A Special Birthday Boy

Happy Hellos Everyone:

Today's a special day. My little man is officially a 'preteen/tween.' It's hard to believe so much time has past.We commenced the day with a celebratory haircut. That is, Kevin's haircuts are now full price since he falls under the 12 and up policy. Then we went shopping; had lunch with some friends, and then more shopping, but the highlight of his day came earlier this morning when he recieved his gift. He had been asking for a cellphone for months, but I kept saying 'no.' I finally broke down and purchased a cellphone for him yesterday. Needless to mention he was not just happy, he was thrilled (and I was the best mom in the world). This weekend, I'm sure he'll text until his little fingers can't text any more. Don't be surprise if Kevin text you :) My highlight was Kevin's response to his birthday card. He loved the card I made for him. Although, I couldn't take credit for orignality, I was so happy he liked it. I CASed the card from WMS website.

I used a combination of distressed and SU classic inks, Waltzing Mouse Stamps, sewing machine, computer (text) and SU cardstock.

Thanks for stopping by The Peddler's Gallery and come back real soon.

Oh Christmas Tree

Happy Hellos Everyone:

There's alot of things going on in my world today, as I'm sure there is yours also. So, the plan is to make this posting as brief as possible. There's a lot of sharing going on over at SOC--that is Christmas trees. We're posting pics of our Christmas trees.  If you have a minute or two I encourage you to visit. Take a look at all the beautifule trees or perhaps post a picture of your tree too. Just remember, in order for you to post you have to sign-up. While you're already over there sign-up for the upcoming SOC E:spire Magazine--due to launch in February. It's free!!!

Below are a few pics of my Christmas tree I wanted to share with you. Hope you enjoy them.

I hope your enjoyed viewing the ornaments from my Christmas tree as much as I enjoyed sharing them with you. Many of the ornaments on the tree were recieved from Christmas Tree Trimming parties I hosted over the past 12 years. As you can see I need not another Christmas ornament. Thanks for taking a peek. ....and yes, my favorite color, if you haven't guessed by now is purple. Thanks for stopping by The Peddler's Gallery. Come back real soon!

It's Official...

Happy Hellos Everyone!!!

It's official!!! We have entered into the twelve days of Christmas. You ask, 'What does that mean.' I haven't a clue, but it does appear as though something good should happen today. I guess we'll have to wait and see. As I mentioned, it is the twelve days of Christmas, but I do not have a Christmas card to share with you. Instead, I have a good number of family and friends that have December birthdays, so I decided to make a few birthday cards. I made this card to send to my good friend, Kelly.

Now on with the results of this weekend's give-a-way... And the winner is...

Trina

Congratulations!!!

Please e-mail me your mailing address and I will get your COPIC markers in the mail this week. Thanks for playing along.

COPICS Markers....Up for Grab

T.G.I.F.

Can you say it with me? T.G.I.F. I wanted to start the weekend off right. You know, today just feels like one of those happy days. I hope you're feel'n the same way too. From time-to-time I take a look at The Peddler’s Gallery blog and I am amazed by how much it has developed in such a brief period of time and I'm amazed by number of people that I have met along this wonderful journey. I realize many of us are far apart, but somehow this blog brings us a little closer together. I’ve also noticed in the past few weeks, the number of Followers have increased. That makes me smile! Having Followers reminds me I'm not the only one in the gallery.  Thanks so much!!! Hey!

Are you just beginning to establish a collection of COPIC Markers or want to?

Would like to add to the collection you already have?

If so, continue reading...

Since this is the season of giving, I want to give something to you. I have a few things up for grab which includes some COPIC markers. All you have to do, (if you haven’t done so thus far) is sign-up for a free subscription to Scraps of Color E:spire Magazine and leave a note on this post letting me know  you are a subscriber of E:spire by 6:00 PM Sunday, December 12^th. If you're Follower, let me know that too and I'll add your name in the hat twice to double your chance at winning the blog candy.  The winner's name will post  before midnight. That's it. That's all you have to do. 

 Thanks for stopping by the gallery! 

Another Tag to Share

Happy Hellos Everyone:

It’s Wednesday already! Can you believe it? I hope your ‘Hump Day’ has kicked-off to a fabulous start.  I have created a list of all the things that I would like to accomplish this week. To let you in on just a few things, (1) I need to complete my personal Christmas cards and get them in the mail ASAP—before they become Happy New Year’s cards; (2) I need to make a few birthday cards—for some reason, I have managed to acquire several jingle-babies in my life; (3) I also need to finish some of the projects I’m preparing for the NEW Scraps of Color E:spire Magazine. All I’ll say about that is you’re in for treat. However, in order for you to receive your treat you need to get over to SOC and get your free subscription before the free goes away. (4) Lastly, I want to show you my lasted Tim Holtz inspired tag. As I mentioned yesterday, I do not have half of the things required to make the inspirational tag, but I have inspiration. So, once again, I improvised.



One might agree I went totally to the left wing with this tag. That is, I tried to capture the true relevance of the holiday season.  To begin I tinted the tag with two shades of brown Tim Holtz’s Distressing Inks.  I used my Hero Arts musical note stamp to setup the background. I embossed Silent Night from Impression Obsession on top of the music notes. Then I inked a three wise men stamp from Stampendous.  Half a wreath was stamped in opposing corners with SU Early Espresso. Scattered snowflakes were embossed into the background; diamond studs flourishes were tinted with Copic Markers; the focal sentiment, ‘Jesus is the First Gift of the Season’ Stampendous stamp was stamped and embossed onto the wise men. Lastly, three cardboard crowns were painted and coated in Glossy Accents.

Thanks for stopping by The Peddler's Gallery and come back soon!

12 Tags of Christmas

Happy Hellos Everyone!

I hope your week has kicked off to a fantastic start. A couple months ago I shared I had an opportunity to take a class with Jennifer McGuire. If an opportunity every presents itself, be sure to take advantage and attend the class. I learned so many different techniques. I also became better acquainted with both Hero Arts—which I absolutely fell head over heels with. I received an excellent introduction to a brand I was intentionally avoiding. I didn’t want to learn anything about this line. A new line warranted new money—if there’s such a thing. LOL I totally managed to play the reverse psychology game. That is literally until I sat down in Jennifer’s class.  (One of the projects was already underway.) I was hooked. Unfortunately, every time I come across a card and/or a project made by this line, I become weaker. That is I began to admit aloud the good things I saw about the product line. This weekend, I hit rock bottom. I’m now hooked. I was blogging over at Scraps of Color when I stumbled upon two of my SOC sistahs blogging about tags they were making.  I read tags, the 12 Days of Christmas, and…..Tim Holtz. That was it. I quickly opened another window and before I knew it I was over at Tim Holt site just drooling. I learned this weekend, for the past four years Tim Holtz has created a series each year of the 12 Tags of Christmas. He creates a new tag as many of us begin to count down to Christmas—each one uniquely designed. Well, I couldn’t do much more than drool for the moment. I had so many  things going on this past weekend. You know, the typical stuff, salon on Friday evening,  barber shop on Saturday morning, car appointment,  tree trimming party to attend, and then there was Sunday--the bazaar and the Baltimore Raven’s game (which we will not discuss). I still licking my wounds from that game.  So, I wasn’t able to do anything about this addiction—the desire to create a tag. A tag I’m not exactly sure what I’ll do with now that I have it. Perhaps, I’ll place it on a bottle of wine.  I was invited to attend a Fling Before the Ring Party this coming Saturday. Maybe I’ll take a bottle of wine or I’ll save it for the next holiday gathering I’m invited to or I can place it on a gift I plan to give; maybe use it as a holiday decoration. Who knows?  

As I sat down at my create table to begin, I quickly realize there were several of Tim’s supplies I did not have on hand. It can be hard to find a neighbor to borrow a cup of sugar from during this time of year since so many people get into the baking mode. You can imagine finding a neighbor that happens to have Tim Holtz products on hand is even harder.  So, of course I had to improvise. I gleaned a few things from other lines I currently have to make the best tag that I possibly could.  I think the tag turned out pretty good for a first time attempt. By now, you’ve probably heard enough of my ramblings. Below is a photo of one of Tim’s tags:

…and here is what I created.

I used everything from my Tim Holtz's rowhouse die and ink to ranger Ink products to SU stamp and inks and Copic markers to create this Christmas Eve scene.

Leave a comment to let know what you think. Thanks for visiting The Peddler’s Gallery and be sure to come back real soon.

This Weekend's Bazaar

Happy Monday Everyone:


I know. It feels as though forever has happened since my last blog entry. I'm glad you and I found our way back to The Peddler's Galley.

What a weekend it was. All I know is, time flew and I tried to keep up. I was busy from beginning to end--so much so, there were a few things I was not able to accomplish. Nevermind those things, but I will tell you about the thing I was able to do. Most importantly...I finish making my holiday cards for yesterday's bazaar. YEAHHHH!  Things really turned out nicely and I sold a good number of cards. In addition to that, I was asked to teach a cardmaking class to a group of nuns. I'll have to let you know how that unfolds.  

Below are a few photos I wanted to share from this past weekend.

I was suprised all the vendors were provided with round tables,

but I managed to make it work. As you can see I had plenty inventory.

My signage really worked.

That is there was one less question not asked too frequently.

I loved how this card turned out. I'm not sure of the name of the stamp,

but I'll get back with you on that. It was a stamp

I picked up at the Queen's Ink after Christmas last year.

I had two other cards that were actually nicer than this one.

I went to take a picture of them only to discover, I had no more room on the disk.

That's why I only have these four photos from this week's bazaar.

Well, thanks for stopping by the gallery. Come back and visit real soon.

CYBER Monday

Happy Hellos Everyone!!!

Or should I have greeted you with, 'Happy Cyber Monday' instead? Well, did you get a chance to take advantage of the all the cyber sales that were going on? I don't know about you, but my Blackberry was beeping off-the-hook all day long. Periodically, I would take a glance here or there throughout the day. I mean, I was curious as to what hot buys were out there. Not that I had any hot money to go along with the buys, but  nervertheless, I was inquisitive. To my suprise, I didn't find as many bargins as I thought I would. Did you find any 'can't pass up' type of cyber bargins?

Well, I didn't want this day to go by without sharing my lasted card with you. I had an opportunity to put this card together before leaving for the Baltimore Ravens game on Sunday afternoon. There was a little extra time in my schedule since the 1 PM  game was now the 4 PM. So, I took advantage of my time.

Aside from using a small Christmas tree stamp (I'm recieved from a friend years ago) and JustRite on this card, I used the same products that I have used on the last three cards I posted, so I did not list them in this post. Well what do you think?

Now, I hope I'm not boring you; however, once again I decided to use the Jovial Line from Basic Grey. It appears as though I just can't get enough of this line. Which suprises me, since I'm a purple kinda girl. Not to worry, I figure it will be all over in a couple of weeks or a lot sooner if my scrapping store sells out. I'll try my best to do something different for the next posting--but don't hold me to it :) I love when I can discover something new in something that I've used previously or considered old. Don't you?

Well thanks for stopping by The Peddler's Gallery. You know you're always welcome.

Tell Me What U Think

Happy Hellos Everyone:

This evening, I sat down at my craft table to work on my lastest holiday card and as I began to create a few thoughts came to me. I began wondering whether or not to use the traditional colors of the season--red & green verses my traditional colors purple & green. Then I thought, I've already used both, so perhaps I should try another color combination. From there I began to second guess the layout and the embellishments, and so forth. Needless to say, I completed the card, but that brings me to the one or two questions I have for you. How often do you second guess/hesitate when it comes to making cards or scrapbooking? Or, do you use layouts from others? What's your favorite colors and/or theme to use when creating holiday cards?

If you're wondering how I accomplished this effect or what I used--well, wonder no more. The cardstocks I used is Cherry Cobbler & Crumb Cake from SU; DP is Jovial from Basic Grey; Ribbon is from Prairie Bird Boutique; Spellbinders Nestabilities--Labels Four; the sentiment is First Gift stamp from Stampendous; vintage pin from Maya Road; and Tim Holtz distressing inks.

I hope you enjoy what's left of your holiday. Thanks for stopping by The Peddler's Gallery and come back real soon.

Blog Give-A-Ways

Happy Hellos Everyone:

I just have a couple things I wanted to let  you in on. First up...

SOC Blog Challenge & First GIVE-A-WAY

It's time for the first ever Scraps of Color Magazine Giveaway and it's just the first of many!  Woohoo!

But hurry, you must update your blog and post your comment by Sunday, November 28, 2010, 11:59est to be eligible. For additional information visit SOC E:spire.

QUEEN KAT'S GIVE-A-WAY

I also wanted to let you know there's a blog candy give-a-way over at my fellow SOC sistah's blog-- KatBlog. Visit Kat's blog for additional information. Below is a photograph of what's up for grab.

Sassafras lass package up for grabs

Birthday RAK

Love for all things Ravens giveaway

Unbirthday RAK

Deadline is  November 27th 2010 at midnight {EST}....

Thanks for stopping by The Peddler's Gallery this busy holiday weekend. Come back real soon.

Happy Thanksgiving Day

Happy Turkey Day Everyone!!!

I hope you and/or your family and friends have arrived at your destination safely. Today, I hope you are surrounded by fond memories of both the past and the present.

With that being out the way, I do have a card to share with you. As you may have already submised, I'm not responsible for cooking today. All I have to do is show-up. I know I recently mentioned this in a post not too long ago, but I have to mention it again--I'm just loving the Basic Gray Jovial collection . It's so card friendly. As you may also recall, I'm preparing for a bazaar or two. So, I felt as though I should mix-up the style of card. I would consider this card a unisex type of card. On top of that I'm really feeling the seasonal plaid. I'm almost certain the season never passes without coming across this traditional pattern. What do you think?

If  your wondering what was used to achieve this effect, I'll tell you. Of course the background DP is from Basic Gray line. Tiny Berry Wreath is from Stampendous. The wreath is adorned with green and red pearls--both large and small and dots of Stickle in between. Tim Holtz's Vintage Photo and Antique Linen Distressing Inks were used to age the image. The sentiments are from Obsession Inpression. SU dimessionals were use to layer the wreath.

Of course I couldn't just make one. I made a few, so I changed the sentiments to give a unique feel.

Thanks for taking the time to visit The Peddler's Gallery today and come back real soon. I'll have something new to share with you. Happy Thanksgiving Day!!!

Christmas Snow

Happy Hellos Everyone!!!

Who ever heard of celebrating Christmas without a little Christmas snow? For as long as I can remember there has always been in Baltimore on Christmas Day. Truth be told, it may not have naturally fallen from the sky, but nevertherless, there has been snow in every city I have lived in on Chistmas Day. There was even snow in Folk Polk, Louisiana. I made sure tthere was some sort of snow around. I think that was the hardest place to make snow appear, but it happened. You'd be suprised by what Mrs. Claus it able to accomplish :) As you can probably tell, I had snow on  my mind when I sat down at my craft table yesterday evening and this is what I walked away from the table with....

I don't know about you, but I was pleased by how the snow began to fall over my cards. As you can see the snowflakes fell in various hues of indigos and plums; and at least one snowflake on each card has been embossed with Ranger Ink clear embossing powder. On top of that each card has been dry embossed with SU's Textured Impressions Northern Flurry. The snowflake stamps are from a variety of stamps sets including SU Serene Snowflakes and a number Stampendous (snowflakes) stamps. The sentiments stamps are a combination of SU and Impression Obsession holiday stamp sets. The cards were finished off with  a spritz or two of Ranger Ink Perfect Pearls and a ribbon treatment. Checkout the blue and gold ribbon I picked up at Angela's Happy Stampers in Reston, VA. Isn't it just gorgeous? I not only hope you like this card, I hope it may inspire your too.

Thanks for stopping by The Peddler's Gallery. If you find a little time in between your Thanksgiving Dinner courses stop tomorrow. I'll  have more to share. Until next time...

Christmas Wreath

Happy Hellos Everyone:

Gosh! It seems like forever since my last post. I've been busy doing all kinds of stuff including making cards. I'm preparing to participate in a couple of local holiday bazaars in the next couple of weeks, so I'm trying to increase my stache.

Yesterday, I was working on a few cards and I decided to share this one with you. I don't know about you, but I love when I can use a stamp over and over again for different occasions and produce another look. You may remember, I used this stamp back in October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. If you scroll down a little bit you'll see it.

Take a look...

I have to tell you, I absolutely looooooooove SU's Cherry Cobbler. You have to try it, if you haven't already. I just love it!!! I double stamped the wreath from Hero Arts Stamps with two different shades of craft greens inks before embossing it with clear embossing powder from RangerInk. I also dotted the wreath with White Opal Liquid Pearls. I didn't have any red Liquid Pearl or bling, so I dotted the wreath with a red Copic Marker and toppped it off with Glossy Accents. The Merry Christmas sentiment is also from Hero Arts. I colored the Pointsettia with several shades of red Copic Markers.

Thanks for stopping by The Peddler's Gallery. Come back real soon. I'll have more to share tomorrow.

SOC News

Goods things are already headed your way from Scraps of Color. I told you there would be wonderful things coming from SOC in 2011 and the first one being offered today. To get you ready for all the creative happenings on the way, SOC is giving "you" a FREE subscription to E:spire!!! That's right, all you need to do is sign-up on the SOC site and you'll be inspired and delighted with the SOC Creative Team creations throughout 2011!

Here is link to the blog: http://www.scrapsofcolorespire.blogspot.com/

Sign up is on the right. What are you waiting for?

Oh! Make sure you come back and tell me what you think.

A Season of Giving

Happy Hellos Everyone:

I just wanted to share the card I made yesterday evening with you. I had this nutcracker on my mind as early as yesterday morning. My inspiration was drawn from Faith over at Stampin With Markie's Mom. I just love her cards and her stamps too. I find a lot of inspiration over there. I came across this stamp while attending a crop at Create IT in Glenn Burnie this weekend. I'm drawn to the nutcracker. Can you believe it? The entire four years I lived in Germany, traveled to the Black Forest and everything. I had no interest in the nutcracker--let alone owning one. It wasn't until after I returned to the states and noticed my son actually liked them. His interest became my interest. Since then Kevin has discovered a new nutcracker under the Christmas tree each year. So, of course I thought of my little nutcracker as I began to bring a little life to this little nutcracker.

Drum roll please.......

If your wondering what I used to create this card then, I'll tell you.  The DP is from Basic Grey--Jovial collection and regular black cardstock. I used a total of 25 Copic markers and airbrush; a white gel pen; spellbinder die; Obsession Impression stamp set; momento ink; Sparkly Fluff for the mushtash, beard, & hair; a ribbon treatment; and he was complete.

Thanks for stopping by The Peddler's Gallery. I hope I was able to inspire you as Faith was able to inspire me. Come back real soon.