina Mist

Cardstock: Marina Mist, Whisper White, Glitter Paper from Micheal's, DSP from The Paper Studio

Accessories: Labels 4 Nestibilities, Rhinestones, Dimensionals, 2 Sided Tape

Well, that is all for today!
Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!

~Wendy