Here are the two Christmas cards I made and sent this year - the pocket card I did in two colors - this one is Always Avocado and Rose Red and the other one was Night of Navy and Bravo Burgundy. The other card is Night of Navy and Whisper White. I like the simpleness of them, and I think they tell the story of why we have Christmas. Like I said in the previous post, I didn't get them all sent out, but I hope you enjoy seeing them here anyway. I love to make cards, and although I also love making scrapbook pages, I usually have to push myself to do the pages. Like just about everybody I know who scraps, I have boxes and boxes of pictures just waiting to find a home on a special page. Maybe when I get old?????? lol

I will really try to post more often - it's not like I don't create cards and such, I just forget to take pictures and post. I will post a picture of my family when we return from Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky, Ohio in early January! That's our Christmas gift to each other and is fast becoming the highlight of the year for all 15 of us. And now that Christmas is here, the kids are now asking "how many days to Great Wolf"?

May God bless you all with love, good health and safety. Talk to all later, Sassy Shirley

By the way, my friends can email me anytime at shirlnort@charter.net .... if you have written and I have not responded, I have been unable to access my gmail accounts for some time.

Wow, can you believe I have not posted for so long? So much has happened since November 7th! Larry and I went on a trip - a 14 day cruise out of San Juan, Puerto Rico! We flew in and stayed in San Juan for a few days before the cruise, just looking around and enjoying the wonderful warm weather. Needless to say, we had an absolutely terrific time!! But then we had to come back to this white stuff that some people seem to like. You know, I don't usually mind the snow so much as the ice and the white-outs. Yesterday here in Michigan we had rain all day - Christmas Eve, and it rained all day. Saturday is supposed to be about 50 degrees with rain, maybe thunderstorms. Last night we got a bit more snow, which we found when we left church after our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service -- one of my very favorite services of the year, by the way. We drove around a bit and looked at some of the beautiful Christmas lights around town before coming home. The only problem with taking the cruise is that since we got home on Dec. 8th, neither of us have felt the best, and that really put a crimp on the Christmas decorations here. We just did not feel like messing with the many, many totes full of the decorations we have collected over the years. Next year, huh!! I also did not get all my Christmas cards mailed .... so I am now making some New Year's cards to send ... just hope I get them mailed out real soon, or I will be making and sending Valentine's!!! Today, Christmas Day, we enjoyed spending part of the day at daughter Pam's house with her, Craig and the 3 boys. Homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast (a "Pam" tradition), opening gifts and then a delicious ham dinner. Josiah got a new laptop, so he gave me his old one, which is not old at all ... just too slow for him with all his music, pictures, games and such. So I am one happy camper tonight -- I just need to call my internet provider (Charter) and see what I have to do to connect it. I hope and pray you are all having a super-duper Christmas season, and remember now, as every day of the year, that Jesus really is the reason -- for this blessed season and for every day of the year!! Merry Christmas to one and all, Sassy Shirley

I'm back .....

Hey there ... so sorry, but life keeps getting in the way of my posting here!! I just got home from visiting my daughter and her family in Pennsylvania - I spent the week there just "loving on" my 6 precious grandbabies there! The oldest, Lee, turned 17 years old today ... wonder when I will stop calling him my baby???!!! lol Emma turns 6 next Saturday and their Dad's birthday is next Monday. Quite a month for birthday parties at their house, huh! The other kids include Joel age 13, Gwen age 9, Isobel age 3 and Elisha who will be 2 in February. Elisha is our miracle baby, having weighed just about 3 pounds when he was born - he spent a couple months in the NICU and now he is walking all over and is for sure all boy!!

Here is one of my favorite cards to make and give ... everyone seems to like receiving it, from kids all the way up. It is made by punching out ovals with the Stampin' Up! oval punches and some circle punches. Each piece is "thwacked" on the edges ... this just means dipping a corner of a sponge into the ink color and "thwacking" it on the side of the paper. This is a real fun card to make as well as give!

Hope everyone is doing great .. remember these words:

Top 10 Predictions No Matter Who Won the Election 1. The Bible will still have all the answers. 2. Prayer will still work. 3. The Holy Spirit will still move. 4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people. 5. There will still be God-anointed preaching. 6. There will still be singing of praise to God. 7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people. 8. There will still be room at the Cross. 9. Jesus will still love you. 10. Jesus will still save the lost when they come to Him.

Amen and Amen ... have a wonderful weekend - I will try to post another card later tonight or tomorrow, using more of my friend Chris' new Sweet 'N Sassy stamps!

Inky Hugs, and God Bless, Shirley

Autumn Blessings

Well, it's been a few days since I have posted some new cards .... just been busy with life along with having some bad headaches and sinus stuff going on. This weekend my siblings come to our home for our monthly dinner - we take turns hosting the event and this is our weekend! My sisters from Grand Rapids and near Cadillac and my brother and his wife from Middleville (all in Michigan, of course) will be here but our brother and his wife from farther up north in East Jordan will be unable to join us this time.

Anyway, here are my first two cards using my friend Chris Dickinson's newest stamp set for Sweet 'n Sassy Stampers - this one is called "Autumn Blessings" ... and I love it. I m excited about her next sets too - for Christmas!!! I know I will be using one of them for most of my cards this year.

Can you tell I really like the Stampin' Up! Scallop Edge Punch?? I am having fun with it, and found on a blog somewhere how to make these boxes .... it was fun so I layered them! I will have to learn to write down where I find blogs with fun things that I try to make. I will try, really I will.

Hope you enjoy these cards .. let me know if you have any questions about how to make them or if you want to join us for a Stampin' Up! workshop or stamp camp.

Have a wonderful and blessed weekend.

CBC33 - Belli Challenge

Oops, I forgot to add this title (CBC33 - Belli Challenge) to the previous post .... hope this works ....

This is my very first card made with my very first Sweet 'N Sassy stamp set .... designed by my dear friend, Chris Dickinson - see her blog at http://www.chrissyd723.blogspot.com/ .... hope you enjoy it. This set is a very precious one, with both a girl and a boy at prayer and lots of word stamps - I can see getting a lot of use from this one! Chris has another set coming out very soon, and I am excited to get that one also. You can see all of Sweet 'N Sassy stamp sets at http://www.sweetnsassystamps.biz/shop/

For this card, I used SU products except for the SNSS Child of God. Cardstock is Bashful Blue, Apricot Appeal, Confetti White and a retired DP (Sarah). I also used the Tool Kit (for the punched holes), retired Fancy Fibers Soft Subtles and Crystal Effects for the nightie and bracelet. Oh yes, I also used a Fiscars Paper Edger.

Again, hope you enjoy this card, and please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

I just felt the need to stamp something tonight - we were at a funeral downstate today for Larry's aunt - she was such a special lady, and will be missed by so many. Her sisters came from Canada for the funeral - Larry and I have been married for over 17 years and I had never met them (don't ask me why we don't go visit them - but we will be going soon). They are both in their 90's and still so vital and active. Gives us all hope, huh .....

If my headache eases, I think I just may stamp another card with this set - like I said, I love this set. By the way, Chris' next stamp set is called Autumn Blessings.

Here's the blue card - very similar to the pink one. This one uses vellum designer paper, again leftovers. These cards were very easy, which was good .... since I needed a couple of them soonest!

I needed some baby cards, so I made this pink one and a blue one. I have so much retired SU designer paper, so thought I would use some of it up. The stamp sets I used are "Background Basics" and "So many Scallops" which I stamped and punched with the scallop circle punch and the other round punches to layer. I also used the Crafter's Tool Kit around the edges and White Gel Pen, added white grosgrain ribbon and I was done! Easy peasy!! The blue card uses a retired vellum striped designer paper - Hope you enjoy these cards ... I had fun making a few of each.

My Blog is Here!!!

Well, it's about time, huh .... I have been putting this off for a long time, loved seeing all my friend's blogs (stamping and family, etc.) and tonight decided to 'just do it' now. Welcome, welcome, welcome ... you are among my first visitors .... I hope this is as much fun for you as I think it will be for me. I will try to keep it updated regularly with my stamping creations and goings-on in my life. So for now, let me see what I can do about posting a card or two ..... wish me luck!! Remember to keep God in the center of your life - He has been with me through every step of my life ... sometimes I didn't know it (or acknowledge Him) but He has always been here for me. Believe me, there is no other way to live!!!! Inky Hugs and God Bless, Shirley