Cancer Project and Coupons

Do you ever look at your kids' toys and think, "Geeze, they haven't played with that in months," but the minute you even THINK of donating it to a local charity, they have this unexplained need to play with it while they plot how they can add to the collection of toys? I'm starting to think card making is sort of like that. I have a box full of great papers including some that Danielle sent me and I went through a few yesterday thinking I should make something. I haven't touched my card stuff in the last few weeks. Between being busy with the girls all in school now and trying for that elusive 300 in Wii bowling (I've gotten as high as 278), there just hasn't been time. And of course there are always about 12 other things I could be doing, lol.

Before I get to the coupons, I just wanted to mention a great project going on at one of our local stores. One of the customers is collecting cards to donate to the American Cancer Society to give to new cancer patients. Cards may be blank inside and are accepted through October 10th. You can mail your card to:

Cards for Cancer
Stamp, Scrap, N More
2990 W. Highway 60
Mundelein, IL 60060

If you need more information about the project, you can email info@stampscrapnmore.com or call (847) 949-4460.

And now, the coupons:

Michael's, 50% off one regular priced item through September 19th

JoAnn, 40% off one regular priced item September 20th through 26th
JoAnn, 50% off one regular priced item Septebmer 27th through October 3rd

Archivers, 30% off one regular priced item and card stock, buy 5 get 5, through September 21st

Alrighty, I think that's it from here for today. Looks like my email box is empty of all the coupons I had, lol. Now to finish the laundry so I can play with my card stuff. Have a great day!

A Little Bit MIA

Wow, I've been such a slacker the past week or so! My older two have started school and my youngest will be starting preschool next week so there hasn't been a lot of time to do anything with cards or blogging. I know Danielle is busy with student teaching as she works toward her teaching credentials, so between the two of us there hasn't been a lot of information coming. I'm sorry for that.

But how about I make up for it with a few coupon posts? Here they are:

Scrapbook Express, 20% off your ENTIRE order, expires at midnight PDT on Monday, September 7th. Enter code SE20off at checkout.

Archiver's Cash for Craft Clunkers, valid through Monday, September 7th:

$2 off albums, scrapbooks, or binders $12.99-$24.98
$5 off albums, scrapbooks, or binders $24.99-$39.98
$10 off albums, scrapbooks, or binders $39.99 or more

You don't need to bring in your "clunker" albums, just the coupon. Click the link above to snag it. And while you're there, check out the other fantastic deals they have through Labor Day. You can see more here (and if by some miracle my husband is reading this, I'd really like some storage jars, the wall embellishment unit, and a bigger house with a room just for crafting to put them in. Yeah, I know, something about pigs flying...)

JoAnn:

10% off your entire order through Labor Day
40% off one regular priced item through September 12th

Hobby Lobby:

40% off one regular priced item through September 5th

By the way, Hobby Lobby has Copic Sketch markers for 30% off through tomorrow. And I also happened across a large bag of Dress It Up embellishments for Christmas the last time I was at Hobby Lobby. It had a mix of holiday themed buttons and flatbacks in it that looked like it could take care of all your embellishment needs for the upcoming holiday season. Of course it can be found in their Christmas section (which I still think shows a disturbing disregard for all the holidays that come between now and then).

Alrighty, I think that's about it from here, but I'm getting on the soapbox right quick. Holiday weekends, particularly Labor Day weekend marking the unofficial end of summer, bring out party and barbecue goers en masse. Please, please make sure you buckle up, don't text and drive, and always use a designated driver if you're planning on drinking. It's not just your own life you could ruin.

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Revisions

Thank goodness for Danielle! I'm actually lucky that she doesn't start her own design consulting business when it comes to card making because I'd end up being her number one client. I really didn't care for how my haunted house card came out the other day. She suggested some color, which I completely agree with because the dark haunted house on the background of stark white (it's Solar White) just wasn't working. I also think I went a bit overboard on the ghosts and the placement of the phrase was just wrong.

Well you ever have a card that's just not turning out the way you want it to? I'm about at my wits end with this one. I'm not sure I care for the ghosts at all, and I think the buttons are slightly too big for this and perhaps the wrong color. Black would be better I think. I do like the added color to the haunted house image, though I think it could have used a bit more purple mixed into the gray. But here it is anyway.



And that's it from here for today. I actually had to clean my stuff off the dining table to make room for dinner, lol, so I won't be working on anymore cards today. Hope you're all having a great week so far!

Another chance for Elisabeth Bell Blog Candy

What a great opportunity this is! Have you seen the new Elisabeth Bell clear stamps? If not, you need to check these cuties out here. And to celebrate the upcoming release Ladybug and Friends will be giving away some awesome blog candy. From now until the stamps are released and ready to be shipped in about 3-4 weeks, you have a chance to win not only a set of the new Elisabeth Bell stamps, but a set of 12 Touch Brush Markers! For more information, click the image below. Good luck!

A Coupon

Well summer is winding down and I feel like I haven't gotten much done. We've had a taste of fall this weekend with temperatures struggling to make it into the 70s. My older two are back in school and with God's grace, my munchkin will start preschool next month. So you'd think I would have nothing but time to sit around making cards, right? Danielle gave me some ideas on how to dress up the last card I'd posted and I wanted to play with that yesterday, but just never got around to it. Ah, if only the house would clean itself and dinner could be delivered, lol. (On the bright side of things, I am almost done with the Nora Roberts trilogy I've been reading).

So, I don't have any new, amazing cards to post, but I do have this week's Hobby Lobby coupon for 25% off one regular priced item. It expires 8/29. You can snag it here.

Have a fantastic week!

Potential

Do you ever start out with a clear idea of how a card will look only to realize as you're working on it that it's not going to look anything like you'd thought? I'm not entirely happy with this card, but let me tell you about it first.



I saw this set in the latest Stampin' Up catalog and knew that I wanted it. It's called House of Haunts. It's a fantastic set for embossing which is what I tried to do with the house. I used Stampendous Stamp 'n Stuff Embossing Powder in Detail Black (Opaque) over the Versamark watermark ink. I will tell you all right now, that I need practice embossing and I'm not sure that this is how the image is supposed to look, but it was the neatest one of the three I tried today (after my four year old decided to blow the embossing powder from the tidy tray all over my desk, lol). The background paper is from the Hallowhimsy Collection by Imaginisce. (Btw, if you didn't know you can scroll down on the page for Imaginisce papers on their website and it will provide you with coordinating Bazzill colors). I stamped "Happy Halloween" in Memento Tuxedo Black (a personal favorite), and added a ribbon I'd found at Hobby Lobby and some ghosts from a confetti pack I found in the dollar bin at JoAnn (it also had jack-o-lanterns, skulls and crossbones, flying witches, and spiders).

So my embossing needs work, I'm not happy with how light the "Happy Halloween" turned out on the paper, and I think I might have went a bit too far with the ghosts. But each card is a learning experience and hopefully the next will be better. There's a fantastic tree with an owl in it in the House of Haunts set, so maybe I'll give that a try tomorrow.

While I'm here, I'd like to say a BIG THANK YOU to Danielle for all the fantastic things she'd sent me (the stamp set and a ton of great papers including this Imaginisce among them. This card wouldn't have been possible without her. For all she does and for being a friend beyond measure, thank you will never be enough. I love ya bunches, Sis! (BH)

YAY! It's the weekend. I hope you all have a good one. :)

Another coupon

Oh, for an unlimited checking account (I think I've said that before, lol). This time the coupon is from Archiver's (30% off one regular priced item). You can snag it here.

Have a fantastic day!