JAMSquared

On World Card-making Day (Oct. 4th), I attended a Split Coast Stampers swap held in northwest Austin. When I first heard about the swap back in August, I wasn’t completely sure I wanted to participate, but I decided it sounded like fun and signed up. However, the swap had gotten full during my time of indecision and I was put on the waiting list. About a week and a half before the swap, I found out I had a spot if I wanted it. I planned to be out of town the weekend before the swap, so I would only have 5 weekdays to prep the supplies for 45 woman to make a card of my own design. I decided to say oh well to sleep and do it anyways. The Halloween card below was the card I designed for the swap. It was the first time I had inked up  my Pirate Riley stamp. The card came out really great, simple enough for a swap yet cute enough for all the talented women that would be at the swap.

Happy Halloween Card

Stamps: Hanna Stamps Pirate Riley, Stampin’ Up Canvas background (on black) , SU Weathered background (on pumpkin pie), SU All-Year Cheer III (Happy Halloween)
Cardstock: Stampin’ Up Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Summer Sun, Whisper White
Ink: Stazon black; Stampin’ Up Pumpkin Pie, Craft White; Versamark (Canvas background)
Markers: Stampin’ Up Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Garden Green, Ballet Blue, Real Red, Certainly Celery
Accessories: Hobby Lobby Halloween ribbon

Another part of the swap was the door prize. Due to the short time I had to prepare, I could have opted out, but then I wouldn’t have gotten to take a great door prize home. So I took a Hobby Lobby paper mache bag, some Halloween designer paper, some Hobby Lobby Halloween ribbon, a candy corn decorative accent and put together the following cute package which I filled with some Halloween stamps, ribbon and lip balm.

Door Prize I Created (picture was taken before I completely finished)

The following are some of my favorites of the cards I made designed by the very talented swappers. This cute elephant card by stampinlibby that showed me the technique of using gamsol. This tree card. Isn’t the ribbon gorgeous? This good witch or bad witch card. The googly eyes on this card are just adorable. The  colors of this card by smileytexan are just beautiful.

The following is the door prize I won. I’m not sure who put it together, but I enjoyed it. The little tin had chocolate nuggest with stamped labels.

Door Prize I Won

The last weekend of September was a long weekend for me that started on Thursday. My brother (Jason) and his wife (Julia), my husband (James) and I flew up to Albany, NY where we met up with my parents (John and Mary Ann), my sister (Sarah) and her husband (Brian) and sweet baby Cameron. It was our yearly family trip. We stayed at the Hill Farm Inn just south of Manchester, Vermont. We filled up almost all of the main house of the bed and breakfast. The owners and staff at the inn were fabulous and breakfast every morning we were there was delicious, partly because of the free-range chicken eggs plucked from nests  in the hen house out back of the inn.

Unfortunately, it was kinda dreary weather-wise the entire trip due to a hurricane off the Atlantic coast, but it was still a lot of fun and very relaxing. Thursday night dinner was at Mulligan’s Pub & Restaurant, where the inn owner had secured a reservation for us as we were a large party of 8 plus baby.  The food was pretty good, but the service wasn’t weren’t we southerners were accustomed to. On Friday morning, we (minus my Mom, Sarah and Cameron) hiked the trail around the inn near the river. Then we ate lunch at Maxwell’s Flat Road Grill where we had some tasty buffalo burgers and browsed some shops in Manchester. We also drove and visited Chiselville, one of the area’s covered bridges. We at dinner at the Sirloin Saloon Steakhouse & Bar, which was okay.

Inn's Pasture

Jason and Julia

James in front of the Chiselville Covered Bridge

Saturday, we drove to Peru and attended their yearly festival to raise money for their schools. The festival is known for it’s roasted pig and artisan-run booths. We watched clog dancing and a magic show and really enjoyed ourselves. Afterward, we went to Bromley Mountain and did the alpine slide followed by a scenic drive up to Weston where we visited the Vermont Country Store and enjoyed some locally brewed root beer. Dinner was at The Perfect Wife where the turkey schnitzel was to die for followed by some ice cream sundaes at Friendly’s since the little Ben & Jerry’s stand in Manchester closed too early.

John and Mary Ann under the Peru Fair Banner

Riding the Chair Lift up to Beginning of Alpine Slide

Jason About to Fly Down the Alpine Slide

Cameron in the Pumpkin Filled Pickup outside of the Vermont Country Store

Sunday, my Dad, Jason, and Brian went fly fishing with guide Peter. The rest of us who find that kind of thing not so interesting relaxed at the inn for a little while, took a slightly different hiking trail around the inn, and then shopped at some of the outlet stores in Manchester followed by lunch at Zoey’s Del & Bakery where they had some unusual sandwich combinations. Then we met up with the rest of the gang to drive back to Albany, NY to be able to catch our early-Monday morning flight home.

Gizmo, the baby goat, and James

Inn's Pasture

Mary Ann, Cameron and Sarah

Church near the Inn

Pink Flower