Tips on Being Hip

After designing the Just So Hippy set, I wanted to create a tip sheet of ways to use it for anyone who purchased the set(or was on the fence about purchasing!) ;) I hope it gives you a lot of ideas and shows the versatility of the set, the combinations are really limitless! I will be posting examples of cards and 3D items using each of these tips in the future, so please check back! Please feel free to copy and print what you see below to keep as ahandy reference sheet with your set (or if you can write back and tell me how to add a word document to my blog for people to click on and download, I'd be much obliged!)

Just So Hippy Tip Sheet
By Melanie Muenchinger

Hippy greetings are intended to work with ALL animals in the set, as their hips are all proudly on display! “Bonus” greetings have been added for your monkey and giraffe.

Make masks of your animals and store them with your set. You'd be amazed what other things these animals could hold, have fun looking through your stamp collection!

Make masks of the flower and balloon to allow for stamping large bouquets.

The small greetings in the set fit on the balloon and the square sign. They also fit perfectly on the round tab punch, tag punch, and several Cuttlebug Die tags. Long greetings fit in the word window (punch twice to make it longer) or look terrific stamped on ribbon.

Write in your/sweetheart's initials on the sign or hearts.

Flower and balloon have no stem or string so they can easily be stamped repeatedly without masking to make cute backgrounds.

The flowers and balloons can be held from their mouths, tail, or hands! Have fun coming up with your own fun compositions and combinations! The possibilities are endless!

Draw in your own string or stem without worrying about getting it to line up. Stamp both images first, then connect starting from the prop to the animal using a straight edge (or just freehand to match the set.)

Stamp the heart with the arrow on one hip like a tattoo! Or stamp it on the sign to give them a Valentine card to hold.

Use the umbrella for showers, spring or get well cards.

Pop up their props on dimensionals.

Pop up the giraffe and hippos backside on dimensionals for 3-D effect.

If you have a larger greeting you want to use, sketch your own sign around it after stamping.

Put just the hippo's backside on your card front. Stamp the entire hippo inside with the greeting for a charming "peek a boo" effect.

Other fun greeting ideas (write them down inside your card or print them on your computer):
Does this make me look too hippy?

So hippy for you!
Behind you all the way!

A friend has your back!
Thanks for always having my back!

From the BOTTOM of my Heart

I'd love to hear in the comments some creative ways you are enjoying the set(or plan to use it if you're waiting it's arrival! Hopefully this sheet is still a work in progress...

Card above uses SU!'s Close to Cocoa CS, Polka Dots & Petals DP, Watercolor Crayons and Aquapainter,PT Stamper's Select WhiteCS, Palette Noir inkpad, prima and halfback pearl.

I Got GIFTS!

Look how cute this little calendar is that Donna made for me! (and I'm not just saying that because it uses my stamps!!) What an easy and clever way to make a desk calendar, it a piece of cardstock folded into a triangular "tube", I'd only seen the CD case calendars before, this is great you can tear the pages right off. She said there is even a little 2008 calendar you can print out on Splitcoast! I think the bamboo branch from Embrace Life works great with the giraffe stamp(she stamped it on each page) and it's a really nice neutral color combo, which is good to think about since it's out on your desk year-round!(I believe it's River Rock, Always Artichoke, and Groovy Guava, am I right, Donna?) If you haven't yet checked out her blog, you should, everything she posts is just beautiful, and honestly, I'm liking the samples she's made for my set more than my own LOL! What good friend she is to me! Thank you, Donna, YOU rock!!! ("You rock"greeting is from Hanna Stamps!)

This card uses the new Lined Paper background stamp for Cornish Heritage Farms, which was a just because/Christmas gift/stamp release/design team farewell/it's my birthday gift from Lisa

Strahl (Mona Lisa on SCS)who designed the stamp! She actually let me pick my favorite, and while there were so many gorgeous ones to choose from(16 new releases!), I thought this was just so different and fun, and completely unlike any other stamps I have! And SO versatile and practical: think of all the fun to do/shopping list/notepads/journals you could make in fun colors! and how great for stamping your greetings on the lines or for journalling! Or letting your kids practice their lettering! i just love it, takes me back to my school days(the years before I started hating school that is!LOL!)

I really like this stamp with my new set, Just So Hippy, the flowers, hearts and animals are the kind of things I would have doodled in my notebook. And I was thrilled when my set arrived (her background stamp arrived first) to find that the greetings from this set are just the right for the spaces! too cool....For this card I wanted it to look just like a sheet from a notebook, so I inked it up in Bashful Blue and ran my regal Rose marker down the vertical lines before stamping. (But don't limit this fun stamp to these colors, I have plans for some really cute pads in my favorite color combo, chocolate chip and PINK!!!) I think added the matted focal point here make it look like page out of a diary with a photo attached. Check back tomorrow to see how I made the little envelope he's holding...

Thank you tons, Lisa, I hope you like this card!!!

A few of My Favorite Things

This is my entry for the February My Favorite things Guest Designer Challenge: create something out of the box (My Favorite!) using MFT stamps, but the project cannot be rectangle or a square. I thought constructing that iconic headless lady* we all know and love would be most appropriate! (Thanks, Donna for loaning me the set, had no idea I'd be inking it up so soon!!)

For this card, I sketched out the shape on another piece of paper to figure out the proportions. Then I took a rectangular piece of DP cut A2 size, and cut out my dress. Then I adhered the dress Blush Blossom folded base.and started cutting that, starting on one side with the shoulder, then down the arm and the dress. To make the other side match up, take the paper you just trimmed off one side, flip, and lay it on the other side and cut around, and your card will be perfectly symmetrical. I cut out between the waist and the arm with a hobby blade. I used a "squished" B&C circle stamp from Papertrey for my tea tray and cut the oval shape with scalloped scissors, and adhered it with dimensionals to the card. Then I stamped and colored the Hot Stuff tea cups with watercolor crayons, then cut them out and popped them up on dimensionals on the tray. I wrapped some 5/8" grosgrain around the waist and added the halfback pearls using glue dots to form a necklace. Add a little Versamark cleavage and she's all done!


I hope I win the contest! I would be estatic to design for this company and gets lots of free stamps, I have countless MFT sets on my wishlist...(Don't know who's judging, but if you like this card, please feel free to leave a comment in my SCS gallery!! ;)

Please check back later for another idea I have for Hot Stuff!

If you don't recognize this shapely silhouette, go check her out at www.mftstamps.com

Random Stuff!

As promised, here is a card I pulled from my basket I call "Pumpkin Bloom"that I feel is a good example of tying all the elements of on a card together. This uses Papertrey's Spooky Sweets (pumpkin and "curly queue"(sp?) images) and Faux Ribbon("stem" and sentiment). Nichole gave this card an Honorable Mention in her September Gueststar Stamper contest, for it's out of the box idea, but I think there are a few other things about it that made it successful.

I began with my color scheme: Perfect Plum, Pale Plum and Mellow Moss, a really soothing color combo I like to use a lot. After creating the focal point, I needed to make my greeting. Using the large and small oval punch to make the Perfect Plum window for the tag, I created a "petal" which ties into my focal point. The vertical Mellow Moss strip for the border echoes the stem. Finally, the tied moss grosgrain attached to the tag, echoes the leaf. Had I used a round tag, a horizontal border, etc I don't think it would have had the same impact. Adding punched flower or other embellishments would take away from Nichole's beautiful image.

So what do you think? Do all these things make a unified card, or did I just get lucky?? LOL! Maybe try it the next time you get stuck in the middle of a creation and you know it needs something else but don't know what. Look at the colors, patterns, shapes in your focal point for clues, and hopefully you'll find the answer you need...using this approach as I've gained more experience has led me to creating better cards, and a much faster completion time, which is a GREAT bonus! Let me know how it goes!

I've seen lots of options for organizing ribbon: store bought containers, shoeboxes, rain gutters, curtain rods, ...I am the only one who uses a loaf pan and a tinker toy rod? Anyone? This cheap little solution holds up to 18 spools of SU! grosgrain, whaddya think?? (of course you have to take them all out when you need to some make banana bread, but I just recommend going and buying an extra to leave in the kitchen LOL!

Actually my 5 year old just noticed this other day(after probably about a year of it being on the shelf) and told me very solemnly: "You did not ask permission, Mama" (for the tinker toy). I think my response was something along the lines of "Tough! You left it on the floor! And I paid for them anyway!" but said in the kindest possible way, of course! Oh, don't feel sorry for him, he just got a million things for Christmas and I've gotta keep my desk clean!! ;)

Have great day!! Go stamp something! ;)

Hips and Kisses!

Here is a Just So Hippy card that uses the same technique I used on yesterday's posted sample, I had a few questions about it, so I wanted to explain how it was done, it's very simple.* You will need a piece of vellum paper(not vellum CS, which is thicker and not transparent) Stamp your image on the left hand side of the vellum, then flip the paper over, and you will now have a reversed image on the right hand side. Stamp the image again on the left as you did before, and voila! you have two hippos (or giraffes or whatever!) facing each other. Use a stampamajig or peek under if you want them to be touching(nuzzling!)as you see here. Vellum smears easily, so be careful when you flip the paper (you may want to blot it with tissue or scratch paper) and when you start coloring. Then I omitted the tied end of my balloon when inking up my image to leave just the heart floating between them.

Colored pencils are probably your best choice when doing this technique because the thin vellum will buckle easily with watercoloring. Here I used markers and a tiny bit of watercoloring with a brush, but went very easy on the amount of water. I used my white gel pen on their eyes and teeth for some "pop".

Adhere to a lighter piece of CS the same size or slightly larger if you want the vellum "framed". You'll need to use brads or find some punches or embellishments to cover glue if you choose to adhere it that way. I ran my Real Red Mat and Basic Gray card base through my Cuttlebug using the D'vine Swirls folder, one of my faves, it goes with almost everything! I did a direct to paper technique with my white craft pad over the embossed swirls to really show the texture.

I always try to make my choice of embellishments echo some of the other elements in the card (rather than just picking something because it's cute!) so I chose this dotted ribbon to pick up the spots on the back, the brads, the white dots from the heart and the flower center, etc. All these things, whether the viewer realizes it or not, draw the eyes around the card, and creates a much more visually appealing whole. I feel like since I started making sure everything had "an intent/purpose", my cards improved dramatically. I'll be showing an sample I feel illustrates this really well tomorrow, please check back! :)

* if you don't have vellum, you can also do a reverse image with a rubber brayer or a large bold "reversing" stamp like a square or rectangle by kissing your image onto the reversing stamp, then pressing it to your paper (but mine was not large enough for the giraffe, it is a tall image). This is better for being able to color and not having the smearing or adhesive issues you do with vellum, BUT, your second image with be lighter as it comes out looking "stamped off". So there are advantages and disadvantages to both...

So Grateful to be a Stamp Designer

Being able to wear a "stamp designer hat" now is simply beyond words. After Gina K and I struck up our partnership and as I planned my set, ideas for more sets came rushing over me like a wave, and I had the feeling that I'm finally doing what I was born to do(besides being awife and mother of course)! Some of the things I'm drawing now for my stamps are surprisingly images that are amazingly similar to characters I drew as a child, and it seems as though I'm rediscovering these ideas because they were meant to be used. Sappy, I know, but it's true! I have a long list of people I need to publicly recognize and thank who helped me to get to here, so here goes (skim for your name if short on time! LOL!) :

• God: Every good thing about me and in my life comes from You. I am so blessed to be gifted with something that brings me such joy that I can share with others. Thank you for all your gentle leadings that have helped me realize some of your plans for my life. Thank you for waiting so patiently thirty years for me to figure this out!



• Family: You've always believed in me and said I could do anything. I love you.



• Friends: if you are reading this line, you know who you are! Thank you for all your encouragement and always being genuinely excited for ME, even if there is nothing exciting to YOU about stamps! I am So blessed to have you in my life.



• Stampers: that's what this is all about. Do all hobbyists feel the same passion for their craft as we? I'm not sure! It's an amazing bond that only stampers truly understand! Thank you to every single person who has ever visited my gallery, left a comment, placed an order, sent me a RAK, swapped cards, shared ideas/techniques/brilliance/friendship etc! I am a better stamper/person for your kindness/contributions/interest in my art.



• Nichole Heady: Wow. When I discovered her site and work I was more inspired to stamp than I had in a long time, and more inspired to do something with it than I ever had. I just think this woman has it all. When she announced in her blog after I won her gueststarstamper contest that I was a "girl who is going places", I knew I had to prove her right. Thank you, Nichole, for saying just the right thing, at just the right time. When someone like THAT says you're going places, why then, you'd best get going!



• Barb Schram (I know you just fainted that I singled you out, please get back in your chair, I have something to tell you!): Barb is someone I met through "mutual admiration" pm's in the Papertrey forum after winning Nichole's contest, and after just a few messages she said she'd be the first in line when I released my own stamp set. I thought "huh? How does she even know I draw?? ...hmmmm....." So I feel like Barb was "The Messenger". Thank you Barb for making me believe I could do this. (What would the world be like without people who encourage us this way? What if we didn't listen?)



• Carolyn King and Gina K: So I was chewing on this idea of how I should be going somewhere... and ended up at GinaK Designs LOL!! I'd been enjoying her blog for sometime, but that particular day I was in her store and noticed a "Stamps by Friends" link I'd never seen before, and clicked. I instantly recognized the name "Carolyn King", a card designer whom I recently become familiar with through her amazing work being recognized again and again through Papertrey. And I thought "Carolyn has her own stamp set? Well, then, I want a stamp set! hmmmm...." and the rest is history, folks! The way Gina K and I connected later and so easily found a "meeting of the minds" if you will in putting together this set made our partnership seem truly serendipitous! I am so grateful for her belief in my work and her choice to support me! I can't wait to create more sets with her and get to know this fabulous, talented lady better!! (and Carolyn, too, it's been such a treat conspiring with her these last few weeks and receiving all her wisdom and encouragement through this process, thank you Carolyn, I just feel I've known you forever!)

So had I not found Papertrey, which led me to Barb, who led me to Carolyn, to Gina K to....do you see??! (Six degrees of Papertrey-HA!) it's all part of a big Plan :) And since then, Donna Baker: she is just an angel on earth, so supportive, secret-keeping, on hand blog support, card reviewer, etc!! I remember the day I met Donna at a shoebox swap, she came up to me and said "Hi, I'm Donna" and embraced me like an old friend!! Don't you just love people like that?!) Thanks for doing everything you possibly can to help make sure I make the most of this opportunity! I'm so glad to have someone "local" I can get together with who understands me so well, and is an expert at everything I'm not!!! LOL! I promise, I will make this up to you!!

Thanks for reading, more to come!!!

If Debbie and Beate Think it's Fabulous...

well, then, it must be!!! I am so excited to have Debbie and Beate, two of the most amazing stampers on the planet designing with MY NEW SET, "Just So Hippy"! (I'm sure these ladies are probably stops number 1 and 2ish on your daily blog rounds, so you've probably seen these already but I HAD to give them this special shout out/thank you and revel in the moment that my set is featured on their awesome blogs!!!) Beate's card:

Debbie's Card:

Just how did I land these two design superstars? Well, we go WAY back and share a Dirty Little Legacy, designing during the same term, it's a bond for life LOL! (And I got really lucky, of course!) They were just so nice to make some time amid all their other design obligations, I was thrilled when they agreed sight unseen to work on it, and even more excited when they did see it and said they LOVED it! Someone pinch me, I still think I'm dreaming! (Must share: I believe Debbie's modest reply was "I'd love to if you think it's within my capabilities." Can you believe? Within her capabilities?? Debbie, please, give it up, you know you're the BOMB!!(to quote Cammie) And dear, dear Beate: her gallery was the first I bookmarked on SCS, (her cards could do NO wrong!), and it was she plucked me from obscurity and extended the invitation for me to design for the DD. I do believe I would be virtually unknown had she not given me a chance to show my stuff! Gosh, I just love these ladies, they do my little stamps proud...

The card at the top ( sorry I can't figure out how to move it to the bottom after I add the image!Donna??) is one I designed for GinaK's gallery, and shows my third animal in the set(see the girafe in the next post) So far everyone's favorites are split between the giraffe and hippo, can I get a little monkey love??? I really like the other two as well, but the monkey having FOUR hands gives you lots of design options!! No, you don't get the whole "butt"* here as some have pointed out, but you've still got one hip, and that's hippy enough for me! The "tattoo" stamps will fit here as you will see on future samples. (here I popped up some of the flowers on a dimensional to give him a little "coverage", I call this one "Modest Monkey" ;)

You can see more samples by me and Gina K's stellar design team in the store gallery, be sure to check them out!

PS I'd love to hear from your comments which animal is YOUR personal favorite and why?

*is it possible to use "fanny" (my favorite, thanks Debbie!), "heiney", or "rump" when referring to their parts? I think they're feeling a little sensitive right now!

Keep your Head UP!

I squealed with delight when my friend Donna emailed me this card she made today! Donna is an incredibly talented and funny gal, as you can see here (She came over and spent HOURS yesterday helping me get my blog ready and shared the excitement of my first few excitement, I just had to send her home with my set to try it out!) I was trying to figure out what I wanted to share before the release party since I have certain projects I've planned out toreveal on certain days, but she made my decision easy! I am so loving this curved sentiment for the string (it's a clear flexible stamp), one of my favorite things for card-making is substituting a greeting for a line, so why didn't I try that yet with this one? (Guess I'm just in designing mode and too focused on my pen now lol!) And could the greeting be any more appropriate for this image"keep you head up!" !!!! I MUST have it. Fortunately, it's from the set "Things Hannah Would Say" from Hanna Stamps!, which was already on my wishlist for the saying "Have a tail wagging day!" (Hint: the giraffe is not the only one wagging it's tail in my new set! ;) Oh YES, those greetings will be mine. And see how the backside, er, front side is popped out for dimension?? It really does look like it's looking round at you! And I love the glitter, layout, colors(Pretty in Pink and Certainly Celery), everything! Awesome job, Donna, thank you!! Oh, and where did the flowers go?? Did she omit them? Did I add them?? WAit and see!!

Okay, more sneak peeks to come!!! (You might be on the lookout for some other samples to pop up who know's where from a few other people who I AM SO LUCKY to have inking up my set!! ;))

PS She may not have been the only one to notice, but so far the only I've seen comment on the pic I used for my bio and GinaK's site, the answer is: YES, Su Gould, my over the shoulder pose was intentional to correspond with my set;) (my hips cropped out, thank you very much!! LOL! I guess that's my attempt at trying to be sassy! (or "fierce", any ANTM fans out there??)

Precious Moment

In a very brave move I am posting a pic of myself in my pjs without makeup(be kind in your comments), but the moment was TOO priceless not to share. This is the first card my sweet Jonathan made for me with the stamp set I just designed,which he stamped and colored himself, then wrapped and gave to me Christmas morning. A memory for a mother to cherish FOREVER.
The giraffe is one of Jonathan's favorite images in the set, and like a good son, he says it is his FAVORITE SET (and I have a LOT of sets!) He's five, and has spent a lot of time stamping with me. One thing I think he enjoys most about it, though, it gives him so many of options to be creative and make his own choices with his design, by interchanging the items the animals hold, and changing their positions. (what the heck do I mean by all that? You'll have to check out the rest of the set tonight to see! hmmm is that a balloon I see in there...?) As a mom, I'm glad this set is so kid-friendly, in more ways than one! :)

PS I've REALLY enjoyed reading all the comments here and on Gina K's blog, glad you're falling for my giraffe, too! I will be doing another sneak peek here later today(once I get approval on it from "The BossLady";) so check back in a few...! T-minus 8 hours 16 minutes until the release party!

My Dirty Little Secret's OUT!!

I am not as well prepared for this post as I hoped I'd be (BUT lots of follow up posts, pics, etc to come!!!), as a person I will not name (GINA!) leaked what I thought was supposed to be top secret until tomorrow, I AM NOW A STAMP DESIGNER for GINA K DESIGNS!!! WOOT! Here is a sneak peek of a card I made using one of the images I designed from my very first set, "Just So Hippy", which will be releasing tomorrow night at 10PM! Click on the photo and hopefully you will notice it's "spots" are little hearts! Perfect for Valentine's Day, but also for any time you want to send some love! The rest of the images from the set will be revealed tomorrow; I can't wait for you to see how you can customize this image (and the other animals in the set!) for any occasion. Check out GinaK's blog for more details and sneak peeks! See you at the online release party tomorrow 7-10CST in the SCS GinaK forum.

I HEART hearts!

Almost time for Valentine stamps! I got excited seeing the sneak peeks on GinaK's site of the Heartfelt Hits(can you believe among my thousands of stamps I don't yet have hands clinking glasses or a bride a groom yet?? the horror! just been waitin' for the right ones) and that Dr. Feelgood of Carolyn King's, oh my word! I was laughing hysterically and had to write her and confide it looks like my DH!(to me anyway) Carolyn King, have you been over here???!!LOL So now I have some Gina K stamp sets to add to my wish/must have/buy list! GinaK's release party is tomorrow from 7-10 CST, the first of her for me to attend, I've got my chocolate all lined up, and I'm ready to chatter!!! Come play!!

You know, I think this is the MOST excited I've ever been for Valentine's Day, usually I don't start ramping up til February 13th! My son Jonathan started school this year so it's really my first opportunity to go crazy with goodies for his classmates and teachers. And I have so many fun goodies to work with! Here are a couple I picked up cheap at Jo-Anns, had to share these great finds with you: Cuttlebug Hearts Dies(4 that layer, and aren't they just the prettiest heart shape?? not too fat, not too skinny) only $8 using a Michael's half off coupon(did you know they took those??) I had a blast running some of my scraps through, got these done in no time! And these adorable little brads, that are a perfect match for Blush Blossom, Regal Rose and Real Red! (Just FYI, the pink die cut hearts in the pic are not Regal Rose, but Pretty in Pink CS, those were the scraps I was using, not trying to match the brads here)

Stay tuned for LOTS of fun projects ahead using them! ;)

Yup, I'm a Soccer Mom

My son Jonathan has played two seasons of Fall soccer, and the Spring registration form arrived in the mail today. It reminded me of this little card I made for him and each of his teammates and coach last season. This is my original design, check back later for a little tutorial on how I made it. Basically half a sheet of cs cut lengthwise and scored in half like you would for an A2 card. I pierced the details and embossed MVP from the Sporting set. I ran the strips of CS through my crimper for the stripes, and wrapped clear scotch tape around the ends of the twill tape to make the shoelaces. I used my cropodile to make the holes for the twill. I love how when it's displayed partially open it looks like a pair!! And, if you son or daughter is anywhere near my son's age (5), the "shoes" are actual size! :)

Best Wishes

January 2nd, has anyone managed to break their resolutions yet?? Here is a wish for the VERY best for you in 2008. I actually created this card to show at my last workshop, three of these 4 sets were retiring. I used Basic Grey Ink, CS and ribbon. A simple card, but works well for many occasions. I actually had my friend/stamping buddy/customer Charlotte in mind when I made it, she is getting married with Saturday in an outdoor ceremony. Now a January outdoor wedding might sound crazy if you live anywhere other than Texas, but if the weather reports are correct, she will be enjoying a beautiful 70 degree afternoon, should be lovely! Best of luck to you Charlotte! You will be a BEAUTIFUL bride!

Speaking of retiring, that last workshop WAS my LAST workshop. After 4.5 years, I will be leaving Stampin' Up! I will miss it in so many ways, and really appreciate all I learned, the opportunities it gave me, and the friends I've made though stamping(although we'll STAY friends, and KEEP stamping even if I'm no longer a demonstrator!) But I'm very excited to start working on new things, please pray for me in my new endeavors.

BTW, anyone want to adopt my one and only downline??? Bless her heart, she lives several states away and signed up under me before I even received my starter kit in the mail, and she's still working hard at it! We've never even met! (But how we connected and she became my recruit is a story for another time) Liz, I wish you all the success and happiness you so richly deserve! I'm still here for you with questions if I can help! Stamp on!!!

SO Nice to be Remembered!

Here is a lovely RAK I received out of the blue from the lovely and talented Lila Holgate, one of my original Dirty Dozen teammates! (And made with one of my favorite Papertrey sets, too, Snowflake Serenade! Lovin' that Soft Sky ink, I never did buy it, hmmm, maybe now!) She thanked me for updating my SCS gallery and said she'd missed my inspiration. That SHE! Missed MY! Inspiration! Whoa, I am truly humbled, I have a lot of Lila's cards in "my favorites", lemme tell ya! Check out her wonderful gallery on SCS: lholgate, she has a blog, too, check it out,(where did I put that address?). THANK YOU, Lila, what a wonderful surprise that was! Your RRAK I promised is on the way! :)

*Update: The Case of the Missing CCC (Copic Ciao Cap) is STILL unsolved!!! I put Jonathan, my DS, on the job, and after several minutes of looking, he declared "It is indeed lost." Wahhh!!!! :(

What's Important

My friend sent me this in an email this last week, a good one for the New Year's(but the photo is of a hand model my dad got me for Christmas, with a ribbon I tied around the pinkie to help me remember the prayer):

1. Your thumb is nearest you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said, a "sweet duty."

2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.

4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.

5. And lastly comes our little finger - the smallest finger of all which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, "The least shall be the greatest among you." Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

Have a VERY BLESSED New Year!
Pinkie-ly yours,
Melanie

Update: It's a been a whole WEEK since I took "the clean desk" photo, and after stamping up a storm EVERY day, it is still clean!! (although I am sad to report in spite if all this newfound orderliness I have managed to lose a cap to my one and only Copic Ciao(a flesh tone, WHERE IS IT????) That is at least 6 days longer than my previous record (not counting any stamping hiatuses when I hadn't been nearby to make a mess) I think I should CELEBRATE this by treating myself to a new set of Nestabilities! ;-)