Give "Fourth" a Little Sparkle

Looking for a quick Independence Day favor? Try this!

Stampin' Up!'s 1"x8" cello bags are perfect for a few sparklers and dress it up with a label and shimmery star...it's festive and quick for your 4th of July celebration or a gift for a friend.

Project Recipe (all supplies from Stampin' Up!) :

Stamps: Simply Stars, Label Love
Ink: Smoky Slate and Real Red ink pads
Paper: Midnight Muse & Whisper White card stock, Silver Glimmer Paper (124005)
Accessories: Artisan Label (130920), 7/8" Scallop Circle (129404) and small Star (retired) punches. 1"x8" Cello Bags (124134)




And for those of you with children, THIS is a genius sparkler safety tip: Use a large plastic cup as a Sparkler shield to keep little ones from getting burned!

Have a SAFE and happy 4th!

A Very Jonas Fourth!

I was settling down for a quiet 4th of July when my friend Vicki called at 7 p.m. and said, "We have two extra tickets for the Stadium of Fire...want to come quick?" The show started at 8 in Provo and with my family spread all over the map, I had to find a date FAST! I called my friend Leslie and we raced to the stadium in time to find our seats (ON THE FIELD!!! THANK YOU VICKI!!) and watch Glenn Beck march in 76-Trombone Style:Next, SheDaisy took the stage...welcome home to Utah, ladies!Things then got a little crazy...


(This one is for Mindi...) In case it gets *too* crazy, just break out a good book and settle in :) Yes, this was taken AS the Jonas Brothers were singing!! WHAT IN THE WORLD? I love me a good book as much as the next person (and may have even been caught reading Harry Potter 7 at Stampin' Up! Convention...) but seriously? Maybe she is the grandmother of Kevin, Nick and Joe and has seen them perform hundreds of times...

We finished up with some spectacular fireworks and it was a very memorable holiday! So if you need any gifts for Young Women or Girl's Camp...support Vicki's lds-yw site because she totally ROCKS for letting us celebrate in style!

Object Lesson

Just before Christmas, Kayson got a hold of a big (read: illegal) firework and convinced his dad that it would be a great "object lesson" as the "star of Bethlehem". So after reading the Christmas story from Luke 2 on Christmas Eve, the two partners-in-crime tell the rest of the family to meet them in the valley below our house in 5 minutes. After the object lesson, we should "drive home and deny any knowledge if questioned." We dutifully follow in the aforementioned time lapse, but low and behold...EVERYONE is driving along this normally deserted road on Christmas Eve in a snow flurry like like you've never seen before. DH says, "Let's try the quarry". We follow behind them and I'm watching the huge turbines in the mouth of the canyon spin around as the wind rushes through (totally cool, by the way). The boys pull over on the normally-deserted-road and I pull over behind them, turning on my hazards so that the crazy Christmas Eve traffic behind us won't run into our car as Kayson gets out of the jeep to check the wind (...he can't SEE the turbines??? DUH). Guess who the FIRST person behind us to stop is?? Yep, a friendly officer of the peace to make sure that everything is okay. (What do I say? Um, yeah...we were just checking to see if we could try setting off an illegal firework in this snowstorm...) Needless to say, I explain that I was just making sure my husband was okay in front of me (who is now driving away leaving me to explain to the police). He wishes us a Merry Christmas and we give up for another night (say perhaps New Year Eve??) Two words: Plausible Deniability.