You've gotta have heart!!!

Oh my gosh! Since yesterday's post, my mom has had a ton of emails from folks pledging Valentine's Day cards for her Cards 4 Kids program. THANK YOU! It's amazing! We might just hit the 1,000 card mark needed for the kiddos at Children's Hopsital of Michigan! Amazing!


Well, I was so inspired by the comments, I could literally think of nothing else but creating Valentines today! So, I decided to make some ATC size ones. I even found THESE envelopes that will be perfect! They are called Mini #17 Envelopes. I can't wait to deck them out too!

I chose some stamps from High Hopes, Gina K. Designs and Impression Obsession! On the back are the sayings and probably comes as no surprise you might find -- "I've gone hog wild over you!", "Some birdy loves you" and "You Warm My Heart!" I know. I know -- sappy-- but it is Valentine's Day afterall-- right!

I have pre-cut several dozen more so I am ready to go again when the moment strikes! I have to wait in the doctor's office tomorrow. It's ok to bring my markers-- right??? LOL! Hope everyone is having a great week! Oh.. I almost forgot!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! HERE'S TO AN EVEN BIGGER BETTER 2009!!!!!!

The Ultimate Valentine Challenge!!!!

Hi all! I made this card using some cutie patootie images forever ago... but it is in a stack of cards ready to head to my mom's mailbox! She has her mission - Cards 4 Kids - where she donates hand made cards to the children at Children's Hospital in Detroit. It's funny because when I was a kid, I needed surgery when I was about my daughter's age (5) and -- this is the hospital that took care of me! Now, my mom and I use our time and talents to help the children that spend time there now.

Well, not too long ago, my mom got a call from the administrator of the hospital asking if she could round up 1,000 valentines for the kiddos there. They need blank ones (basically no signatures from us) so that the kids can pick and then send them to other friends and family. When my mom heard this -- she literally started to panic! I emailed a few friends to see if they could help and a couple -- Sharon Johnson and Jennifer Buck -- said count me in! It was Sharon's idea to make this a challenge to see if WE the stamping community could hit 1,000! And, Jennifer said she would not only make cards and post about it -- she'd offer up blog candy! So, here I am! I am not only going to kick up my efforts but I am going to offer up some candy of my own! If you comment here and then pledge some cards by emailing my mom at Mrsmiley6@aol.com - your email will be thrown into the hat for my candy. You can check out Jennifer's offerings by clicking HERE! And, my mom will have candy too! Click HERE to sign up for hers!

What's my candy? Two stamp sets! One called Be Mine from Impression Obsession and another called I Love Roses from Flourishes LLC along with 5 yards each of pink and red sheer May Arts ribbon and some soft pink Kaiser rhinestones! All you need to do is pledge some cards and email my mom at the address above to get her mailing address! I'll keep this candy open for the next three weeks to give you the time to make and send! I'll close my candy on January 20th-- extended one more week! That would give you almost a full month to be able to use these beauties below! Just in time for Valentine's Day!

AND THIS SET HAS BEEN ADDED TOO! Thanks to the fabulous Cambria Turnbow!!!





In the words of Sharon -- Can we do it????? I think we can!

Thanks for all your support! Cardmakers truly have the biggest hearts!

New Stamps For Sale!!!!

Hi all! See that little button on my blog that says Stamps For Sale? Well, I just spent the morning uploading about fifty stamps and sets! My loss is your gain--- all priced to sell!

I am working on a project as we speak and.... a challenge!!! So, check back!

Holiday Wishes From Afar....

I know Christmas has come and gone but it's not too late I hope to share some happy mail I received last week. Oh my, the cards are too fabulous NOT to share! So, sit back and enjoy! Then, if you have some time - pay these fabulous stampers/cardmakers a visit. They are far too talented not to! :-) Thank you ladies! It's so nice to see your wonderful creativity in real life!

I can't tell you how much Leslie Miller's watercolor rocks even more in real life! She is one talented lady with a paint brush!

Latisha Yoast's card is one that dazzles beyond words! She stamped the Damask background stamp from Flourishes with a glue pad (I think) and then covered the whole thing with super sparkly glitter! Oh my! It's a light catcher!

This next card is from one of my new BFFs! Lovely Cutler is a Montana gal too and she is one talented photographer! That's why it's no surprise that a photo of her kiddos takes center stage with her Christmas card! I apologize for the glare -- no matter what I did I couldn't get rid of it! See... I need a photographer to take a picture of the card done by the photographer!

See that little pocket? Well, inside, Lovely stuck a photo of her Christmas cookies! Too cute! See?

Sheila Barthel is also a local gal! I joke with her that she is my SU "pusher!" LOL! I love how she used punches to create her little tree and then decked it out with brads for ornaments! Too cute!

Cindy Lawrence is another lady who knows how to make a stunning creation with some watercolor effects! This one is just so soft looking! The satin ribbon and pearls make this card to die for!

I LOVE this card from Lila Holgate! Oh my goodness -- the color combo, the way she used her nestie dies, the leaves from the bird's mouth with sparkly "berries"--- it's all Wow!

I think this one from Laura Fulcher is just too cute! Love that little Santa stamp... and the buckle? Darling! Just a fun card all the way around!

Speaking of fun.... isn't this card from Diane Lapointe with the sledding penguin just too cute? I love the embossed background and... of course all the bling! This one is also pretty darn sparkly! Gotta love that!

And last, but certainly not least is this stunner from Sharon Johnson! She has a way with creating simply elegant cards! Some dp, some gold accents, glitter glue and a lavish ribbon and bam... gorgeous card! I love how she does that each and every time!

Hope you enjoyed some of the happy mail too! I figure - why not share? It might help you spark an idea or see a stamp you have in a whole new light!

Until tomorrow!

Stamp Simply--- New TOYS!

It's Friday, which means it's time for another Stamp Simply challenge courtesy Sharon Johnson! (ssnotime67 on SCS) This time, it's all about the fun crafty things that the man in the big red suit might have brought..... YOU!

I kind of cheated! I got my hands on this little Lizzie Anne Designs stamp not too long ago and hadn't broken it in yet! So, my card was created with "new toys," just was not a toy that was delivered by Santa! But, that's ok -- Sharon says if you didn't get anything new for Christmas, just use the newest thing you got -- whether it be stamps, paper, tools, embellishments -- whatever!

Well, first things first, I wanted to play with my Shimmerz paints in a new way! I stamped the Lizzie Anne Designs snowmen and then used an Impression Obsession Accent Template that I set over the group and sponged some Sky Blue Shimmerz around the edges and then accented it with some Cloudy Blue Ranger ink. It's a very subtle sparkle but it actually helps it look like it's snowing on the little snow guys!
Here's a close up! You can see I added a little snowflake stamp too! Color the snow guys with some markers and then, of course, add some Angel Wings Shimmerz to their bodies to make them glisten! Mat it up and add a silver ribbon, felt flake and some bling and you are done! A cute card that was .... Stamped Simply!

Want to see what the other Stamp Simply team came up with? Click on the links for a little extra treat!

Janine, Jennifer, Tammy, Dee, AJ, and LeAnne.

Happy Friday!

Flourishes Secret Swapper!

Hi all! Hope you all enjoyed a fabulous time with family over the holiday! I know I ate too much! EEK!


A few weeks ago, we organized a little something to get the Flourishes Design Team and Friends of Flourishes Blog Team in the holiday spirit! So, we swapped names and cards and every team member got a 'secret swapper!' Well, I have to say I was a bit intimidated when I reached into the basket and pulled out the name... Becca! I mean, I've never seen a card of Becca's that I didn't think was a complete work of art! What on earth would I or could I send her? I decided to play it simple!
I used the Poinsettia and Boxwood set to create this little water colored poinsettia accent. The paper is the Glittered Christmas Paper (which I think is timeless and can be used year round!!) Add a sentiment from the Holiday Greetings set (Cranberry Adirondack Ink), some satin ribbon and some gold pearls and.... pretty much done! It was a top down fold card and I did corner round the bottom corners.

I was lucky enough to get a Laura Fredrickson original in my hands!

I can't believe she made this gorgeous card and it is a one layer card! the frame was hand drawn as were the "strings" holding up the ornaments from the All That Glitters set. I love how she added some glitter pen and water colored the ornaments. It's even prettier in real life!!

Want to see the joy that was spread around the Flourishes family? Just click on the names to see the fun cards created just for the holiday season! We hope you enjoy your time with family and friends and are counting your blessings!

Cindy Lawrence
Jan Marie Caruso
Latisha Yoast
Laura Fredrickson
Nancy Kirk
Sharon Doolittle
Becca Feeken
Betty Wright
Christine Okken
Cindy Haffner
Dee Jackson
Kimberly Crawford

And, there are some exciting things happening over on the Flourishes Newsletter! It's week four of the four week Festive Flourishes Friday Challenges! This one is New To YOU! It's a way to celebrate some of the new goodies you might have gotten .... OR.. the new year! So, click HERE to check it out.

One more tidbit! Today begins the sale at the Flourishes store! What's on sale? EVERYTHING! Take 10% off everything - you must use code: yearend in the promotion code box at check out to get this discount. The sale runs through December 31st!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all the blessings of the season!

Over the river and through the woods.....

As many of you make the trek to family and friends' homes, I thought this cute little card would lift a spirit or two and maybe give an idea for a quick and easy card! I sent this one to a bloggin' bud.... hope she likes! ;-)

With this baby, all you need is a fun background stamp like a plaid, and something festive for the base of your card along with a main image and small saying. This card is fun because it's festive without a ton of work! The best kind of card-- don't you think? Add some pinked edges, a vellum tag and some sheer red ribbon.... and done! All the stamps are from Amuse and I think they are (unfortunately) retired. HERE is a link to their Christmas stamps. They have a TON of cute images!

Before I go, my DD and I were crafting over the weekend and she grabbed one of my stamp sets and said she wanted to make a card for Rudolph. She already made a candy cane for Santa. Well, I thought she did really good for a 5 year old! She even asked for a rhinestone for Rudolph's nose! YEAH! She is learning to love bling! She really loves to color -- which is so fun for me! I am thinking she might need a space in my craft room soon! :-) So.... we best get these "gifts" for the man in the red suit and his reindeer out soon! They will be here before we know it!


Blessings to you! Enjoy your time with friends and family!

Sweet Treats!

Does anyone need some quick, easy and delicious goodies to take to that last minute gathering? If you do, I might have just what your stomach needs! ;-)

I thought I would take a break from creating in the craft room to share what I cooked up over the weekend!

First, this dessert is officially unnamed -- but you could call it Cookies And Cream Truffles or as my hubby calls it "Heaven Balls" LOL!

Here's what these little babies look like...

And... here's how you make them! It really doesn't get any easier than this! You take a whole package of Oreo Double Stuff cookies and mash them up. Then, you mix this with one 8 ounce package of softened cream cheese. Put this mixture into the freezer for a few minutes so that it hardens up a bit. Roll the mixture into balls and cover with white chocolate! OHHHH! So tasty!

The second tasty treat is Peanut Butter Toffee!

This recipe couldn't be easier! Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and butter the foil. Crush 1/2 c. of lightly salted dry roasted nuts and line the buttered pan with the crushed nuts. Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a sauce pan over medium heat and gradually mix in 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1 cup of white sugar and one tablespoon of light corn syrup. Bring it to a boil and boil over medium heat for six minutes. Pour the mixture over the nuts and then immediately sprinkle and spread 5 ounces of both peanut butter and 5 ounces of semi sweet chocolate chips. You can use a full bag of the peanut butter swirl morsels if you can find them (I couldn't!) Then, sprinkle with some extra chips and roughly 1/4c. of crushed nuts on the top. And... done!

As my kids have been reminding me -- it's T minus one day until Christmas Eve!!!!! The excitement is building here in the Koerber house! Hope it is where you are as well!

I'll be so blue!

Don't be so blue! :-) I decided to join the Friends of Flourishes team this week for their Festive Flourishes Friday challenge. It's week three and the challenge is just as it sounds.... "You'll be doing alright with your Christmas of white but I'll have a blue, blue Christmas!" You're supposed to grab your favorite Flourishes stamp set and dress it up with a dose of blue! You can click HERE to see the official details and some of the other creations! Hope you can play! There are free stamps on the line!

Here's my offering......
I love the bird in flight that is a part of the Bird and Vine set. I chose to make mine a dove - embossed it with white detail powder and kept it simple with some decorative paper (Stampin' Up), pretty ribbon and pearls! The sentiment is from the Holiday Greetings set! The scalloped circle and circle punches are SU and the edge punch is the Threaded Water punch from Fiskars. The ink I used for my saying was Storm Vivid!

Well, my friends, I hope you are enjoying this time of year! I am! I am going to try to savor it before it's over and I hope you do too!

Until tomorrow!

Stamp Simply -- Beyond Quick!!

Ok, who needs a Calgon take me away moment? You too huh? Well, today I got the rest of my Christmas cards out AND tomorrow is baking day! And Saturday, well that's when my husband's entire family comes over for a feast cooked by moi! What's on the menu? Um. I don't know yet. I have all day tomorrow to figure it out -- right?? I am pretty sure I am going to try baking Janine's pecan bars. Those looked yummy!


So, you can see why I am all over QUICK and easy cards! That is what Sharon's Stamp Simply challenge a.k.a ssnotime66 was all about! I card that you could easily make 6 of in a half hour or less! Well, I have just the card! And, the key to jazz it up is stamping on decorative paper!

To make this a quick and easy card - I would suggest cutting everything first. You could easily cut out 10 cards in five minutes, stamp all of them in another five minutes and then assemble for the remaining 20. Done with four cards to spare!! All the supplies - decorative paper and stamps are Penny Black. I inked up the berries and vine stamp with the help of Tombow markers. The ribbon is from Hobby Lobby. I used the slot punch from SU to create a slot for my ribbon. Mat it up and.... DONE!

If you have some time to spare, check out the other beyond quick cards from the rest of the Stamp Simply team! Janine, Jennifer, Tammy, Dee, Becky, AJ, and LeAnne.

Have a great weekend!

Cute Card Set!

Ok folks..... another quickie for you this mornin'! Thanks for all your comments about shopping and as my bud Janine put it -- gettin' er done! Because - I did! I just have to shop for my MIL! No worries there. I'll finish up tomorrow. Now, I just need to decide if I am going to pull out the baking pans and actually bake this year. Christmas cards? I think there's still time for that too! HHHHhhhhm. Maybe I should start all this earlier next year! Whadda ya think?

I cracked up at part of my shopping experience because my FIL - the only thing on his list was -a Snuggie - you know - the blanket with arms - and a grapefruit spoon. Really? Are you kidding me? Sadly, he was not. What is a girl to do with that? LOL! Only Christmas day will answer that question!! Wanna take any guesses????

Ok, now for the quick creation to share! It's another O2M, N2U! I made this cute set a couple months ago at a class with my SU demo, Sheila Barthel. She used the little envelope die (SU makes it for the Big Shot) to make four envelopes and then... you glue the four envies together to make this adorable card box!
And, here are the cards - they are 3 by 3" with the SU envies to go with them and they all fit nicely in the box! Cute, huh? I thought so! I love these stamps but I think I am going to try another set with THESE stamps! I have them and love them! So, I'll hold onto that idea for a rainy day!

Well folks, hope all is well in your corner of the world! I'll be back later on with Sharon's Stamp Simply challenge! It's one (I promise) that EVERYONE can play along with!

Until then!

Just a quick post this morn!

Nearly a week until Christmas folks! Is everyone ready? Please don't ask me that question. I'm having mini freak out moments pretty regularly!

That's why I am bringing you this O2M, N2U creation! (old to me, new to you). I made this forever ago but never posted it! Since it includes a cool technique, I thought no time like the present!

I stamped this solid floral image on black with a glue pad (stamp is Posh Impressions), heat set it and then pressed on gold leaf flakes. I used a plastic scrubby to lightly burnish it and remove the excess. Mat it up, create a background with copper Brilliance ink, add a metal embellishment and.... DONE! It's a super duper easy card but the technique - I thought - was worth passing along if you've never tried it before!

Well, off to beddy bye for me! I HAVE to go shopping in the morning if it kills me! I have never been this behind before in my life! Wish me luck!

Measured In Friends.....

Gosh, I don't even know where to begin with this post. I woke up this morning, grabbed my usual cup of coffee and started to catch up on my Google Reader when one post stopped me in my tracks.

It was news that one of "us," one of our stamping sisters had suddenly died. Joanne Johnson had been happily blogging talking about the Christmas holiday that was fast approaching and then next post was from her husband telling of her sudden passing. Gosh, if that isn't a huge message for us to all live life to the fullest, I really don't know what is.


So, in honor of Joanne, I offer up this card as a tribute to all the loving cardmakers here in blog land. Joanne, as you craft up there in the heavens above--- this one is for you. "A Journey Is Best Measured In Friends." I was happy to have known you! If you'd like to offer Joanne's family your condolences, please stop by Joanne's place on the web by clicking HERE.

God Bless,

And... the winner is!

......Nancy Littrell!


Oh my goodness! I was perusing all the fabulous links and I couldn't believe the creativity!!! There are tons of great ideas here in this list! I love Heather's Bread Box Template! And, Jacki's card portfolio is darling!!! It's perfect for teacher's gifts! The Poinsettia box is, well, to die for! And the Gift Bag and Pillow Boxes are too precious for words! Have fun surfing if you haven't already!


Nancy, email me at juliekoerber@bresnan.net and I will have your goodies shipped out to you soon!


Just A Little Something Links!


Decked Out Pail
Handcrafted Earrings
Boxed Mini Christmas Cards
Gift Bag And Pillow Boxes
Poinsettia Pouch
Joy To You Candle
Decorated Clear Boxes
Family Recipes
3 by 5 Notebooks
Bread Box Template
Handmade Pendants
Wine Themed Gift Set
Lil Santa Tote
Card Set Portfolio
Snowmen Wall Plaque
Christmas Box
Treat Cones
Nugget Box
Address Book
Little Gift Bag
Snowflake Marshmallow/Cocoa Tin
Poinsettia Box
Little Treat Box
Christmas Box with Tags
Christmas Gift Set
Sweet Christmas Treats
Gift Card Holder
Altered Steno Notebook


Before I go, I have a little show and tell for you all! My mail box has been very, very happy lately with beautiful Christmas cards from friends in blog land far and wide!!!

I got this beauty from Janine who hails from London, Ontario......
This pretty creation is from Diane, my bud in Timmins, Ontario

And this gorgeous card came from across the pond from my friend Penny from England!
Thank you! Thank YOU! THANK YOU! Gosh, you have no idea how fun it is to open mail knowing that something was made -- just for you! It's too special for words -- just like these three ladies!

Until tomorrow!