Here are the two cards I made tonight:

Valentine Owls

Valentine Candy

Hey ladies!

I know... A day late... already. I got hit with a horrible cold about 9p.m. nye. Other than a quick reply to an email from Michele yesterday I didn't do anything else except let the quackers know I was alive. Didn't even think about this thread. Sorry.. So the first challenge of 2012 is coming next!

S2S12 - Challenge A
 

This week's challenge is easy. You get to do whatever your heart desires. Just a little added incentive. Here it is!


Yesterday, January 2nd was Good Luck Day and kicks off Letter Writing Week

Make a card and send to someone � wishing them great things in the new year!

KEYWORD: S2S12A

And let us know that you've mailed it and WHY you chose the recipient.

Happy New Year!

Welcome, Amanda. If nothing else, this group will help you be more AWARE of your spending habits. Sometimes that is all we need to keep us on the right track.

Welcome back, Maggie. Just keep the creative juices flowing and you'll be fine :-)

You have STUFF? Then let's get some cards made. LOL I know of at least 2 challenges you're on so that should be easy :-)

Not for the last time... say it isn't so! Getting it everywhere is part of the fun. LOL There are a couple of tricks.

1) pour your excess back into it's container BEFORE you turn on the heat gun. hehe

2) use a piece of cardboard (or a small clipboard is even better) wrapped in aluminum foil for your heat surface when using the heat tool.


As to the glitter - just go with it! :-D

Left love, Michele! Great cards! I think I need to look more closely at that new Occasions mini. hehe

Don't worry about your link being posted here, Debbie. Just glad to see you working on that stash! LOL

Sorry you have to go back to work today, Angie. But knowing you have fun waiting at home will help make the day go by faster. :-)

To be Addressed
 

I'm earmarking this even numbered post for something later :-D
(Thanks Toni)

Kelly, I think you already set yourself up for this in post number 12 :)

Today I took Brooke to get her first pair of pointe shoes (and Emily's 14th) and of course since it is in Marietta, GA, I just had to stop at Archivers on the way home. It's a must ya know. LOL! I am very proud to say I only spent $5. I wondered thru the store and just couldn't find anything I just had to have. I kept thinking of all the stuff I have already.

Tomorrow is supposed to be an at home day so hopefully can get to Kelly's challenge.

thanks for all the love left on my cards. I noticed one has been favorited 8 times. I don't think I've ever had a card with that many.

Oh, me, oh my! It's only January 3 and already I have spent money! Had a dental appointment today and it wasn't too far from my local scrapbooking store. I have been looking at the wonderful roses some people have made with the 'rose creations' spellbinders die, and although it was pricey, I ended up buying it. I'd better get busy making cards!

LOL! Glad I'm not the first to spend this year, but I might be second or third. Someone told me Judith was having a sale. In my defense I got stamps at 50% that I wanted when I saw them at Stampaway in August and held off buying then.

I actually got another card and a dble page layout made tonight. The card will fit Kelly's challenge if I actually send it to someone. I'll have to take and post photos tomorrow after I get home from the office.

Oh, and the Christmas decorations are finally put away so my house is back to normal.

LOL You're right, Toni! See what happens when I do 2 things...
1) get on time with something
2) work while medicated LOL

Hmmm So let's go with Post #12 as the master list.

Yeah... I know the pull, Michele. Even if I don't think I need anything, I still have to stop at HL and Mike's when I'm in Springfield just because I don't get to go very often.

That's a good number of Favs. I haven't been noticing the FAVs # on my lately. Just replying to comments.

That's the way to think. If you bought it, Use it! LOL It takes the guilt away. :-)

My challenge card for this week also doubles for the teapot card. I created this to be mailed to our Destination of Soni B. Just a little something to help start her new year off with smiles. I've also put the card in my gallery.

You can read the story here. There's still time to play!

Kelly, I made a card for Sonja this morning and it will be off in the mail today. I'll upload it later. Gotta go and help my SIL scan photos for the funeral of my brother-in-law who died suddenly on Wednesday.

Thanks for re-sharing! I stopped tracking last year when my Copic addiction got me upside down in my totals. I'm going to start over this year with a zero balance and I'm confident that I'll end up the year in the black! Good luck everyone!

I would like to join this challenge. Here is how I plan to pay myself:

1 card - $1
1 OWH card - $2
Blog update - $1
Gallery upload - $1
Challenges - $1
RAKS - $1
VSN event - $3
10 stamps unmounted - $1
30 minutes of exercise - $1

I'm sorry, Ina. Take care.

Welcome back! I didn't think you'd mind the repost... especially with credit given. ;-)

I've gotten into a Punch phase. I think I"m good for awhile. I've been battling this cold so staying out of the studio (basement) so haven't closed out my 2011 total. Hope to do that on Monday.

Glad to have you join us, Diane.
Just remember... it isn't necessarily about the balance as it is AWARENESS :-) You're going to do fine! Putting challenges to good use helps a lot.

hi guys,
sop sorry i have not written for so long. we are hosuesitting again, but their internet is not working! and i just found my mobile - lost it for three weeks! - so at least we have a phone now! we come home monday. always something to do at the farm! since i finished my uncles Cmas present on new years day morning i havent been near my room! it is just so busy. but i have done my totals for 2011, dont have them on me now. i was negative, but am coping with that! i wont be doing so much in 2012..many reasons - will explain later.

...just wanted to say "hi" - will check back when i have some reasonable time.

cheers, s.

So Kelly, or anyone else who wants to give their 2 cents worth, I'm spending a bunch of time reorganizing my craft room. I started over Christmas and work has gotten in the way, so I am a long way from done yet. But, is there some way I can give myself some credit for hours spent on that? Or would you not even try? I'm hoping my stuff will be more visible and accessable when I am done so I will use more of it. Or should the using my stuff when I'm done be my reward?

Angie, I give myself credit when I clean up and am planning to re-organize in the next month when my hubby travels. I'm going to take over "his" room in my process of reorganizing. So I fully support giving your self cread for reorganizing.

I wanted to ask about how people credit themselves for using new products. I thought I had read about it. I have new items that are just sitting and want to get them into circulation. Thoughts?

Girl, when are you going to learn not to ask for my 2 cents. LOL

But since you asked... absolutely give yourself credit. Here are a couple of my suggestions.

1) Pay yourself by the hour. Hey.. a business has to be organized to be more productive and you wouldn't work 'off the clock' now would you ;-) They frown on 'time stealing' hehe

2) Pay yourself per area organized. Your paper/ CS may need more time than your tools for example. So 'if i get this section done today, I'm crediting myself X$'.

Love to hear other ideas.

Busy as always Steph. I've not even felt up to reading your Christmas letter yet. Hopefully tomorrow or Tuesday.

I credit myself .50 for each new stamp or punch I use on a project. Encourages me to not have 'dust collectors'. hehe

Thanks Kelly! I knew this wasn't an original idea. I have way too many dust collectors as it is!

I started some reorganizing today...

About 2 years ago (???) my husband Tom helped me organize a craft area in the basement (pictures are in my gallery). It was wonderful - I knew exactly what I had and I could find it in an instant. Fast forward to now....packaging has changed...I've continued to buy...you get the drift.

Yesterday, I mentioned to Tom that there were 3 areas that I needed his input...what we had come up with was not working today.

So....today we tackled two of the areas!!! We got a piece of sheet metal and magnet strips and now ALL my metal dies are out in the open right next to where the Big Shot lives!!! I know exactly what I have (and no, I did NOT know that I had both the large and small rectangles regular and scalloped!!!). If you look at the pictures in my gallery, the sheet metal piece was hung on the side of the shelving unit. They are so easy to grab...I don't have to go through hooks and hooks of baggies....I know that I will now use them!!!!

The second area was ribbon! I had two ribbon holders from Stampin' Up and two ribbon holders from The Container Store......and then all around those holders were rolls and rolls of ribbon...why?? The rolls did not fit the containers I had...plus, I have more than what can fit. So...in the space vacated by the dies...my husband got some hooks and some dowels and we are going to put all the robbon on the dowels!!!! He is going to do that setup tomorrow night!!

He is the best!!!!

OH!~ That is a good idea! I have a LOT of those.

Are you kidding? You know I asked cause I really wanted to know what you thought. :) Thank you! I thought I needed to give my credit somehow, but wasn't sure how to go about it. Think by the hour will be the way to go. I have to move this beofre that and tht means I have to box up X to make room for Y. SO I'm not sure I will have one area complete at a time, hoping it will all fall together once I get the big stuff moved.

Finally got my last card uploaded:

Poppy Limeade Tea Party by fmtinsley - Cards and Paper Crafts at Splitcoaststampers

S2S Challenge -Keyword: S2S12B
 

This week, you get to have some fun! Not only do you get to create a card, but I'm sending you to a link where you can play. Kids, grandkids, nieces/ nephews, neighbors.... Have some fun!

This week I want you to think ICE CREAM.
Pick your favorite flavor and use those colors
actually showcase an ice cream cone/ sundae/ banana split on your card

Make the ice cream in the link below. Take photos and do a fun scrapbook page.

Tin Can/ Ice Cream
Cooks.com - Recipe - Kid's Tin Can Ice Cream

I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Left love, Michele. Pretty color combo!

Kelly, this looks fun! Interestingly enough, my daughter just asked me about my favorite flavor of ice cream this weekend. I'll have to dig around in my craft room to find just the right shade of green for chocolate chip mint ice cream! Plus, I have about 4 more thank you cards to make and send out, so I should be able to catch up with the first challenge.