Patty's Stamping Spot

UPDATE: Vintage Tablecloths

I wanted to say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for each and every heart-felt, passionate response, email and blog comment you have sent me regarding my Vintage Tablecloths!! :)

I received over 175 responses, most were comments on my blog, and some of you emailed me privately.  At first your responses were split about 50/50 saying either Don't cut them up and use them in other projects, or, yes, cut them up and do what you want - enjoy them - they are yours to do with whatever you want.

However, as the day went on, your responses definitely leaned toward DON'T cut them up..  wow.. I sure learned a lot about vintage linens in only 24 hours! :)  Thank you for all of your suggestions and links to amazingly interesting websites!!  I also searched on ebay for awhile, too. 

Thankfully, one of my Stampin' Up! downline has a sister-in-law who is a local antique dealer who specializes in linens, so I am going to meet her on Tuesday for a little more input about these table cloths and a box full of other vintage linens I have - some dating back to the late 1800's!!

I will be happy to report back next week to let you know what I've decided to do.  I think I could have an aution here and sell them all based on the huge number of you who wanted to buy them :)  Thank you again for your interest, suggestions, etc.  Oh, and I'm definitely keep the geranium one.. that is my favorite, and was a favorite for most of you, too :)

You are all amazing!  Thank you for caring and sharing your knowledge and advice!

Non-Stamping Related: Vintage Tablecloths

I have a NON Stamping Related question that I need some help with.... if you have some input for me on this, please leave me a comment below.  THANKS!!!!!

I have had these amazing tablecloths for several years, inherited from my grandma.  I am guessing she accumulated them in the 1940's, 50's and maybe 60's ?  I have been wishing I could do something with them to be able to enjoy them.... we don't use a tablecloth at our table, so I was trying to figure out something else to do. 

THEN.. it struck me..  I could die cut them into flower shapes to make those REALLY FUN flower pins!

OK OK>> I know.. don't shoot me for saying that I'd cut them up .... BUT .. I'm at a point in my life where I don't want stuff in boxes.. I want to either GET IT OUT AND ENJOY IT, or just get rid of it.  I felt that if I made things out of these fun patterns I'd at least be enjoying the process and enjoying the end result.

So... here is my question.. does anyone know anything about these?  Are they valuable to collectors?  Is there something else I should consider doing with them?  LEAVE ME A COMMENT and let me know.. thanks!  If you have any websites or anything that might be helpful, leave that in your comment.

Here are some close-ups:

 

(the train is actually an apron)

Thanks in advance if you have any words of widsom or input for me!

 
 

 

Gift Card of the Month books

Each year for Christmas, I give my husband and son a "GIFT CARD OF THE MONTH BOOK"... I make some kind of book or clever packaging idea that will hold 12 gift cards.  They get to redeem a gift card each month for the coming year.

This year I made their "GCOTM" books with the CD Folders (used in THIS PROJECT), and decorated the front with a cover made with MY DIGITAL STUDIO.  I decorated the inside with the FABULOUS NIGHT & DAY DSP (in the holiday mini catalog..... only 1 week left to order from it!!!). 

I typed all of the months in My Digital Studio on top of the NIght & Day DSP and then punched them out with the Modern Label punch.

   

This is what my My Digital Studio file looked like.. i started with an 8-1/2"x11" blank page and added the Night & Day DSP option as my background paper and added the "cover" graphics to the lower left corner using the new "Wright Stuff II download" and typed the months at the top to be punched out:

SUPPLIES:

Night & Day DSP (mini catalog), #116768, $11.95 - ONLY AVAILABLE thru 1/4/10

3x3 mini sq envelopes, #107309, $7.50

Modern Label punch, #116630, $15.95

My Digital Studio, #118108, $79.95

NON SU!: CD folders, www.uline.com type S7073 in the search box

 

Christmas 2009

I have some exciting news.... I am going to be DEMONSTRATING some of the NEW OCCASIONS MINI CATALOG PRODUCTS at our Stampin' Up! LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE in Arizona next month!!!!  So... as you can imagine.. I've been making SAMPLES SAMPLES SAMPLES with the new goodies, and I cannot share them with you until after my presentations on Jan. 6th.   If you are attending Leadership, please stop by my booth in the Make & Take room on the 6th either between 2pm and 4pm or between 6pm and 8pm ! :)  See you then!

So... in the mean time, I thought I'd share some Christmas pictures - SOUTHERN CALIFORINA STYLE...

 
Here is Jason with his 4 cousins (my brother's kids) in their backyard (I think their backyard is BIGGER than our home!)

We drove 400+ miles to Southern California to celebrate Christmas with my brother and his family in their gorgeous home. We got to see my dad and his wife briefly before they took off on vacation.  We stopped in Bakersfield on the way back home to see Eric's parents... so it was nice to see many of our local family this year.

My brother and his wife by their pool...

Gorgeous bougainvillea in their backyard:

Fun snacks for the boys:

Stampin' Up! goodies for the girls:

Great shirt from my sis in law for Jason:

We also did some celebrating before we left...  YUMMY dessert for Ashley:

Sharon liked what I made for her:

We LOVED what Sharon made for us... (filled with yummy cookies):

 It's always easy to find things with Joy's name on them..

  
and I just have to say... this is the ONE THING that I really HATE at Christmas time.... someday someone will invent ornament hangers that don't get all tangled up!

I hope that your Christmas was FABULOUS, and I pray that you all stay safe and enjoy celebrating as we ring in 2010 !!!

 
 

Merry Christmas from the Bennett family

Wishing everyone a lovely Christmas Holiday full of love, laughter, joy, good food, friends, and celebrating the birth of our Lord!

This was our Christmas Card this year, created in My Digital Studio.  :)

 

My Favorite Christmas Tree Ornaments

I thought it might be fun to photograph and share some of my favorite Christmas Tree ornaments... I love that our tree has no theme.. just anything fun, handmade things, colorful things.. all have meaning... things we've collected from trips or things I've made.... anyway.. just thought I'd share...

Each year I make an ornament with our son's photo on it... this was from 1994 when Jason bowled on a children's league.. this is what he did after each STRIKE ! :)

I made the following 2 ornaments in the 1980's when I was sooooooooooo into cross-stitching!

I have lots of snowmen and penguins on the tree...

We have about a dozen assorted animals like this... is was a darling series of stuffed creatures made by Hallmark in the mid-1980's.  I love them all! I wish they'd make them again!  {{hmmm who knows.. maybe they do... I never go in to a Hallmark store anymore!}}

 

  And then I have a small collection of Starbucks Ornaments.. they are really cute:

And then, of course there is last year's favorite...  my punched penguin pals..

This year I did our mantel totally NON traditional... :)  but it's cute!

  

 
 
 

Jason's Masterpiece!

I was really amazed at our son's final art project for the semester.. he painted this with acrylics... he amazes me with his talent!!!!  I, myself, cannot even draw a hangman figure!  LOL

They were supposed to copy a picture.. here is what he copied:

 
 
 

Thanksgiving Wishes

Sunflowers always remind me of the amazing beauty God has created on this earth, and how thankful I am for everything He has given to me.

I am thankful for all of you, my friends who come visit me here daily.

I pray you each have a wonderful day today, whether you are celebrating Thanksgiving here in the US or abroad, or just having a wondeful day with loved ones.

Today would have been my mom's 80th birthday.. I miss her.. I thank God for all the flowers in my garden so I can always be reminded of my mom each day!

Blessings to you all!

Patty 

ADDING another photo... I was puttering in my garden this afternoon since it's such a gorgeous day... this will probably be my last bouquet of the season.. we'll see.. maybe one more... but I'm sure loving fresh flowers on Thanksgiving!

Blue Angels in San Francisco - 2009

We were really lucky to go see the Blue Angels in San Francisco on Friday... we heard that the show was cut very short on Saturday due to fog... so we were extra excited that we got to see the whole show!  It is so cool to see them flying over the bay with Alcatraz in the background.  I hope you enjoy the photos!

My son and I took over 300 photos that afternoon, and I've put a few of them into scrapbook pages using My Digital Studio to share with you.  You can journey through our day with us... after the air show we walked along Pier 39 and had a wonderful dinner with an awesome view at Bubba Gumps.  We shopped and "played tourist" for the afternoon and evening and then drove over the bridge to home (about a 20 minute drive).  It was a wonderful day spent with my hubby and son ... love it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Have a wonderful weekend my friends!

 
 
 

 
 

My Story Scrapbook - part 3

 Here are the final pages I have to share with you from my"My Story" Scrapbook.  For previous posts regarding this book, please see THIS POST and THIS POST.

Thank you for all your kind comments about this book... I truly wish I had something like this from my mom, which is the reason I really wanted to get this done - to pass on to my son.  Someday he'll appreciate it :)

My stamping hobby turned into my job in 1995:

 other hobbies:

Stampin' Up! Cruises:

Stampin' Up! Conventions - a BIG part of my life!

Advisory Board - a big part of my past year:

So.. that's it.. I see this as an on-going project.. I can add to it anytime.  Hope you enjoyed it and I hope you will make YOUR STORY into a scrapbook!!

My Story Scrapbook - part 2

I forgot to take photos of the covers of the albums from last night's class participants.. they were all so different and wonderful.. darn!  But I did photograph my pages.. I will post some here and more tomorrow.  For supplies see THIS POST.

My Cover:

1st page:  name, birthdate and location

Growing Up:

My family:

Getting Married - and our family:

Our family Traditions:

Things I like and my favorites:

MORE PHOTOS TOMORROW!

Here is the list of topics I suggested to my class participants:

MY STORY Scrapbook Topic Suggestions

Name

Age

My Birthday

Growing Up:  Born - Raised

Where I live now

nicknames

places I have lived

parents names

siblings names

children/grandchildren names/ages

wedding day/place

schools attended

places of employment

where I go to church

A day in my life

Things that make me: happy, sad, nervous, excited, content, mad, laugh, cry

TOP 10/ favorite:  food, activity, restaurant, movies, music, TV shows, snack, book, game, vacation spot, music, drinks, time of day, holiday, celebrity, smell, color, way to unwind

what defines me

hobbies / things I collect

things I love…

People  I love

You & Me

Happiness is..

Through the Years..

Friends

My Family and I

good times

love

adventure – Trips

Family Traditions

My Story Scrapbook Class by Patty Bennett ~ July 2009 ~  www.PattyStamps.com

Happy 4th!! Baseball, Fireworks...

We had a great time at the Oakland A's baseball game last weekend, complete with fireworks! 

Our son brought his new camera and took this really cool shot about 1/2 way through the game:

 

After the game, they let the fans go on to the field to watch the FIREWORKS!

 

They they play great music and do a fabulous fireworks show!  (he let me use his new camera to take a few shots... )  :)

 

 

 

 

 

Have a fabulous day however you are spending it!! 

When your husband goes to the market...

When your husband goes to the market.....

 

I just had to CRACK UP!!! :) :)

Happy Anniversary honey!!  23 years... wow!!

"Look Here" Pop Up die - NEW from Stampin' Up!

I had fun with this new Pop Up 3-D Die from Stampin' Up!!  It's called "Look Here" - because the arrows all point to the center... ya know... "look HERE"! :)  It is a new item we can PRE ORDER as demonstrators this month, and is in the NEW Stampin' UP! catalog that will be released to customers on July 1.   Do you have YOUR catalog reserved yet??  If not, click HERE.

This is supposed to hold a gift card but when I saw it I immediately thought of photos.. so that's what I did with it.

Here is our graduate and his friends at Graduation last Saturday.  Colors used: Bravo Burgundy and Crushed Curry.

 

side view:

 

other side view:

 

I ran one Crushed Curry cardstock piece through the Big Shot with the Look Here die and used that as the base of the pop up part, then ran a sheet of Bravo Burgundy cardstock through the Big Shot with the Look Here die and used some of those arrows to decorate the inside.   The folded card (4-1/4"x5-1/2") is Bravo Burgundy.

I see lots of fun potential for this die... think outside the box!!

San Francisco Visit - long post! :)

We got the chance to play tourist in San Francisco TWICE this weekend.. too fun!!  We live about 25 miles from downtown and try to go a few times a year, but twice in a weekend was TOO fun!  We went over the 3 main bridges today that connect us to SF.  (usually we just go back and forth over one bridge). 

So here are photos from both visits this weekend...

Golden Gate Bridge:

 

 

Alcatraz Island:

 

 

Alcatraz in the distance... Jason and his cousin David at Bubba Gumps on Pier 39:

 

 

 

Lizzy's amazing shrimp dinner!

 

Jenny and her pop up Cake Die Graduation card from Auntie Patty :)

 

Jason & Jenny - cousins born 41 minutes apart - both Graduates this month!  "The World" cruise ship in the background - docked in SF for the weekend.

We were eating at the restaurant at the tip of this pier right in the center of the photo... Bubba Gumps is our favorite for family celebrations! The Bay Bridge is on either side of Treasure Island, you can see it on the left and right side of the photo.

 

Transamerica Pyramid Tower:

  

Coit Tower and Transamerica Pyramid Tower:

 

SF Skyline from the water - not your typical view of the skyline:

We toured the SS Jeremiah O'Brien:

 

It is NOT made for TALL people!

 

Definitely NOT a Royal Caribbean ship - most rooms had 4 bunks!! ... Yikes! LOL

 

My new friend on deck:

 

I tried my hand at a couple "artsy" photos of Jason in SF:

 

OK, enough touristy photos... hope you enjoyed that little vacation to San Francisco!

Back to stampin' tomorrow...