December 2024 in Books

I'm super late getting this post up this month, but it's been busy!  December was a really good month of reading, especially the historical fiction genre.  Here are the recaps:

In the Time of the Butterflies - Julia Alvarez - historical fiction - five stars - Great read about the four Mirabel sisters who lived in the Dominica Republic during the dictatorship of Trujillo.  This is a country and time period that I knew nothing about.  Three of the Mirabel sisters and their husbands were involved with those who wanted to overthrow Trujillo.  As a result they were each jailed at various times and eventually the three sisters were murdered as was one of their husbands.  The narrative moves from sister to sister, and also brings you up to date on the aftermath of the murders, the fall of Trujillo, and what happened with the family afterwards.  Excellent read.

The Stone Home - Crystal Hana Kim - historical fiction - five stars - Another book about a country/time period I had no knowledge of, South Korea.  When I first started reading, I thought it took place much earlier, maybe before or after WWII, and was shocked to realize that the events took place in the 1980s.  It's about a 'home' that was established by the government as part of an effort to clean up the country leading up to their hosting of the Olympics.  Homeless/undesirables were picked up and placed into institutions where they functioned as slave labor, manufacturing items that were sold with profits benefiting the government, in addition, the government solicited funds from religious organizations to 'sponsor' these homes.  In some ways the stories reminded me of those of the Native American schools that governments established in the US and Canada.  Disturbing, but well worth the read.

The Volcano Daughters - Gina Maria Balibrera - historical fiction - four stars - Another historical fiction book where I learned a lot.  This one was another about a dictator, El Gran Pendejo, this time in El Salvador, and a set of sisters.  Pendejo is not all their.  He has numerous mystical notions/beliefs.  Sisters Consuela and Graciela have been taken from their home to serve him.  Eventually they are able to escape and return to their village in the shadow of a volcano.  The village is slaughtered.  Somehow the sisters survive and escape, although both believe the other is dead.  The book follows their life post El Salvador as well as how the come back to one another.  It's a really interesting story, although I wasn't a huge fan of the narrative device the author used throughout.  It's narrated by the dead friends of the sisters.  

Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #1) - Toshikazu Kawaguchi - fiction - four stars - About a cafe in Tokyo where you can go back in time to see someone, but there are rules.  You have to sit in a particular chair, you can't change the future, you have to return to the future before your coffee gets cold, etc.  This one took a while to get going, but I really enjoyed all the little vignettes of who wanted to to the past, who they wanted to talk to, and why.  A nice quick read.

French Windows - Antoine Laurain - fiction - three stars - I've read a number of Laurain's other books, they are what I'd describe as novelettes, and I really loved them.  This one was a disappointment.  It's about Doctor Farber, a psychologist, whose new patient, a photographer, photographed/witnessed a murder and now can't seem to work anymore.  As Farber works with her, she slowly reveals who the murdered/murdered was.  It was an interesting premise, and I was definitely surprised at the end, but I kind of feel like the bulk of the book was a total tangent and not really necessary.  Didn't live up to my expectations for the author.

Within Arm's Reach - Ann Napolitano - fiction - three stars - This one was a mixed bag for me.  It's about a large family dealing with the decline of the matriarch and the unexpected pregnancy of one of her grandchildren.  The varying personalities within the family as well as their relationships with one another were interesting, but it just didn't tied together well in the end.  Too many loose ends, just a lot that I felt was left unresolved, like we needed a few more chapters.  I'll also say that a number of the characters were just frustrating and annoying.  The interesting thing is that I picked this up because I've really enjoyed Napolitano's other books and figured I would read this new one, but it turns out it isn't actually a new book, it's the re-release of her debut novel.  Definitely not as polished and well done as her later books, but it definitely kept me reading, just felt unfinished at the end.

Favorite this month was In the Time of the Butterflies and least favorite was French Windows.  I'm already two and a half books into 2025, currently The Magnificent Ruins which is pretty good.  What are you guys reading?

SSS To Be Loved Blog Hop, Day 1

 *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.

Happy Friday!  Today I'm participating in a hop celebrating the Simon Says Stamp To Be Loved release.  You should be arriving from Alberto Gavas stop on the hop, and I'll have the full list at the end of this post if you need it.  As usual, there are prizes to be had.  One commenter on each stop along the way will receive a $25 store credit.  In addition, with any To Love (the last release) or To Be Loved purchase over $50, you'll automatically receive the Circle Hoops embossing folder pictured above for free.

Today I'm featuring several cards created using my new Sketched Clovers stamp set which features clovers in the same style as the Sketched Leaves set that was released last year.

For my first card, I created some custom pattered paper, stamping the leaves using three colors: Lucky, Limelicious, and Pearfection.  I love the way the lines of the leaves look when they are layered together!

One of the sentiments from the set was stamped on a pice of white cardstock, a green mat was added, and then it was popped up with foam tape.

Next up a very simple one layer card using back stamping.  This is where the stamp is placed on your block upside down, so that the flat bottom of the stamp creates a slightly larger solid stamp on the image in question.  The solid back stamping was done with Sprout ink.  After the back was stamped, I flipped the stamp over and stamped the right side using Field ink.

I actually used my stamping platform for this card, placing the image, stamping, turning my panel 180 degrees, and then stamping again to create a symmetrical pattern.

The completed panel was trimmed down and I added another sentiment from the set in the center.

Next up, embossing!  Similar to the last card, I saved a bit of time by utilizing my stamping platform for this card.  I also saved time by stamping two clovers at once.  These were stamped with Versamark and embossed in gold, the panel was turned 180 degrees and then stamped and embossed again.  I then moved/alternated the four different clovers images, repeating the process until I was happy with the border that was created.

As you can see, there's no issue in overlapping the embossing, it just adds additional texture and interest.

Another of the sentiments from the set was gold embossed in the center of the card, and the panel was then adhered directly to a kraft card base.  I often use kraft with gold embossed cards.  I feel like it gives a little definition, but keeps the gold embossing the star of the show.

This last card might be my favorite.  I really love Distress Embossing Powders.  I feel like they emboss very easily and cleanly and always look good, but I also wanted to use black cardstock, and Distress Embossing Powders are semi-translucent, so really don't show on black.

That's where the lightbulb came on.  Instead of using Versamark as I usually do, I stamped the clovers with white pigment ink and then embossed with Cracked Pistachio.  I'm so happy with the look.  It's not definitely more subtle than using a normal embossing powder, but so pretty.

The entire black panel was stamped/embossed, and then I pulled out my Lucky You dies for the sentiment.

For the sentiment die, I pressed my white pigment ink pad into/across a piece of black cardstock, embossed the entire piece with Cracked Pistachio, and then die cut the embossed cardstock.  This was adhered to the shadow piece which was cut from black cardstock.

I also added a sentiment from the Lucky You stamp set which was embossed using the same technique on a strip of black cardstock.  Both the sentiment pieces were popped up with foam tape.

That's all for me today.  I hope you got some good ideas for how to use this (as well as the previously released Sketched Leaves) set.  Your next blog hop stop is Heather Ruwe, and the full list is below.  Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered to win the $25 store credit.  Good luck and happy hopping!

Simon Says Stamp Blog
Caly Person
Cathy Zielske
Jennifer McGuire
Barbara Tarayao
Emily Midgett
Amy Rysavy
Debby Hughes
Keisha Charles
Alberto Gava
Miriam Prantner
Heather Ruwe
Tina Smith
Jean Doeringsfeld
Tracy Ware
Natasha Vacca

SSS To Be Loved Release

*This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.

It's a release day at Simon Says Stamp!  The To Be Loved release is now live and is filled with all things love, and some Saint Patty's Day too.

Today's cards feature the new Funky Hearts stencil set.  This is a set of four stencils, two create the wavy squares background, and the other too add hearts in those wavy squares.

For my first card, I kept things pretty simple.  I used just two inks:  Bubblegum and Peony.  The first two stencils to create the wavy square design were lightly inked with those colors.  I then used the same colors for the hearts, but a heavier hand, although I still kept things pretty light.

The Love You More sentiment was cut from pink cardstock, adhered to a shadow piece cut from white cardstock, and then popped up with foam tape.  Really quick and easy.

For the next card, I thought it would be fun to use just the two basic stencils. I again used just two colors, this time Cantaloupe and Lilac.  After an initial basic inking, I did some stencil shifting.  The first stencils was shifted slightly in one direction, inked with the same color, and then in the other direction and inked with the same color.  You need to keep a very light hand for this.  The same process was repeated with the second stencil using the other color.

The Sending Good Vibes sentiment was die cut twice, from white and a light orange, and these were offset over a shadow pice that was cut from white and then inked with Lilac.  The completed sentiment was popped up with fam tape.

Be sure to head over to Simon to check out the full release.  I'll be back tomorrow to share some cards featuring my newest stamp set.

SSS Circle Sentiment Dies, Take 2

 *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.

Hi friends!  Hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's!

I've got a couple super quick and easy cards to share today featuring my Circle Sentiment Dies.  When I was playing with them the other day, I realized you could use them to make some fun texting 'words'.

These words were then paired with some sentiment strips (I used Reverse Be You for the YOLO card and Reverse Craptastic for LOL) to create easy, no stamping cards.

I did add a little something to the white panels so that they weren't too stark, spreading Ranger Opaque Matte paste through the Tim Holtz Sparkle Fade stencil for a bit of texture and interest.

The circles and sentiment strips were popped up with foam tape over top once those were dried.  

That's all for me today....I'm breaking down Christmas at the house today....with me luck!

SSS, Circle Sentiment Dies

 *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp

I can't believe that it's already New Year's Eve!  This year has flown by!  I've got a couple cards to share today using my Circle Sentiments dies.  These are standalone dies that also coordinate perfectly with my Circle Sentiments stamp set.

Boggle was a game I loved growing up.  There are a bunch of dice with letters on then.  You shake them up, and end up with a set of nine letters you use create as many words as you can think of.  Playing with this set kind of reminds me of playing Boggle.

For the first card, I went with a more masculine color scheme.  The circle alphas were adhered directly to a white panel, and I added a secondary sentiment from my Cheering You On set.

I added a couple of patterned paper mats to complete the look.

The second card was pretty simple as well.  The circle pieces were cut from pink and red cardstock.  I also die cut them from my a white panel so that I could inlay the pink and red pieces.

I finished things off with one of the sentiments from the Circle Sentiments stamp set.

That's all for today, I'll have a couple other ideas for you later this week.  

Enjoy the festivities this evening!

SSS To Love Release, Harlequin Hearts

*This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.

Happy Friday!  Today I'm sharing a couple of cards using my new Harlequin Hearts background.  If you've followed me for a while, you know I like geometrics and graphic prints, so I'm really pleased with how this one turned out.

This first card is pretty basic.  I stamped the background using Versa Clair black on some natural white cardstock.  (This was a little bit of a mistake as I thought I had grabbed white, and it was kind of dark when I was stamping and I didn't realize until later that it wasn't white white, but I actually liked the result enough to stay with it).

The Love You sentiment die was cut from black and natural white and adhered slightly offset.  That piece was then adhered to the shadow piece which was die cut from red cardstock, and the whole thing was popped up.

Really simple, but I love how bold it is.

This next card has a more tone on tone look, with a twist.  I stamped the background with Versafine on red cardstock, and then embossed with holographic embossing powder.  This gives you a marooney/purple color and lots of shine and sparkle.  

Again, I wanted the background to be the star, so I jsut added a die cut sentiment that was popped up.  The Hugs and Kisses sentiment was cut from Matte Silver cardstock and adhered to a shadow piece that was cut from red and then embossed with the holographic embossing powder.

That's all for me today.  I know lots of folks are off for break starting today, so if you're traveling stay safe and enjoy the break!

SSS To Love Release, Circle Sentiments

 *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.

I know it's been all Christmas all the time around here lately, but there's a new release over at Simon Says Stamp today called To Love, and it's all about Valentine's.  I've got a few new products in this release, including the stamp set I'm featuring today called Circle Sentiments.  There are some coordinating/standalone dies too, but today I'm focusing on the stamps.

The set includes several circle images with a letter or shape in the negative space in the center of the circle.  There are then coordinating stamps that fill in those negative spaces with different patterns that you can mix and match.  I've also included a bunch of secondary sentiments.

This first card uses the majority of the letters to create the main 'I LOVE YOU' sentiment.  I used Flannel, Morning, and Sky for the circle alphas themselves.  I then used the coordinating small stamps to fill in some of the negative space in those letters using Sky, Night, and Earl ink.  One of the secondary sentiments was stamped with Versa Clair black ink below.

The top card in this photo was super quick and easy to create.  I used Bubblegum and Watermelon ink to stamp the circle images.  The negative space in the letters was then filled using the smaller stamps and Watermelon ink, and I added one of the secondary sentiments to complete the thought.

For the second card, I thought it would be fun to create using just the small stamps.  I went with rainbow color scheme using Taffy, Cherry, Pucker, Mandarin, Cantaloupe, Sunburst, Limelicious, Lucky, Royal, Night, and Amethyst.  Another of the small coordinating sentiments was added too.

Finally, you might have noticed that I snuck in 'merry christmas' as a secondary sentiment.

This was specifically so I could make the above card.  This makes one of the quickest, easiest Christmas cards ever.  Dublin and Watermelon were used for the circle images.

That's all for me today, but be sure to head over to Simon to check out the full release.  I'll be back tomorrow with some more To Love inspiration.