Just Paper & Ink - Blog Group - Closed

[allee's]

Blog Roll for Just Paper & Ink




My creative rumblings
Shelly


*Sandcastle Stamper*
Kelly


Cre8tive Play: It's Cheaper than Therapy
Jeanette


Simply Cards
Susan


Stamping for LIFE!
Kim


Confessions of a Left-Brained Stamper
Lynn

[allee's]

Welcome ladies, to our new home as Just Paper & Ink.

If you have any suggestions on the direction you would like to see this group head, please post them here.


I am excited about this new adventure and look forward to learning more about crafting from each and every one of you!

Keep stamping and sharing!!

[MiamiKel4]

Hi everyone! Thanks Lynn for putting this together and keeping us organized! I look forward to moving on with the JPI gals! ♥

Have a great SONday, everyone!

[HOBBYSUE]

Well looks like were going to have a fabulous little group here. Just dropped in to say I got everyone of us (heehee ok I know there's only 6 of us) listed and made my last check of Creative card making chicks part2.


Shelly the boxes are paper!! So simple to put together. The regular stacked ones I used an awl to poke a hole in the top and bottom lids, and strung the string that way. The angled ones (JOY) has the string coming out of the corners where the lids close and to make them hang nicely the string starts in the left back corner of the lid, and slides out of the front right corner of the bottom lid. These are super super simple once its figured out. By the way went to a Christmas open house at our local Nursery and they were selling these same types of decorations for $14.99 !:shock: YIKES! I had my ladies group make these and they loved them.


Well I'll check in later.


Thanks for all your work getting this group changed around Lynn. We all sure do appreciate you!

[mcschmidty]

Waving Hello from Virginia! We are heading back to Illinois tomorrow. Sneaking on hubby's computer for a quick hello.

Thanks Lynn for putting this together : )


I will update my blog list once I get home : )


Shelly

[berlycece]

Hey there!!

Checking in before I go to sleep. Birthday party for my MILL today was lots of fun...but I am exhausted!!


Catchya later!!


Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Forest Ranger]

Good Morning Friends!

Woo Hoo! We have a new home... Thank you, Lynn, for putting this together and for including me! I love all of you and am always inspired by your creativity!

Speaking of which, Susan, those boxes are so adorable!

And Kelly, I love the ones you described... with Jesus on them. What a great idea!

Shelly, I hope you're enjoying your trip. So glad to hear Mom is doing okay with it.

Kim, I'm sure your company enjoyed spending time with you, no matter what your house looked like. They came to see YOU, not it.

I had a FABULOUS trip! The women's conference was GREAT! I loved the music... wow! Travis and his team did such an amazing job leading us in worship! And the speakers were great too. My favorite one was the daughter of the founder of Chick fil A. She was a very interesting speaker. We also heard from the wife and daughter of Hobby Lobby. And of course there were several well-known women's Bible study leaders on the program.

I have a meeting here in town today, and also need to run to the PO at some point. I'm also going to try to get inky. It should be a good day. I hope yours is, too!

Leaving a trail of friendly (((HUGS)))

[allee's]

Looks like everyone found their way here! Thank you, ladies, for your quick and positive responses.

Onward and upward!!

[Forest Ranger]

Thanks Lynn... my blogroll is updated. And I'll be visiting blogs after my morning commute. ;)

[HOBBYSUE]

What a beautiful fall weekend. We have had absolutely beautiful weather here. The sun has been brightly shining and the air has been so crisp and fresh. Not many leaf burners here since my village bans it but that's ok sometimes all that smoke can get a bit much.
We've had a decent size buck come around a few times this weekend and my husband was able to get a short video of him. Since I have no idea how to add videos....here's a pic.
Isn't he beautiful! Love Nature!!
My lady friends and I did meet up this weekend for those scene cards. So funny...........there are a total of 5 so we decided this would be an all day thing. We all arrived at 1pm and didn't start cleaning up for the night until 11:30. and we only got 2 YES 2!!!! done. We couldn't stop laughing at ourselves for thinking that we would get all 5 done. Heck we only just completed the first one by dinner time. But we had a blast and that's what really counts.
I need to get the 2 we did up on my blog. Maybe later today.
Its going to be another nice day today in fact the entire week is suppose to be perfect Fall.
Enjoy your day

[allee's]

Susan, I know what you mean about planning too much to do! When my gang gets together, we have so much catching up to do that talking and laughing steals our stamping time!

Wow on that deer! How awesome to live so close to nature.

[MiamiKel4]

Good morning, super six!

Late stopping in - ended up in Urgent Care with my daughter since she's battling a horrible sore throat. AND her colleaque showed up at school to teach with full on strep throat - oh those poor babies she's close to! Luckily, dd tested negative and now we need to get her on the mend to getting healthy for 1. Thanksgiving (she's a HUGE turkey and taters fan!) 2. Her birthday the week after and 3. her week long trip to Disney! ♥ NO illness allowed! LOL!

Sue, the deer is positively gorgeous! I wish I lived in a place where they roamed free and I could see them like that. In Georgia, they'd walk right up to our back porch, fearless and beautiful.

I hope everyone is doing well ♥

[Forest Ranger]

WOW! Susan, that is a gorgeous photo!

Lynn, is the secret to get together more often???

Kelly, so glad your DD didn't have strep... but still not good, since she's hurting so much. Praying for a speedy recovery!

[Forest Ranger]

Good Morning Inky Friends!

Leaving a trail of friendly (((HUGS)))

[allee's]

Looks like you have one job for the next 10 days, Kelly! Get your DD well. Being sick for the holidays is no fun!! Hope her meds are kicking in and she is feeling better quickly!

Jeanette, that probably would be the solution but we have scattered to the four corners of Texas and the drive is from 2 to 6 hours for many of the group so we don't get together nearly as often as we used to.


My prayer shawl group is taking our minister to lunch today. She is retiring and moving at the end of the month.


I promised a picture of my die and cling stamp organization. Our only book store and movie rental store, Hastings, recently closed. I bought about 25 of their video game security cases for 50 cents each. Then they went to 25 cents each and I bought another 200. After they went to 10 cents, I bought another 300. I have enough boxes to last me the rest of my life, I do believe. The great thing about them is they hang from my spinning racks. I also organized all my mini ink cubes in the larger cases by color on my desk.

[Forest Ranger]

Good Morning Inky Friends!

Oh my goodness... I 'm drooling Lynn! Impressive organization!!!

Leaving a trail of friendly (((HUGS)))

[MiamiKel4]

Enjoying our nice cool temps today - not enjoying the long lines and traffic I encountered everywhere this morning - LOL!

Waving!

[allee's]

I'm seeing the same type traffic, Kelly! What's up with that! It seems like the Christmas shopping rush is on!

[HOBBYSUE]

My goodness Lynn you are so organized and what a deal on those cases!! Today was our last day watching the grandkids until after Thanksgiving. The other grandma has them tomorrow and friday and they kids have off all of next week. Our schools combined Parent teacher conf. with Thanksgiving weekend to give the kids an entire week off. Since my DIL works as a PARA Educator for special ed she gets the week off too except her parent/teacher meetings which she scheduled for evenings so she can be home with the kids! I think I'm going to slow down a whole lot on the crafting and start dedicating my time to decorating for Christmas! I have my annual family cookie bake coming up the 1st weekend of Dec, Local fest of Dickens in Dundee coming up as well as brunch with my ladies group and grandkid sleepovers for making presents for moms and dads. It will be a busy busy month. Ooooo....I also have to squeeze in my time at the nursing home too.Hubby is taking advantage of the beautiful weather and putting the lights on the house. Tomorrow it's suppose to be 70!!! Can you believe that type of temps here in Chicagoland? Its crazy I'm a bit more north and west but the temps are usually the same.
Hope you were able to enjoy some beautiful sunshine today!
Talk Later

[Forest Ranger]

Good Morning Inky Friends!

Kelly, sorry the traffic is always giving you fits!

Lynn, hmmmm... if people do their Christmas shopping now, what will they do next month? LOL!

Susan, the weather has certainly been nice here, too. I love it! All of your Christmas preparations and events sound great! I hope you enjoy all of them! (I am going to start decorating tomorrow... YAY! I love Christmas!!!)

Leaving a trail of friendly (((HUGS)))

[HOBBYSUE]

Wow it's going to hit 70 today!! I'm off to get my hair done at 9 and then running some errands before coming home and hitting the storage room for Christmas stuff! I can't wait! I too Jeanette LOVE Christmas! I say you can never have too many decorations!
Hope everyone has a GREAT day!!

[allee's]

I told my husband yesterday that I was thinking of putting up my tree early but I worry my family may rebel about moving Christmas ahead of Thanksgiving. Jeanette and Susan, you girls are sure tempting me!! I love seeing and putting out all my Christmas treasures collected over the years!

[Forest Ranger]

Susan, I totally agree!

Lynn, if I waited until after Thanksgiving, I'd be rushing to get all these trees and the HUGE village in place, plus the massive Hallmark ornament collection that hands from the ceiling. So... early it is for me!

[MiamiKel4]

Hi friends! Busy morning on the roads - I think all of Miami is either under construction or just congested! My Christmas wish this year is "Kelly! There is a BUS out front every day to take your kids to school!" LOL!!! ~

My boys are going camping this weekend. They are heading with the Boy Scout troop to near the Florida-Georgia border to hike and camp and fish and mountain bike (in Florida - I'm guessing these are man man bike trails with dips and curves?! I dunno!) The leader says he did a trial and error last month and it's semi-grueling - definitely a work out. I hope they have fun, especially in the cooler temps we're having!

Definitely not much stamping time in my future - we have a HUGE group coming for Thanksgiving. My daughter's boyfriends family, which means the house needs to be on point and we need to rearrange some furniture! I'm excited!

Jeanette, I'll tell you what I'll do in December - plan and pull off 3 birthdays! My daughter's boyfriend is so excited and planning to make her this wonderful lunch and fill up the house with birthday joy ♥

DD and I are heading to do some Christmas shopping after school today and before the Boy Scout Court of Honor ceremony tonight. I am craving to get our tree and put it up (we buy fresh every year) and sadly, it has to wait until after Thanksgiving is over and guests have gone home!

Wishing you all a wonderful day!

[Forest Ranger]

Kelly, I hope your Christmas wish comes true... a bus with driver sure would simplify your day. ;)

[HOBBYSUE]

Go ahead and "Do it" Lynn. As Jeanette said there is so much to put out. We all want to enjoy "Looking" at our decorations. It always seems like there is never enough time to just sit back and enjoy. My husband does the "EYE ROLL" as soon as I mention it but he keeps saying "Happy Wife...Happy Life" LOL. So go ahead...Be A Rebel!Kelly I'll keep my fingers crossed for that bus! Hope everyone enjoys their Scout excursion!

[mcschmidty]

Wow, Lynn- your storage is amazing! What a great deal on the cases too! I love the peg racks you have that they hang on.

No early Christmas decorations for me....We are going to the Grand Canyon for Christmas, so will get the tree up, but will wait for the girls to get home before putting 'some' decorations on the tree. We do put up various decorations around the house, but it will not be overly elaborate.


I order Boy Scout garland and a wreath for the outside, which I buy ribbon and embellishments for. We also have a wood nativity for outside as well (that my Dad made).


Kelly- we met a guy going to the airport that was from Miami- he told us all about the terrible traffic in Miami. In Fairfax the traffic is horrible too (he grew up in Va), but he says nothing is as bad as Miami! So, I hope you get that bus : )


Jeanette and Sue- how many trees do you put up?


Anyone else put up more than one tree???


Kelly- is your daughter better?


Susan- love the deer picture- beautiful creatures, unless they are eating your plants LOL


It looks like the nice weather will not last- we have forecast for 40 on Sunday. My sister and I cannot do my family Thanksgiving, so she is going to have us up on Sunday- one of my brothers (from Mass.) is driving in Saturday for the Notre Dame game, then will head here and will come with us Sunday. We will have all of the girls and 1 of the 4 boys there, and my sis invited people from my BIL's family as well. I promise, the one and only Grandson- 1 1/2 yr old Aiden will be the center of attention!!! I think she is up to about 30 people.....


Is anyone else cooking or having family for Thanksgiving???


Lynn- Thanks again for heading up this group and adding me : )


Shelly

[berlycece]

Hey friends!

All this talk of Christmas trees makes me giggle. We put ours up late by some standards; mid December. Then we keep it up until January 6th (at least)! But my husband puts a lot of lights outside. If we hadn't had company last week, he would have started putting those up. This weekend is bound to be colder, so it will be harder to get them up. He LOVES his lights! We're in a fairly small community, and our lights are almost famous! heehee




I had a bunch of work on projects for women's ministry this week. I started some Christmas cards. Lots of pieces cut; hope to finish them tomorrow.


I still need to update my blog roll. Maybe that will happen tomorrow too. ;) So glad it's (almost) Friday!!

[Forest Ranger]

Good Morning Inky Friends!

Susan, your DH is a smart man. ;)

Shelly, that sounds like a fun gathering with one wee man being the center of attention. And your Christmas decorations - WOW, what a treasure having a nativity set that your Dad made.

Number of trees? Well, that is a wee bit embarrassing. The most I've ever had in one year is 43... but that was 2 houses ago when we lived in a large 5-bedroom parsonage. Then we moved to a much smaller parsonage (the last house)... and usually had between 25-30 each year while we lived there. Last year we moved to this house (approximately the same size as last house) just before Thanksgiving... so I was busy setting up a home and WAY BEHIND in starting the decorating process... so we didn't have as many trees up. I can't remember for sure how many there were, but I'm thinking it was about 15.

This year - in this teeny tiny house - we'll be having lots of sleeping challenges. DD and her boyfriend will be here at Christmas - from Alaska - for nearly 2 weeks! DS and his girlfriend will be here about 3 days... so FUN!!! We'll have all the family together. I am super excited. However, I still am fretting where everyone will sleep, since we only have one extra bed - a twin size one. That being said, we'll probably have fewer trees this year, simply because we'll need floor space to set up some air mattresses. BUT we will have a few trees, not just one or two... and we will have the HUGE Christmas village (that my oldest DS has given me piece by piece every Christmas since he was 6-years-old.) I'll also hang the massive Hallmark Christmas ornament collection - it suspends from the ceiling in the hallway so it doesn't take up floor space. I have an ornament from every year Hallmark has made/sold them... and each of our 3 children have an ornament every year since they were born.

Kim, I love outside lights, but my DH is somewhat of a Scrooge... he carries boxes for me and that's a HUGE help (and he always gets me some great presents - thanks to a wish list that I give him and some additional input from our DD), but beyond that I do all the Christmas stuff (decorating, shopping, wrapping, cooking, undecorating)... and I don't do well with ladders, so we don't do outside lights.

Leaving a trail of friendly (((HUGS)))

[HOBBYSUE]

Wow Jeanette you have me wayyyyy beat in the number game! I thought I had alot! I have 1 tree for each of the main rooms. My living room has my 7.5 foot elegant tree. It is usually red and gold (for last 12 yrs) and contains only red and gold ornaments plus glass icycles. This year how ever we are changing it to copper and teal so I'm pretty excited for the change. My foyer has a 6.5 tree that we have named the family tree. This one has those small photo ornaments on it with family pictures as well as special ornaments the kids have wanted to put on there like one of their favorites The Grinch! The dining room has a 7.5 tree that we named the woodland tree. The large window in that room faces our backyard which looks into the woods. Since we have so many wild animals roaming through (deer, fox, raccoons, as well as a ton of birds) we decided that would be our theme. All ornaments pertain to the woods. The Kitchen has a 3.5 foot baking tree. Little elves, tiny baking utensils and food ornaments adorn this tree. The main bathroom has a 18" "Toiletry"...Get it???? Toilet Tree....heehee! Funny story.....I made these little trees as gifts 1 year. They just have little ornaments on them and some bows but I put them in a box and each tag read "Toiletry's for Sarah" or "Toiletry's for Janet" (you get my drift?) The looks on their faces was great when they actually got a TREE for their TOILET. Ok so thats 5 trees so far...then I have two 5 foot ones on the porch...1 is a santa tree with all santas the other is a kids homemade out side ornament tree. Then there is a 4 foot, two 3 footers and a 2 foot one which are left undecorated but fill in spaces, So I guess that makes 10. I don't count the ones on my tables or ledges around the house that are used for decorations I'm only including those real tree looking ones that you put lights and ornaments on. I can't even imagine where I would store all the ones you have Jeanette.


OOOooooppppppssssss sorry didn't mean to write a book!! LOL
Enjoy your day! I'm unpacking trees today!! Yay!! Time for some Christmas music on Pandora!

[Forest Ranger]

Oh Susan... I loved reading your "book". Such fun trees!!! (I rarely meet a tree I don't like. ;))

Most of my trees are theme trees, too - a Vacation tree (with ornaments obtained on our family vacations), an International tree, a tree with ornaments made by my DD (she started making me an ornament every year when she was in kindergarten and the tradition continues to this year, a 1983 tree (with ornaments made in that year - the year DH and I married), a snowman tree, a Santa tree, a Coca Cola tree (my grandfather delivered Coke during the depression to support his family so this tree is in honor of him), a gingerbread tree, etc. etc. I'll end my book there. ;)

[allee's]

WOW, ladies! It must be magical around your houses once all the decorating is done!! I hope you will post pictures here of your favorite trees!

I only put up one tree. It is decorated with the copper ornaments I have been collecting for almost 40 years now, my Hallmark ornaments (my earliest one is 1976, Jeanette), and handmade ornaments from family. My mother for the past 15 years or so has made angels for all her friends so I have one of each of those.


Today is clean up the clutter day so on Monday I can do all the scrub down for Thanksgiving company. Decorating will have to wait.


Shelly, Kelly, Kim, Jeanette, and Susan, I hope you each have a fabulous weekend as you get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving with those you love!

[Forest Ranger]

Good Morning Inky Friends!

Lynn, your tree sounds gorgeous. (Have I mentioned how much I love Christmas trees???) About the Hallmark ornaments... you've been collecting since almost the beginning. For many years my earliest one was 1974... then I happened to discover that they didn't start making them until 1973............. so after perusing eBay for a while, I found a 1973 one in my price range and made a purchase. ;) Now I have at least one from every year.

I'm also a real sucker for Hallmark ornaments, so if i find them at yard sales or thrift stores at a reasonable/cheap price, I buy them.... so I also have a tree that is full of second-hand Hallmark ornaments. Those don't hang in the collection at the ceiling.

Leaving a trail of (((HUGS))) and Merriment

[allee's]

Jeanette, there are currently 3 series that I purchase every year. One of them I started with #1 and have them all and wouldn't you know it, it's Puppy Love. I also buy two of the granddaughter ornaments each year. One goes on my tree and one on theirs. Then when I die, they will each have a set of the granddaughter ornaments for all the years of their lives. And lastly I buy the son and daughter for my son and his wife. They will have this pair for each of the years they are married. The rest of my Hallmarks I purchase at half price or less after Christmas.

There are so many that I no longer store them in their boxes to save time in decorating. I do, however, have all the boxes stored.


I have broken or lost a couple over the years and had to resort to eBay, as well.
What did we do before eBay?

[MiamiKel4]

Yesterday I busted my dd17 out of school early and we went Christmas shopping and shopped til *I* dropped! She was still going strong, but even after my double shot S'Bux, I was pooped after 4 hours!

What can I say ........ I. am. getting. old!

We were going to start some of the decorations but dh wasn't the happiest about that - even though they are away camping and biking. His very very VERY favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, and he wants Thanksgiving to look like Thanksgiving! Dd21 wanted to at least put up the garland and the stockings - including the one for her boyfriend - since the (inlaws) are coming to our home for Thanksgiving - I'm guessing she wanted to show the MIL. But dh wasn't happy to hear it, so I guess we can just show her, just not hanging up! :(

I collect the Hallmark ornaments as well and have since my oldest daughter was born, starting right on time. BUT, one year we did have a tree crash :( I saw all our unreplaceable ornaments shattered on the tile and just about lost my mind with grief. However, Hallmark has a off-site online store that sells past ornaments and I was able to replace them all. Thank goodness! Last year, my dd and her bf started their own 'couple' ornaments from the year they started dating. They said years from now, they will keep the tradition going and eventually, if they ever have children, will start the kids collections.

Those. two. are. adorable!!! ♥

DD19 just got back from the Carrie Underwood concert in town so now she wants to go out shopping - wow - I need a week to recooperate!

Sending hugs!

[allee's]

I know exactly how you feel with the shopping, Kelly! I used to shop and shop and never drop! Now I am lucky to make it for 2 hours.

We will start decorating after the weekend, too!

[HOBBYSUE]

Ahhhh Kelly............I've been shopping too!! Have gotten some of my Christmas gifts taken care of. I should wrap too. Every year I say I'm going to be more organized and every year I'm a mad woman wrapping at night on Christmas eve. Will I ever learn???? I think I need motivation! LOLHave a great day and I'll check in later.

[allee's]

I started off the day with a dead battery. I had to call around and hustle up a ride to church. Luckily several people in my neighborhood attend the same church and one of them was kind enough to swing by and pick me up.

[Forest Ranger]

Good Morning Inky Friends!

Lynn, I've always considered packing my Hallmark ornaments separate from their boxes, but I keep hesitating to do so. I guess I think those little boxes have a way of keeping them safer. I don't want them to get damaged. Though, like you, I have had to replace one (thank you eBay)... but it was at a high price. I normally wouldn't have paid that much, but would have just chosen a less expensive one from the same year... but it was Brock's first Christmas one. :( When Brock was about 7-8 it was accidentally broken - by his brother).

Kelly, I know of the Hallmark site that sells the past ornaments... unfortunately they didn't have Brock's first Christmas one. :( That is so sweet about your DD and her BF. I love hearing about the two of them. They are quite a pair!

Susan, I'd say I'm impressed... but truthfully, I would miss going shopping during the Christmas crowds, so I could never let myself finish this early. ;) Yep, I'm one of those who loves Black Friday - and it's all about the crowds for me.

Leaving a trail of friendly (((HUGS)))

[allee's]

Not BLACK FRIDAY, Jeanette. Back in my younger days I used to enjoy fighting that crowd and getting the freebies and bargains. These days I gladly pay higher prices to avoid those crowds and hours-long checkout lines.

I'll be at the dining room table playing cards or board games with the guys in our family! They never go shopping and there are a bunch of them!


For the ornaments, I picked up a bunch of those segmented boxes on after-Christmas clearance. I leave on the hanger of each ornament and hang 2 or 3 in each segment if they don't touch. For those that are sturdy, I just pile a bunch in a segment together by theme. Makes for much faster up and down.