Well Wishes!

To any and all of my "followers" sorry I have been away for a bit. With the rush of the holidays and also coming down with a stomach bug (YUCK!) it has been impossible for me to post. Just before getting sick (and YES, I got sick Christmas Eve morning and was sick until just yesterday) I was finishing up some of my handmade gifts that I was planning to give to various family members. I made many more sets of stationary which went over so well , but it was such a close call to get them all finished that I didn't get to take pictures of all of them. I have a couple that I will share with you this coming week when I can get myself back into the swing of things. I haven't been as sick as I was in a while, so I am going to be playing catch-up with housework and also getting the holiday decor down and put away. I am one of those people that loves to put up my decorations the day after Thanksgiving, but the day after Christmas, I'm ready to get it out of the way and put back up. Also, in case you may not remember, some friends and I are working on weekly challenge type projects starting the first week in January. I truly think we have something for each week of the year it seems like, but I do hope we can stick to it. It's not so much a challenge in stamping per say, but it's a challenge to each of us individually to use a lot of our stash that we tend to hoard like EVERYTHING! HAHAHAHAHA. Our first goal is to use as much chipboard as we can the first week in January, so check back soon to see what fun stuff I come up with that goal. I am posting a quick picture that was taken of my girls in their Christmas dresses (they didn't have a good selection this year- mostly black, blah) at a my husband's family get together this holiday season in front of their huge tree. I wish each and every one of you who read my blog a BLESSED NEW YEAR and I look forward to "stamping" and creating with you in 2009!!

What I've been working on....

Here are a couple of projects I have been working on this week. Each year, I give my club members gifts for Christmas as a token of my appreciation that they stamp with me each month. I LOVE being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, and much of the reason is because I love learning new things and teaching those things to others so they can be creative. Stamping is such a HUGE part of who I am, and I can't imagine not doing it, but I also can't imagine not having anyone to share it with. So, this year I made them monogrammed stationary and an ornament. I also found some really nice sized monthly planners, but I am not finished with all of those yet. The boxes for the stationary were a real find. I picked them up at my local Goodwill and they are jewelry boxes. They were PERFECT for my stationary and they were a great price at 25 cents each. I just covered the box and added a belly band. Each box contains 6 cards (2 each of a different coordinating design) and 6 envelopes also with a monogram on it. I was able to use up all my loads of retired SU paper for the 8 stationary kits. I also just recently bought the JustRite Monogram kit and also the Damask monogram kit (which I used for this) and I really love them. I took a close up of the monogram on this set so you could really see how detailed the stamp is. The ornaments are also one of the items I made in mass quantity for my recent craft shows. I bought the frosted glass ornaments at Hobby Lobby and rubbed on the sentiments, then bought some floral picks with and took them apart and hot glued them around the top. I thought they were really cute. I forgot to photograph them before I gave them to the recipients, but some of my ornaments were decorated with faux peppermint candies and some were decorated with some glittery pink flowers and beads and I rubbed the word "Hope" on those for breast cancer awareness.

My girls...this Christmas

Here are some photos I wanted to share of my beautiful girls in front of our tree. They are at the age now where all I do is dig out the ornaments and they put nearly all of them on the tree. I get to just sit and drink them in with all their excitement. I always put my lighthouses on because I have to unplug a bulb to plug the ornament into it so it lights up, and I always put my Gone With the Wind ornaments up because they are collector's items, but they do the rest. Our tree is prelit so that makes it even easier. These photos were taken over the weekend before their Christmas play. The twins had to dress in bright colors because they represented colorful ornaments in the play and they each had a solo and did very well. If I can figure out how to get the video clip onto my blog I will let you see how great they did. I also played around with some features on my camera that I had never used but knew they were there. One feature is to do a black and white with color accent. All 3 of my girls have beautiful blue eyes and I really thought with their blue shirts, they would pop out, but they didn't show up like I had hoped. Still, I think the photo is fun and I love the way the lights are softened but still twinkle behind them! I will probably include one of these in our Christmas cards this year....any suggestions of which one? Leave a comment and let me know which one you recommend. I think the black and white one will definately look great on a page.

OOPS! Forgot to add...

Here are pictures of the baby can....I forgot to include them in the last post.

Cans from the past...

Here are a couple of odds & ends projects I did recently for friends. One friend went on vacation with her family in October to Disney World and she surprised her kiddos with the Mickey & Minnie cans before they went. She put things they would need for the trip like autograph books for the characters, sunglasses, sunscreen, lip balm, "Mickey" ears, etc. in the can and then told them to keep momentos from the trip to put back into the can when they got home so they would always remember their trip. She asked me to make these for her and I thought they turned out pretty cute! The large Mickey & Minnie on the cans are actual "wallies" that are meant to go on the wall. I have the Disney font Cricut cartridge which I thought put the perfect "magic" touch on the personalization. The 3rd can was done for another friend whose sister in law is expecting this month. The nursery is decorated in pink and chocolate so I made the can to match the room. It's your regular old run of the mill memory can, but the DP from SEI is yummy so I thought I would use it for this project. I won't write a recipe for these projects because honestly, I can't remember everything I used since I finished them a few months ago. I am still recovering from my craft show on Saturday, which was VERY successful, but I will be posting some new projects soon. I just want to get in the habit of having regular posts so until I get some new things made, I will share some past projects with you. And be sure to check out my blog at the beginning of the year for sure for new posts each week with new challenges each week as well. Have a great day!

Gift Ensemble

This is a gift ensemble I made for my twins' teacher for Thanksgiving. I am volunteering in her room one day a week and I have come to love her! She is such an AWESOME teacher and her values and discipline systems are really parallel to ours at home. Her expectations of our girls mirror ours so we know that what we are teaching at home is also being reinforced at school. In addition to that, she is a very loving teacher and shows the kids in so many ways that even though she expects them to be responsible individuals (by 3rd grade they really should be), she also shows them that she cares about them. Anyway, I am so grateful that my girls ended up in her classroom, that I wanted to show her what our family is thankful for this year for Thanksgiving, HER! I will only add a couple of quick notes about the ensemble. The lotion has the word "gratitude" on it, I don't know if it's visible. The body butter has "with gratitude" in the same font on the top as well. The friendship bread that I made to go along with all this has a belly band of the same DSP used on all the other products and I also have a card that I am showing you that went along with this gift. We gave it to her in a galvanized tin bucket. The card is actually a case from this card by Laurie Schmidlin (Just Give Me Stamps) http://justgivemestamps.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/08/occ-sketch-challenge.html who is one of my top favorite bloggers to draw inspiration from. If you have visited her blog, then you know how awesome she is. My card is not as pretty as hers, but I wasn't able to do some of the details on mine that she did on hers. I know it's an odd color combo (I used pale plum and chocolate chip), but I thought it was very striking in the end.

After my craft show this weekend, I will be able to post new projects that I am working on. And also one of my best girlfriends and I have come up with a "to do" list for the coming year as sort of an all year challenge. We are challenging ourselves to use things we have GOBS of and will have a new challenge each week which I will share with you online and you are welcome to participate in. It will be fun!!!! Check back to see what in store. Have a great day!

Recipe: Thank You stamp set, Chocolate Chip, Pale Plum, Shimmery White, & Naturals Ivory c.s., Chocolate Chip craft, Pale Plum, Close to Cocoa, & Really Rust markers, clear e.p., crystal effects, micro beads, scallop border punch (Martha Stewart), clear rhinestones, brocade DP (MME), Plum ribbon (from my stash), chocolate satin ribbon (from Hobby Lobby), Nestiblities, large oval punch & curly label punch (SU), coluzzle, hodpodge hardware, bronze brads, .

Just a quick note....I promise!

I just wanted to leave a quick note (promise!) for my new viewers. Yes, I am a talker, but not all of my posts will be lengthy like the first 2 have been. I just feel like I am sort of introducing myself to you know the stamping/blogging world and sometimes, I do have a lot to say but not always. Like this morning! I haven't had my morning coffee, YIKES!, so why am I even on here right? Well, I have some errands to run today so that's why I am able to get on and off this a.m. Also, for some reason which I have yet to figure out, my format causes my writing to be elongated and so I think it also makes my posts appear more lengthy. There will be days when I have more to say than others, but I don't want people to get the idea that they need a lot of time to sit and read my blog. Anyway, I have a big craft show coming up this weekend and once that is off my plate, I am really going to concentrate on how I can improve my layout, get an RSS feed, put my Stampin' UP Link on my page, etc. SOOOOOOO, if any of you out there who read this would like to send me some pointers, PLEASE DO! I need all the help I can get. Have a great day and come back and see me soon!

Some Recent Projects to Share...

Here are a few projects that I recently finished. I have a friend going through a particularly challenging time in her life right now, and I wanted to create a card to send to her letting her know that she will be okay and to keep her chin up. I had several ideas in mind, but sometimes until I actually make them, I can't decide which one fits the person best, that I am giving it so. So a lot of times, what ends up happening is, I create 3 or 4 cards for one person, and of course I am only sending one. It ends up being good for me in the end, because then I end up with a card to put in my collection that is already made when I need one next. For me, it depends on the situation, but if I have a card already made, I send it before making one, but if it's for a special reason/occasion then I will make several like I did here. Again, I am trying to get this blog posting thing figured out so be patient if what I am writing doesn't fit the photo. After my first photo post, I realized that my photo, which I wanted to appear UNDER my text, actually appeared above it. I want to try and include the recipes for my projects under the photos for that project, but I don't know if it will actually end up where I want it. So, let's see how this one goes....

The first card is a regular sized card (5 1/2 x 4 1/4) and I used some scrumptious new paper by Chatterbox, called Artsylicious and also some Basic Grey from the Scarlet Letter collection. The small pieces of Riding Hood Red cardstock have a quote on them that says "Courage is the only magice worth having." And I used the Illuminations stamp set by SU! and used the word "cherish" but masked the word stamping only the "C". I embossed it directly onto the Basic Grey paper using Basic Black craft and clear e.p. The bright red dots on the photo are actually red rhinestones placed sporadically on the flourishes of the "C". I found another great quote that I printed on c.s. and put on the inside of the card that reads "What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Recipe: Illuminations stamp set, Riding Hood Red c.s., Artsylicious Vanilla DP (Chatterbox), Scarlet Letter DP (Basic Grey), Black Damask DP (My Mind's Eye), Red/black taffeta ribbon (from my scrap jar), black brads & red rhinestones (doodlebug), Black Craft, clear e.p., dimensionals

The second card turned out to be my favorite and is actually the one I sent to her. I found that great little angel saying stamp at my local Michael's the last time I was there. I also used some of the new Ambrosia DP by Basic Grey. Other than Stampin' Up! my favorite DP is by Basic Grey and that's followed closely by Daisy D's and Chatterbox. I also love K & Company a lot too! The Ambrosia paper matches SU's Tangerine Tango Designer Prints paper perfectly and I actually broke out my sewing machine for this card. The tags on the card were made with watercolor paper and then using the tag corner punch made to look like tags. I even reinforsed the hole to look like a real tag that you can buy. The prima flowers are a cream color and I sponged the edges to give them depth and definition. I used orange rhinestones in small and medium. I also used some of the new rope twine by SU on the larger tag. The stems are from the retired SU set The Art of Life. The inside of the card has a tangerine piece of c.s. and I used the retired set On Angel's Wings and stamped the scripture from Psalms , "For he will give thee angels............."

Recipe: The Art of Life (retired SU) stamp set, Angel saying stamp from Michael's, Ambrosia Dp (Basic Grey), Tangerine Tango Designer Prints DP (SU!), Basic Gray c.s., watercolor paper, Mellow Moss & Basic Gray classic ink, orange rhinestones, 5/8" tangerine grosgrain ribbon (from Michael's), rope twine, misc. buttons, sewing machine/thread.

The third card is pretty self explanatory, but I will comment that the blue DP is actuall retired SU from the Spring Silhouettes collection. The pink brocade DP actually came in just the pink and creme but I stamped an the ornamental image in basic black classic ink to give it some more character. That paper is from Tres Jolie. There are rhinestones on the flourish chipboard in black that may be hard to see, and the scroll image along the left side is from another retired SU set Artifacts. I also sponged the sides in basic black and used black diamond stickles on the halo above the word "angels".

Recipe: Artifacts stamp set (SU), Angels stamp (from Michael's), Spring Silhouettes DP (retired SU), Tres Jolie DP, Soft Sky c.s., Basic Black classic ink, Basic Black craft ink (for the chipboard), flourish chipboard (Maya Road), black rhinestones, rose organdy (from my scrap jar), black diamond stickles.

The fourth and last card was another favorite and it was between this one and the tangerine & basic gray card to send to my friend. This card was pretty simple. I used retired DP from SU, Afternoon Tea , one of my favs from a past mini catalog. I used my sewing machine again on this one with black thread and stitched the edges of the DP. I then stamped the flower and the leaves and watercolored them on watercolor paper and cut out. The scroll image at the bottom is actually a clear sticker that I bought at my local $Dollar Tree$, and there are 2 ribbons on this card- a black velvet and the fancy green ribbon, both from my stash of ribbon that I have picked up everywhere from Michal's to Big Lots to Wal-Mart to Hobby Lobby at various times. I LOVE ribbon....well, I LOVE all things pretty, but I really love PAPER, thus my blog name "Paper and Pretties". The rhinestone center in the middle of the flower is actually many rhinestones put together to make one. It's a larger one and then smaller ones around the outside.

Recipe: Embrace Life and Holidays and Wishes stamp sets (SU), Basic Black c.s., Afternoon Tea DP (retired SU), clear rhinestones, black velvet & green satin ribbon (unknown), clear scroll sticker from $Dollar Tree, sewing machine/black thread.

My First Blog Post, YIKES!

Well, I finally did it! I have been thinking about and talking about starting a blog for some time now and I finally just did it. I don't know what did it for me today of all days, and the day before Thanksgiving at that, when most people probably won't even be online much. They are either preparing delicious meals for tomorrow or traveling to see family and friends. Maybe that's what did it for me, knowing there would not be many lookers today, that took the edge and the pressure off wanting my blog to be perfect the first day I started it. Because I KNOW that's not going to happen! I have been visiting blogs for, geez, over a year now and admiring all the wonderful artwork and stories about other women and their lives as stampers, moms, friends, and bloggers. I feel somewhat intimidated by the fact that I know I am not going to measure up to any of the gals who inspire me through their own blogs, with this or any soon to be posts. So, the best I can do is start somewhere, as I am sure they once did, and hope that with each day and post, I will learn something new and become better and more efficient and not only the craft of stamping, but the craft of blogging in the stamping world as well.

I want to spend this first post just telling you a little bit about myself, though can read a snipit of it in my "About Me" page, here I can tell you more. And you will learn if you ever follow my blog, is that I like to give details whenever possible. For me, that leaves less room for misunderstanding. Also, you will learn, I tend to write as I speak or think. That's not so bad though, is it? It's just "me" so that's what I am here for I guess is to share a piece of me with all of you.

My name is Melissa Caufield, or "twinstamper" on Splitcoast and I define myself in many ways, but above all I am a wife and mom. My current career is being just that, a wife and mom. I have identical twin girls age 8, Raegan and Kaylan. They are very vibrant and outgoing and they remind me the most of me. Our lives changed forever with the news of having twins and when they were born, but despite the lack of sleep the first year (and believe me I thought I would NEVER sleep a full night again!), and the constant juggle of equality spread between them, it has been nothing short of a blessing from God to have them in our lives. They are so much fun to watch and they never cease to amaze us. I am sure there will be stories in many of my future posts about them and the fun of being a twinmom. We also have another daughter, age 5, Sidney. She is a little squirt, but a firecracker for sure. What she lacks in size, she makes up for in spirit. She was nearly 8 weeks premature, but has such a strong personality it's no wonder she decided it was time for her to come out RIGHT NOW! LOL. She of course idolizes her sisters and most of the time, because she see's us trying to be fair and equal between the two of them, that she's their "triplet". She thinks if they can do it, why can't she? She's a spitfire for sure, but the most loving of all of our girls. You see the twins share a bond that only they are privy to, but Sidney is more outwardly loving to the rest of us. She's our little cuddlebug. My husband Todd and I have been married for nearly 10 years and we both enjoy living close to our parents who all live in the town where we both grew up. He is a firefighter and an Advanced Life Support (or ALS) intermediate paramedic on the New Albany Fire Department. He also owns and operates a small local business that sells and services fire extinguishers. Pretty fitting for a firefighter to do that don't ya think? LOL! He is a great dad and husband and the best part is he TOTALLY supports my love of stamping!

I have been stamping for 5 years and have been a Stampin' Up! Demostrator for nearly that long. I first started creating my own things when my twins were born. I wanted to announce their birth because so many people were anxiously awaiting their arrival, but since we had decided I would not work outside the home, I wanted to do it without spending a lot of money. So I went to my local craft store and bought a stamp, some paper, and an ink pad and WAHLA! An addiciton was born along with my twins! HEE HEE HEE. For the longest time, I didn't realize there were much better products out there, at much better cost, than my local craft store could offer (since Stampin' Up! is so much more reasonably priced with what you get with what you buy), and made things the hard way with little or no instruction or direction. But, I knew I LOVED doing it, being creative. So much so, that I started thinking of ways to start a small business and making extra income for our family but making cards and invitations for people for a profit. Then one day, a great friend of mine invited me to a Stampin' Up! workshop. She fully admitted she had absolutely no interest whatsoever in this, but she knew I did, so she asked me if I would be her "bring a friend" friend. I went and thought, where has this been all my life????? LOL. And, to put it all in even better prospective, I had just signed up 3 months prior with another direct sales company that I really wanted to make successful. But, with my sponsor dropping out only 2 months after I started, I felt like a boat lost at sea. And though I LOVED the products offered by that company, I was PASSIONATE about Stampin' Up!'s products and all that I could do with them. I cannot express how good it makes me feel to make something for someone, for myself, or just for fun! It is so the therapy I need from my everyday life. Being a mom and wife is the BEST job to have and I am so blessed that I get to do this, but it can be very draining sometimes. Creating puts life back into me. It gets me going everytime. And, it's what has brought me to this day, creating my blog for the world to see. I have been inspired and wowed by so many wonderful women through their blogs, that if I can give back and inspire just one more person to reach inside themselves and create something from within, then I have served my purpose here. What people don't realize is we are all creative. We really are! I hear so many people say "I'm not creative" or "I'm not crafty" but they really are. Everyone has made SOMETHING! It may not be a card or scrapbook, but they have made SOMETHING. And that counts! It's just that we all have different ways of expressing that creativity. And since each person counts for something, they have something to contribute that's a part of who they are. If by sharing a part of me, inspires someone else to do the same, then we will all be blessed in return.

So in closing of this my first post, which I know was very lenthy, but hey , it takes a long time to grow an old friend, I want to wish anyone who reads this a very Happy Thanksgiving and warm wishes for a blessed time of sharing of themselves and enjoying their friends and family wherever you are. In doing so, I would like to share my first photo of my blog, even though my blog will focus on paper crafting. It's a photo of my homemade, totally from scratch Chocolate Pie that was my dear mamaw's recipe. She is not here with us this year, but in her spirit, I have made the same pie she made for as many Thanksgivings as I can remember. I even made the meringe to go on top, though I don't eat that myself. I think it makes the pie look beautiful and afterall, it's what she did. I just hope it tastes as good as hers always did. So until next time, enjoy!