Happy Birthday, Tyler!

Another family birthday today!  This time we celebrate Tyler who is turning 14 years old today!  We actually celebrated both Jeff and Tyler's birthdays yesterday.
While Jeff's favorite pie is the GOLDEN LEMON CHEESE PIE (recipe is on yesterday's blog post) Tyler prefers fresh raspberries.  I made a fresh raspberry pie, but kept out some seperate for Tyler and Gracie to eat alone.

This is the card that I made for Tyler

It is so hard to believe that he is turning 14 years old already and is just completing his middle school years.  Next fall...High School!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Christi

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Happy Birthday, Jeff!!

Today the legal Memorial Day falls on the Observed Memorial Day which means our son, Jeff, gets his birthday off this year!!  So glad we can be together to celebrate his birthday today.  We started our day at the Veterans Memorial Park here in town for a wonderful ceremony.

 I always get choked up when the colors (flags) were presented and I saw the veterans that were present do a hand salute through the entire exercise.

Ans again at the end when we all sang GOD BLESS AMERICA together.

I'm not sure how many years Hudsonville has had this wonderful Memorial Park honoring the Veterans but when it was being built we could purchase brings either in honor of a Veteran or simply to honor someone we loved. Directly down from this center rock is where we have a brick honoring my parents which was purchased by all the grandkids.

 Sawyer is sitting right by Grandpa and Grandma Greats Honor Brick

 When we came home we realized we had our very first bloom on one of our rose bushes.

We had a yummy lunch together savoring the typical summer time foods like baked beans, potato salad and watermelon!!  This will be the last Memorial Day to celebrate here at the condo.  

We were gifted this great game that we have been seeing all over Pinterest.  Lawn Yahtzee!!  What fun we all had playing this game and such a beautiful day too!  Our friends make these and sell them at craft sales, but I am sure they would appreciate an order from you.  You can private message me HERE and I can give you the details

 Everyone of all ages enjoyed the game.  Sawyer got the biggest kick out of putting all the dice back in the bucket after they were thrown.

 Graceful Gracie was doing an arabesque (ballet move) each time she threw her dice.

 There was a lot of waiting time so she decided to do some drawing too
Tyler was the high point winner for today's game!  Congratulations, Tyler!!

Jeff's favorite dessert is a Lemon Cream Cheese Pie so, of course, mom had to make it for him.  It is one of our favorites too!!  YUMMO!!  Want the recipe?

GOLDEN LEMON CHEESE PIE

9" crust...graham or pastry - your choice - we like a pastry crust

8 oz Cream Cheese, softened

14 oz. Sweetened Condensed Milk

1/3C Lemon Juice

1 tsp. vanilla

TOPPING:

1/3 C sugar

2 1/2 tsp cornstarch

1/2 C water

1/4 C lemon Juice

1 egg yolk

Beat Cream Cheese until fluffy.  Gradually BEAT in milk until smooth.  STIR in lemon juice and vanilla.  POUR in prepared crust.  TOP with golden Lemon Topping.

TOPPING:

In sauce pan combine sugar and cornstarch.

Add water, lemon juice and yolk

MIX WELL

Cook over medium heat, stir until thick.

Remove from heat and stir in 1T butter

Pour on top of Cream Cheese layer

Chill 3 hours minimum

ENJOY!!

This is the card that we gave Jeff for his birthday.  Nope, I did not stamp this one, but instead used My Digital Studio to create the card front.  Even though I can no longer purchase stamps and accessories for MDS, I can still use the program to create cards like this.

And a gift

 This next gift was from my parents, Jeff's Grandparents.  He has always admired my mom's ceramic potato dish.  They finally decided that they did not need it any longer so wrapped it up for him along with some potatoes!! He was pretty pleased with his gift.

Join me in wishing Jeff a happy 35th birthday!
Thanks for stopping by!
Christi Pin It Now!

Sentimental Sunday

What a privilege to be able to be able to go to Gracie's Memorial Day Program last Friday. As we drove to school that day we were singing "This Land Is Your Land" which is the song that the fourth graders were going to sing that day.

 So thankful that these kids have the freedom to say the Pledge of Allegiance and give honor to our veterans.

 At the very end we all sang together the Star Spangled Banner.

Hope you all enjoy a wonderful Memorial Day Celebration tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by!

Christi

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Crazy About Wetlands

A very cool thing happening here at Christi's Creative Crew is the fact that we now have 2 - yes, count them, 2 stores that want to sell our products.  When I say WE it is because my hubby makes the BEST Hand Made, All Natural Soaps and Lotions!!! (plus 100% soy candles, bath truffles, lip balms, etc)  He has an ETSY store and in the last month to 6 weeks ago he has been contacted to PLEASE let them sell his product at their stores!!  One is local that we can pop in to and check our stock, but one is 3 hours away in Manistee, MI.  You can check out his web store HERE.
Dale asked each place if they would like to sell my cards as well, and I have received a resounding YES!! from both stores.  While I can put a wide variety in the local store (Re Inspired Treasures), the Manistee store (called Swankyz - isn't that a cute name!!) the store in Manistee wants strictly beach, wild life, light houses, etc as their theme to keep it all in line with the products they are already selling in their store.  We hope to get up there at some point this summer to check it out.
All this to say, my second shipment of cards (20 of them - 4 varieties) are being shipped today and this is one of them.  Sorry but I took this photo before I layered the "you" with another Soft Suede and a second Sahara Sand.  (of course I was inspired for this card by the fabulous blog post called Paper Ecstasy.  She actually made hers into a shaker card, but I decided to keep mine clean and simple.

Here are the products that I used for this card

Thanks for stopping by! 
Christi Pin It Now!

Celebrate 30!

 It's been a crazy time here at Christi's Creative Crew with moving and all.  I haven't been able to post business(y) things on my blog, but now that we are definitely moving and have a tentative date I am putting my business info back on line.  I would greatly appreciate your on line orders since business has taken a dive during this time.  If you are so inclined to do so please use this HOSTESS CODE which will be good through Tuesday, May 31st.  Thank you so very, very much!

  JPGJ2DVD

Our youngest son, Joey, turns 30 years old this year!  Where has the time gone??  Not sure if this is the card that we will give him, but I thought that I would share this card with you now because the DOTTY ANGLES stamp set is being retired as of May 31st.  You still have time to check out the retiring list and get the products you want before it is too late.

CLICK HERE to see the RETIRING LIST

CLICK HERE TO SHOP WITH ME

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ME if you have any questions

Other product used:

Thanks for stopping by!

Christi

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Party Pop-Ups

One of my favorite things about having a Card Club is demonstrating how to make fabulous cards. Each month we focus on different card ideas.  It could be folds, products, techniques, etc. This month I featured retiring products to encourage the gals to get what they want before it is too late.
This past month we made this fun card (inspired by France Martin)

The ladies could decide if they wanted to make it like this or change up the numbers for a specific birthday they needed a card for.

The die cut is called PARTY POP-UP THINLIT DIES, and I am happy to say that they are returning and will be available in the Annual Catalog that goes live on June 1st.  The stamp set we used is called NUMBER OF YEARS.  This set is also carrying over to the Annual Catalog!!  Along with the LARGE NUMBERS FRAMELITS DIES
So why did I feature 2 products that are not retiring? Well, this adorable Designer Paper IS RETIRING!!  I think this pack of paper called BIRTHDAY BOUQUET is one of my all time favorites and I will miss it terribly.
I added some gold sharpie marker to the flames on the candles.  I just love the way this card pops out.
Time for an update?
The home we are purchasing is a small bi-level home which will be perfect, I'm sure, for the 2 of us and our businesses.  I believe we will be closing on June 20th and get possession on the 30th.  Dale will need to put his handy-man belt back on and finish off the basement (again) for both of our businesses.  The one thing I think we will enjoy with having a bi-level home is that family is up and business is down.  The ladies who come to stamp will probably appreciate that they only need to go down 7 steps instead of 14!  I have often heard that they wished I had an elevator!!
I am anxious to share some photos with you, but the house is not completed yet, so just be patient and I will post one as soon as possible.  This has been quite a roller coaster for us and hard to believe how much has taken place in 4 short weeks.
Once we are moved out I will be able to post more business information on my blog but if you need to contact me please click HERE  I am happy to answer your questions or help you in any way that I can.
Thanks for stopping by!
Christi

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Graduation Box Card

During our Card Club meeting in May we made this fun BOX CARD.  This card is so much fun to make, and easy too.  Just lay your gift card inside and you are all set.

It even fits right into a standard A2 envelope

Color chosen are Real Red, Basic Black and Whisper White using the EVERYDAY CHIC DESIGNER SERIES PAPER

Thanks for stopping by!

Christi

(Card inspired by Daun Griffith)

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Sentimental Sunday/Wishing Flowers

Every Thursday I get to watch this little Sweetie while Mommy teaches violin lessons.  It isn't a long visit, but I am thankful that we live close enough to Jeff and Jessica that I can pop over there to help them out.  A couple weeks ago Sawyer and I took a walk up and down their street.  I introduced him to the "Wishing Flower" and showed him how to blow on it to make the seeds fly away.  He couldn't figure out why the dandilion wouldn't blow away like the one that had gone to seed.

Thanks for stopping by!
Christi  Pin It Now!

Scrapbooking Day

Today I am having a couple friends over so we can work on our scrapbooks together.  The reason we love to do it together is because we can share ideas and bounce other ideas off each other when we are stuck for an idea for a page.
One of the things I have been doing with my Paper Pumpkin Kit each month is to make a 12x12 page using the elements in the kit along with other products that I have on hand.
The May 2016 Paper Pumpkin Kit was called MANY MANLY OCCASIONS and held elements to make 8 masculine cards with a great stamp set that has all the words for the men in your life (Uncle, Son, Nephew, Father, etc.)  Here is the Stampin' Up! video to watch (remember if you are getting this in your automatic feed to your email, just click on the title header and it will direct you to my blog where you can view the video)
Now, I am not an "orange" kinda gal so I didn't jump on board with making all of my cards with the Orange corrugated paper (which is very cool, by the way).  If you are one of my subscribers you should already have received the PDF for the alternate ideas.
But one thing (even though I included it in the PDF) I make sure to share with everyone is my 12x12 scrapbook page.
The orange corrugated paper made me think of pumpkins!  I guess I am 2 seasons ahead of myself! I am using some non-Stampin' Up! products on the page as well.

I made sure when I cut out the pumpkins that I had the ribs in the corrugated paper going different directions.
The clouds were sponged on by using the largest scallop circle punch and a bunch of shades of blue ink.  If my memory serves me well they are: Soft Sky, Pool Party, Marina Mist, Island Indigo and Night of Navy.  I always start with the lightest color and then build up to the darkest color.  I wasn't quite satisfied because a spooky fall night should have a bit of an eerie sky so I added (very softly) some black ink as the final touch and I felt it brought it all together.  Now I am hoping to find a halloween photo of the grandkids to put on this page for my scrapbook album otherwise I will need to wait for this years Halloween photos.
If you want to jump on board the Paper Pumpkin train please click HERE to get my private link. Each  month is always a surprise, we never know in advance what will be in the kit.  Last month it was a project to make a cute little wreath, but with all the alternate ideas out there I used mine to make some cute little monster cards (among other things)

This card was inspired by Rachel Tessman who heads up a wonderful Paper Pumpkin Fan Club through Facebook

Thanks for stopping by!
Christi Pin It Now!

Botanical Blooms

I absolutely adore the BOTANICAL BUILDER FRAMELITS DIES, don't you??  I think they are a MUST-HAVE in your card making and scrapbooking.  You do not NEED the coordinating BOTANICAL BLOOMS stamp set!  BUT... can you see how I stamped some leaf vein images on some of the leaves?  It really does give it a nice pop and adds dimension to your project.

I am excited to tell you that the BOTANICAL BLOOMS stamp set AND the BOTANICAL BUILDER FRAMELITS DIES are carried over into the new catalog!! WOOT! WOOT!  However - right now (before May 31st) you can get these 2 as a BUNDLE and save.  Not only do you get the stamp set and the framelits you also get the coordinating designer paper (shown above) which is an $11.00 value.  All tucked into that bundle price of $51.75. Of course this is just one of six different designs in that pack of beautiful paper.

Once the new catalog goes live on June 1st you will no longer be able to bundle the stamp set, framelits and paper AND the paper will no longer be available.  Time to grab that bundle before it is too late.  

Please shop with me HERE

When shopping at my online store please use this HOSTESS CODE for the month of MAY:

JPGJ2DVD

Thanks for stopping by!

Christi

(card inspired by Rachel Palmieri from Australia)

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'Tis The Season

Christmas?? no!!! 'Tis the Season for Graduations.
Keeping up with the Red Hot Stamper 6x6 Challenge I made these cards and money holders (money holder inspired by Julie Brancart) I used the same color scheme as Julie because I loved it so much, using the GOING PLACES DESIGNER SERIES PAPER STACK (6x6)

I started by measuring this purchased money holder from way back when

 Cut my card stock (Sahara Sand) at 8x8-3/8.  With the 8-3/8 at the top of your score plate, score 2-3/4 and 5-5/8.  turn your card stock 90º and score 3/4" from each side.

 I rounded the corners using my ENVELOPE PUNCH BOARD, but you could also use the PROJECT LIFE CORNER ROUNDER

The measurements for your other pieces are as follows:

Basic Black 2-1/2 x 6-1/4 (you need 2 of these)

Designer Paper 2-1/4 x 6 (you need 2 of these)

The 2 designs are from 2 different sheets of 6x6 and after cutting the pieces I needed I ended up being able to make 2 Money Holders and 2 regular 4-1/4 x 5-1/2 cards using the strip that was left over.  I cut it down to 1-3/4 x 5-1/4 So all I threw away was a teeny tiny smidge of those papers.

Not only so I have my fair share of Graduation Open Houses to go to, I get requests from my sister for all the Open Houses that she will be going to.
I used the (retired) stamp set WORD PLAY and the small directional stamp is from THE OPEN SEA which you can still purchase through May 31st - but then it will be gone FOREVER.  The front of the Money Holder stamp is from BYOP (which stand for Buy Your Own Present!)
Thanks for stopping by!
Christi Pin It Now!

Blessings!

I have been blessed with such dear friends.  Last night my friend, Geri, brought me this cute mug made from Stampin' Up!'s Fabulous Designer Paper.

How cute is this with a little treat bag filled with sweets!

I'm not sure where Geri found the tutorial for this cute mug, but I searched Pinterest and found this youtube video for you so you can make one too. 

Thank you, Geri, for your thoughtfulness!!

Thanks to all of you who are my blog watchers 

Blessings!!

Christi

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Guest Stamper Inez O

I love to receive hand stamped cards, don't you?  This card is from my friend, Inez, who is in my second level downline.  Inez does a fabulous job with her group of ladies.  This thank you note came because I loaned her my STAMPIN' TRIMMMER.  She loved it so much she knew she would need one for herself.  When she returned mine, she also brought the thank you note!  Thanks Inez, I love it!

Inez used the FREE Sale a bration paper from 2015 - so cute! to make this sun-ray card.
Thanks for stopping by!
Christi

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