Simple Swap

I needed a quick but cute swap recently and I came up with this one using the new set Think Happy Thoughts. I love that it is a companion to one of my all time favs - Seeing Spots. I love this layout and it all went together really quickly. I may even do a version (try other colors) for my regionals swap. I loved the colors in the Cutie Pie paper that made up the journal below, maybe I'll go for that color combo. So, what do you think...if you were in a swap would you want this or would it hit the trash for being too simple?

Request for More...

I just assume no one reads this blog so I am terrible about updating....Tandra posted recently that I need to update more because she wants to see more. How sweet....someone reads this?!?!

Here is one I made for a Design Team Call. I have NEVER applied for a design team spot but Cornish Heritage Farms was having a design team call for people who have never been published and I fit into that category! Here is the altered project I submitted via e-mail.

This is one of Stampin' Up!'s On Board Journals. I used Cutie Pie Designer Paper, Bashful Blue card stock and ink, Rose Red card stock, Certainly Celery ink, Polka Dot background stamp, Polka Dots and Paisley stamp set (for greeting), Basics Outline jumbo wheel, Spiral punch, white gel pen, brads, ribbon.

This journal is where I am keeping track of all the cute pronunciations the girls have made or the cute things they have said. Things I don't want to forget. That is why I thought it was perfect to use the greeting from Polka Dots and Paisley for the cover.

I love the colors in the Cutie Pie Designer Paper. I also love that the Pomegranate Double Stitched Ribbon matches well enough for me to use it on this project. Did you notice the different "stitches" I did with my gel pen? Yes, I poked all those holes. Isn't is driving you crazy Lorien?

Just Like You - Again...

Can you tell I really like the Ronald McDonald House set? Here is another sample using this set as well as the new Fall Flowers paper (which I adore). It also uses the Photo Corner Punch - another winner in my book. I inked up the flower buds and the stems using my Stampin' Up! Stampin Write Markers and added a little bit of shine to them using Stickles. OOOOH, how I wish SU! sold Stickles...they are so much less messy than glue and glitter. This is a very simple layout. It was a reject for Jami's New Catty Swap (I rejected sending it in). You will see a few posts below which one won out. It is the one using the Fall Flowers paper, Priceless and the scallop circle punch. I liked both cards but I felt this was a bit too simple for the incredible stampers I was swapping with.

Suprise Baby!

Here is one I made a few weeks ago for a baby shower. A baby that is very much a suprise. A couple from church found themselves expecting. Their oldest child is around 14 and their youngest is maybe 13. They had decided they were done having babies long ago. BUT God had a different plan for them! Now they are expecting another daughter in the next 2 weeks or so.

This one was made with a retired hostess set from last year. The supplies used are: Blooming With Happiness, Simply Said, Curvy Verses, Chocolate Chip cardstock, Pretty In Pink cardstock, Certainly Celery cardstock, Marvy Scallop Square punch, slit punch, Pink Gingham Ribbon, Stardust Stickles, Certainly Celery, Regal Rose and Pretty in Pink Stampin Write Markers, White Gel Pen.

Class Sample

I am preparing for a class I have coming up and I took some time yesterday to sit down and come up with some prototypes. This is one that won out. I loved how it turned out. Simple lines, SO easy to duplicate but it has the right amount of elements to make it adorable. (Of course that is just my opinion.)

This one was made with the two new sets Pick a Petal and Fundamental Phrases. I haven't pulled this set out as much as I would have thought but whenever I do I am really pleased with the results. This also uses the new Photo Corner punch. How do I feel about the punch?? How did I live without it??? I have loved the look of photo corners for years but have never been able to make them myself. Now that this punch is here, life is so easy and it is such a cute element! Adding the eyelet just adds to it don't you think?

Other supplies used: Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Pale Plum, Certainly Celery, Whisper White card stocks. Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Perfect Plum, Certainly Celery inks. Soft Subtles Eyelets, Canvas background stamp, 1/4" circle punch, Certainly Celery grosgrain ribbon, Oval Punch, Stamp a ma jig.

2007-2008 Ronald McDonald House Set

Every year Stampin' Up! produces a new stamp set that will contribute to the Ronald McDonald House. Whenever someone purchases the Ronald McDonald House set $2 from the sale will go directly to RMH. So far Stampin' Up! has donated over $600,000 and with the launch of this new set I have a feeling that number is going to go up quickly!

Just Like You was on my first order which is not typical for me of the RMH sets. I only own one of them because I haven't really felt the set was very versatile and they haven't been of my style, but when I saw this one I knew it was going to be making its way to my house!

This one took awhile to do because there were a couple places I needed to mask. I even pulled out my Stamp a ma jig which doesn't happen often, but I really needed to get the flowers placed "just so". When it was done I sat back and looked at it and thought, "hmmm, I don't know if this is doing it for me." But, I walked away, came back later and decided I really liked it. Funny how things happen like that!

I used the following supplies: Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, Groovy Guava, So Saffron inks. Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery, Groovy Guava, Whisper White card stock. So Saffron and Bashful Blue brads. Photo Corner punch. White Gel Pen. Groovy Guava Double Stitched Ribbon. Stamp sets: Polka Dot background, Just Like You, Canvas.

Lovin This New Catty~

WOW, I am lovin all the fresh new color combinations in the new catalog. I made this one for a swap I am in. We have to use some of the new patterned paper. As soon as I saw Fall Flowers I knew I had to have it. It is very similar to a pack of paper we had over a year ago. It made me so sad it never made it into the catalog. Anyway, this sample uses a color combo from that paper - Soft Sky, Really Rust, Always Artichoke and white. I used my new Scallop Circle Punch. LOVE THIS!!!! It is so cute and so many of our images work well with it. And, the large circle punch fits perfectly inside it. The focal image and the swirls in the background were made using Priceless. Love this set too! I paper pierced the edges of the artichoke card stock as well as the scallops. I used a bit of moss gingham ribbon and white grosgrain as well as an artichoke brad for the center of the flower. I am quite happy with how this one turned out.

Fun Hostess Set

Here is another sample for you...This one was made using one of the new Hostess sets from the new catalog. It is called In The Spotlight. Anyone who knows me knows that I own virtually all of the circle image stamp sets we have. Of course with the new catalog came 2 new sets that are circles; circle flowers. They are really cute but I think I can have restraint since there are so many other sets I love and several of the circle sets have flowers in them as well. I used Certainly Celery, Real Red and Bashful Blue card stock (I LOVE that color combo), of course I had to use the slit punch to make a scalloped border. I love scallops! I also used our soft subtles brads. The best thing about our colors is that Stampin' Up! makes it so easy to match accessories to card stock/ink! Of course I had to add ribbon too and doesn't it look so cute to mix grosgrain and gingham? I really like how this turned out and hope you do too!

My First New Catty Order

My order should be here tomorrow! I can hardly stand it! What did I order you say? Well, here it is! Mind you that sales from my Open House were sooo good that I was able to roll all my earnings into the order and still get over $100 in free goodies!

The stamp sets I ordered are:

Punch Pals

Just Like You Priceless

Think Happy Thoughts

Fundamental Phrases

Polka Dot Background Stamp

Event Full (Hostess set)

In the Spotlight (Hostess set)

Vases in Vogue (Hostess set)

Punches I ordered are:

Photo Corners

Scallop Circle

1" Circle

Other Accessories:

Taffeta Chocolate Ribbon

Fall Flowers paper

Stack and Store Caddy

Double Stitched Groovy Guava Ribbon

Groovy Guava Prints Paper

Of course that is not all that is on my list either! There are still MANY things on my list!!! I'll share as I start crossing stuff off!

Double Line Doodles, Not So Dumb

OK, I will freely admit that this set has had me cursing several times over the last few weeks. This set, Double Line Doodles, is one that demonstrators received FREE at our regional events last year and we have had nearly a whole year to play with it. As my Open House dawned I was needing to create a make and take with it and I could not create anything that was amazing. I was so angry...I blamed the set itself, of course it couldn't be user error could it? (he, he, he) So anyway, my pal Lorien (she's great!) was making yet another swap for a different one I am hostessing and I LOVED how it turned out. I was lucky enough to get into a swap on Splitcoast that is hostessed by Jami and has some amazing swappers in it and I said I would use this set. I only said this one because it was one of the only new sets I knew I would own in time to participate. SO....after being so frustrated creating for my open house, I freaked out thinking---"I have to create something amazing to swap with amazing swappers and I can't! I just can't!" But then Lorien gave me her swaps with this set (click on her blog to the right and see her original card). I was inspired to use Doodle This with Double Line Doodles, to use white craft ink and to cut out the smaller flower and attach with a brad. I used Purely Pomegranate card stock and ink on this as well as Old Olive, Pretty in Pink, Black, the Word Window Punch, black gingham ribbon and Everyday Flexible Phrases. I am quite happy with how this turned out. My card is definitely different, but very much inspired by Lorien! Thanks pal!

New Catalog Open House

My New Catalog Open House was a success! I always enjoy having my best customers together stamping. There were over 14 people there and I think they had a good time. Here is a sample of one of the three make and takes they did. My plan at the New Catalog Open House is always to do simple cards that demonstrate a new set. New In Colors are always a plus too! I love this one done with Baroque Motifs. It uses Blue Bayou, Black and Soft Sky. The sentiment is from God's Blessings (a set from last year that is still currently available). I wish I could take credit for the layout but it was completely CASED! My pal Lorien came over and was making swaps for a swap I am hostessing. Her original was much more fancy, it had a silver brad in the center of each flower and also used white grosgrain ribbon. Our up-line, Tara, was visiting from Texas (she moved and left us just over 2 years ago). Tara was adapting Lorien's great sample and making it more simple. This is what she came up with and I loved it so we did it at my Open House. It is very simple yet very elegant don't you think?

Last One This Round

Here is the last ATC I did for this round of Taylor's Amuse swap. This one sat on my desk for a couple days - growing on me. I don't know what I was unsure about because now I really like it. At a workshop last week someone said it wasn't pretty at all because there was too much going on. Too much on the bottom and she didn't the color combo.

I used Petal's and Paisley paper again. The tiny scallop behind Seattle Girl is done with Stampin' Up!'s scallop scissors. They retired a couple years ago but I still have mine ready to go when I deem necessary!

Another Amuse Swap Sample

Here is another swap sample for the current Amuse ATC swap with Taylor. I snagged this elephant from Lisa Johnson when she was selling all her Amuse stamps. I got this little guy more because my youngest loves elephants and I know she will like using it. But I wanted to play with him too.

I used the Petals and Paisley Designer paper from Stampin' Up! as well as Tempting Turquoise and Old Olive card stock. The cute little turquoise gem is from JoAnn's. I'll share another sample with you tomorrow. I'll also be getting back to posting some samples made with some of my new Stampin' Up! goodies as soon as I can.

Amuse ATC Swap with Taylor

A couple of my favorite things combined into one event....Amuse Art Stamps, Taylor VanBruggen and swaps. Taylor's blog is linked to the right, if you haven't checked it out you need to and you need to subscribe so you can get updates whenever she posts to her blog. I love her work. She uses a mix of elements and also a mix of companies stamps. Usually I stick to blogs that use a majority of Stampin' Up! products but her's is worth my time.

http://www.amuseartstamps/, click here and prepare to spend some time looking at some fun and simple stamps. I spend a lot of time admiring other companies stamps but I don't spend much money on them because I save most of it for Stampin' Up! stuff. But, I have recently purchased some amuse after spending over a year really enjoying them.

I love swapping - when I know I will be getting good quality back. I know my stuff is not the best out there, but I do spend time and energy making sure my cuts are all straight, my colors look good together, layering, etc. so if I find a swap I think will have great players, I love to join in. Taylor has hostessed 2 Amuse ATC swaps and I was lucky enough to get 2 spots in each. Here is one from my first round with her. It uses the Amuse "Flower Girl" stamp. The dots in the background are from Technique Tuesday's Masterpieces of Paisley set. The scalloped strip was made with the slit punch and then tiny handheld circle punch was used to punch a little hole in the scallop. The rest of the supplies are all Stampin Up!

Another Petal Card

Here is another made with the new Pick-a-Petal set. I really like how this one turned out. It uses 3 of our New In-Colors for this year also. The colors used are Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Purely Pomegrante and Mellow Moss. The cute little twinkle sticker in the middle of the flower and under the phrase is from Joann's. I found them on clearance for just 50 cents! They are so fun. The phrase "Hi There", is from a set from the Winter Mini Catalog, Fancy Flexible Phrases. Here's hoping that one makes it into the big catty. I use that set alot! A dear friend received this one in the mail this week...hope she liked it.

Sneak Peek

Here is a sample made with a set that will be in the new catalog. That catty will be available to customers on July 1. The stamp set is called Pick a Petal and the word that is stamped on the oval is from Warm Words. Each petal is seperate so you can stamp everything seperately. I used Close to Cocoa and Pretty in Pink as my card colors. Do you like the brad in the center. A little bit of bling ~ we are now going to be selling circle and square rhinestone brads in assortment packs! Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day!

Aren't these girls adorable? They are mine! We recently took part in a fundraiser that was done by our MOPS group. A photography studio came to church and took these black and whites and touched it up with a bit of color. The fun thing is that it cost just $10 and you got a 10x13 for that price. BUT, if you sold 15 sittings, you got a $150 package for free. Of course I sold the packages. This shot is the one that was done for the 10x13 and I plan to put it over the fireplace. I realized looking at this how much Kira (4) and Megan (8) look alike.

Anyway, this is what I made for my mother in law for Mother's Day. It is a cheap cardboard coaster (like the kinds you get at restaurants) which I covered with a sheet of Basic Grey's paper from their Blush Collection. I LOVE THIS COMPANY'S PAPER! I used Modge Podge to stick it on and then added my photo matted on Sage Shadow and Barely Banana. I used some pewter hardware and then added the flower in the corner (cut with my Cuttlebug). I stuck a magnet on back and was completely pleased when it was done. Hope she likes it!

7 Things About Myself???

YIKES! Lorien (http://stampsnmore.blogspot.com/) tagged me and now I have to tell you 7 things about myself! Plus, I have to tag 7 more stamping bloggers. The only problem with tagging 7 other is that most of them have already been tagged. Here are my 7 revealing facts: 1. I have a terrible sense of self esteem so that is part of why I don't post more samples on my blog. When I do post a photo of a project I stress that people will think, "You have got to be kidding me! Who did this? Her 4 year old?" 2. I am a complete computer idiot! I can't figure out how to add a counter to my blog (to see if anyone even reads it - do you hear that self esteem thing in there?), I can't figure out how to do a "hyper link" as Lorien calls it...complete idiot!

3. I have a major fear of snakes. I don't care how little they are, they freak me out. Last summer I was sitting on the porch and a snake slithered down the sidewalk right in front of me! It was my biggest nightmare come true! I curled up fetal position in my chair and started screaming for my husband. I then cried for 1/2 hour!

4. I am a stay at home mom now, but I did have aspirations to be a narchotics officer in L.A. at one point in my life! (I loved the show COPS.) I never did get a degree in Criminal Justice, the closest I have come is getting a Pre-Law degree and working as a legal secretary/paralegal.

5. I have 3 living daughters and one daughter who died inutero 4 weeks before she was due (Emma). Megan is 8, Kira is almost 5 and Brooke turns 3 in a couple weeks.

6. I've always wanted a horse. When I was little my aunt told me that whatever you pray for, God will answer. So I prayed for a horse till I was about 12. The funny thing was that we lived in a mobile home all while I was growing up (it was 12 feet wide by 60 feet long - very small house), our house was in a very small trailer park. No room for a barn so I used to tell my mom, when God gives us the horse it can live in the shed. I never got the horse.

7. My biggest desire is that I will be an incredible mother and when my girls are grown and parents of their own, they will be incredible mothers. I am far away from my own goal of being an incredible mother, but I try.

As for tagging 7 other bloggers, here goes....

1. Taylor Van....:http://tayloredexpressions.blogspot.com/

2. Anna Wholfart: http://inkastamp.blogspot.com/

3. Jen70: http://www.stamping-therapy.blogspot.com/

4. Emily Giovanni: http://emilygiovanni.com/

5. Cindy: http://imagine-dream-create.blogspot.com/

6. Kyla Maestas : http://kylamaestassweetwaterstampers.blogspot.com/

7. Kimmie at Kraftin Kimmie's Korner : http://kraftinkimmieskorner.blogspot.com/

Ghosting - Quite Cool!

Here is one done using the Ghosting technique. I'm not really good about trying new techniques. I prefer simple, add some fun ribbon or glitter or well placed brads and call it good. BUT, I have several stamp clubs that really desire learning new techniques. In February one of the gals wanted to learn Ghosting. I am glad she did! I love this technique.

First and foremost, please note you cannot purchase this stamp set any longer. This is Big Pieces, which was in the Winter Mini. (I'm sending out big telepathic vibes to Shelli beggin to have this set in the new catty).

To create this look you use glossy white cardstock. Stamp the circles with versa mark on the paper and then using your brayer you ink it up and brayer over the cardstock. The circles will begin appearing in white. Really neat!

To get the multi colored circle that is the focal point, just use Stampin' Up!'s incredible markers to color directly onto your stamp. Huff your hot breath on the stamp and off you go!

Got the Camera Workin!

It feels like forever since I added a project to my blog! Finally got our camera issues worked out.

Here is a swap I did for an online swap at Splitcoaststampers.com. We were required to use Stampin' Up!'s set Polka Dots & Paisley, Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose and Chocolate Chip. We were also required to use the slit punch and some sparkle. I don't think you can see it in this photo, but I added my sparkle (using Stickles) on the flower bud as well as the stem. I did use one of the other sets in the Spring mini, Polka Dots and Petals. I used White Craft ink to stamp the flower as a background on the Regal Rose card base.

FREE Stamps Directly From Stampin Up!

Check out this link....Here's the catch, you CANNOT be a demonstrator for Stampin' Up! http://cambriaturnbow.blogspot.com/2007/04/want-to-be-on-stampinup-research-panel.html While you are there, put Cambria's blog into your favorites-she has great style. If you are a customer of mine and get chosen to receive all the goodies Stampin' Up! is offering, please let me know so I can peak at all the stuff you will get!

Another SCS Blogger RAK

OK, now this is fun! Fun mail twice in one week! Again, the camera isn't working so all I can share is Nancy's blog address until I get it fixed: http://nancyscreativemess.blogspot.com/

Funny thing is that Nancy's Blog was already in my favorites! She does great work. Thanks Nancy!

SCS Blogger RAK

Are those terms foreign to you?

"SCS": Stands for Splitcoaststampers. It is an INCREDIBLE website that helps lots of us keep up on paper crafting trends. It is not just for demos it's for anyone who loves rubberstamping. The greatest thing is the Gallery. You can look up any stamp set that Stampin' Up! has created and find lots of samples. Some of them have over 1,000 samples!

"Blogger": You are reading a blog. A blog is an online journal of sorts. This is my stamping blog where I share stamping information but there is no limit to what a blog can be about. And the best part is that this one is free!

"RAK": Random Act of Kindness. On SCS you can sign up to be part of a RAK group and just randomly pick a name and address off of the list and make someone's day by sending them a handstamped card or note. There is a new RAK list, a Blogger list so that anyone who is a blogger can be part of this list and send a note and maybe receive a note.

Anyway, I got my first Blogger RAK this week and wouldn't you know, my camera is not working. My dh is working on the problem (I hope) so I can't post a photo but I can post a link to the blogger who sent it. As soon as the camera is up and running, I will post a pic of the card she sent. She useed Wild Rose and some hodgepodge hardware. It is really a pretty card and a great simple layout with lots of options. Here is the link to her blog.....http://www.debbieseyer.typepad.com/ Thanks so much Debbie!

OOPS...

You'll notice all the links to other blogs and the Stampin' Up! Online Catalog are missing from the sidebar! OOPS, try to add things and you erase it all! That's me! I'll work on it some more tomorrow and add most of my favorite stamping blogs to it as it was WAY out of date.

Here's One...

I was busy this weekend. Friday night my pal Lorien and my mother came over to stamp. Lorien and I are both in some online swaps - we needed to get those done. It was a great thing that mom was here because she loves stamping images and cuttin them out. As a matter a fact, she has drawers of stamped images that she cuts and never uses! So, we put her to work. I also had to get my cards made we will be doing in my Unique Card Fold class. I usually don't post any samples of the cards we will do in my classes until the class is over. I think it is fun to have suspense, but I thought that the people attending might like a glimpse of one. I did this one at 6:00 AM this morning. I was sick all day yesterday and when I woke up early this morning felt great so I went downstairs before the girls woke up. I started playing with these colors this weekend - Vintage Violet, Certainly Celery and Almost Amethyst. I LOVE them together. Most of my customers know I have been too cheap to purchase any In Colors other than Cool Carribean and now Vintage Violet. Hope you enjoy this one.

Unique Fold Class In April

I am teaching a class in April called Unique Card Folds. This is a sample of one of the folds we will be doing. The top strip that includes the torn piece of rust flips up and the card base (the saffron that has the bird on it) flips down. Really easy, but one that most people don't do. We are all so stuck on folding our cardstock in half and that is it, but if you just try a simple new fold, we can really spice up a card. This one was made using Really Rust, Brocade Blue, So Saffron cardstocks and watercolor crayons. I got this color combo from the Splitcoaststampers Color Challenge for this week. I really like the Rust and Saffron together but had a hard time adding the blue. I guess I will have to play with it some more to let it grow on me!

Tropical "Astericks"

Here is another that was done with my new toy. The flowers are die cut with the Cuttlebug. These are called "Astericks". The color combo is one I have been really enjoying lately - Certainly Celery (my all time favorite!), Apricot Appeal and Pumpkin Pie (the best orange ever!). It seems to have a tropical feel don't you think?

The only stamping was done on the "tag". The tag was actually created using Stampin' Up!'s word window punch. I just chopped off one end and punched a hole - instant tag! It is PERFECT for the words in Everyday Flexible Phrases.

Hey Chickie!

So, the Cuttlebug embossing folders emboss a piece of cardstock that is just smaller than the front of a card. It is awesome because with the detail the embossing gives you, you can really spend less time on a card and still have it look great.

For this card I took the embossing one step further and after I embossed the cardstock, I used various sizes of the flower die cut and cut the embossed cardstock out in the shape of a flower-stack them up, add a brad and - VIOLA!

Again, these are Amuse Art Stamps. The bird image is really a single bird I just stamped them in a group. The sentiment is also Amuse-isn't it cute? I love their sentiments.

I've Been Bitten By The Bug!

The Cuttlebug that is! I have been thinking about getting a Cuttlebug for a few months now. (I just love the embossing folders they have.) I asked for one for my birthday but I don't think I gave my husband enough time to actually get one. Anyway, I was given some money for my birthday and today my friend said she had a coupon for Joann's I could have...so, I headed to her side of town and waltzed into Michael's and picked me up one! I was only able to purchase one die set and an embossing folder, but maybe I will order some other goodies tomorrow. Here is the first card I made using my new toy!

The stamps are by Amuse Art and they were images I was able to stamp while at the Spitcoaststampers weekend in Okemos several weeks ago. Don't you just love this little girl in the rain? I used Crystal Effects on the puddle and put some drops on her coat and umbrella for rain. The swirls in the background were made by the embossing folder I got today. I punched the square using one my my Marvy scallop punches. SO FUN!

Sweet Spring Bunny

Here is a preview card for the class I have coming up this weekend. The class is called To Embellish or Not Embellish? This card will be using the brads as the embellishment. I really liked how it turned out. I took the layout and idea from a card that Lori Rose sent me. She is a customer who really makes some cute stuff. I don't see her too often but she always has a smile on her face and I have really enjoyed "talking" with her about all kinds of stamping trends and products. She will be at the class this weekend along with 5 others. There is nothing surprising about this card. The bunny is tucked away in a simple pocket card design. The basket and chick are colored using SU! markers.

Bright Stems

I don't have this flower set. It is called Sassy Stems. I am in another swap which they were wanting people to use this set. I said I would do it but didn't have the stamps. So, one of the ladies sent me to images stamped on white cardstock. I really like how it turned out. I used Pixie Pink cardstock, Black and white. I watercolored it with my aqua painters and ink from the lid of the ink pad. You can't really tell but I used Print Pattern on the black cardstock with Versa Mark. I am not sure why this appeals to me so much. Maybe the colors, maybe the fact that it is really simple to make - either way, I am glad I like it so much because I have been feeling as if I'm in a terrible creative slump!

Sweet Spring Chick

Here is another set from the Spring Mini. It is called Bunny Hugs. It includes the sentiment that reads "Easter wishes with lots of hugs & kisses, the basket, eggs, tulips, chick and bunny. I used Chocolate Chip cardstock, Pretty in Pink and Certainly Celery on this one. The row of daisies is made with the Daisy Field roller. It goes perfectly with this set. I made this for a swap I am in on Splitcoaststampers. It is called a Different Kind of Swap. This is my first time participating. I had it on good advice that it is worth getting into. A set is suggested and then a receipe is given that you need to follow. For this one I had to use Bunny Hugs, Chocolate Chip, and Pretty in Pink. I think I also had to use an embellishment of some kind. Of course I chose ribbon-my favorite!

I LOVE 1/2 Price Sales!

Stampin Up! doesn't often offer a sale on it's stamps...maybe once or twice a year. The month of March happens to be when one of those sales is occurring! The Spring mini catalog is incredible. It is filled with beautiful color combinations, adorable stamp sets in so many different styles.

During March if you purchase the new set Polka Dots and Paisley ($17.95), the most incredible double sided paper - which is Petals & Paisleys ($8.95) and a new jumbo wheel - Petals ($7.95) you can pick anything out of the mini catalog for 1/2 price. There are a couple sets in there that are $28.95 and $29.95 - this means you can grab those for just $14 and $15!

Here is a sample I made using all three of the elements you need to purchase to take advantage of that sale. Hopefully I will get more time to play later tonight! I am also considering this for my upcoming class - To Embellish or Not Embellish. Each participant will make 10 cards. There will be 5 designs and each design will be done with one using an embellishment and the other will omit the embellishment. This should give you the opportunity to see how embellishments really spruce up your projects. The embellishment in this one is the metal edge tag. You could just punch out a circle, but I think the tag is really cute!

Splitcoaststampers Getaway

Our Splicoaststampers stamping getaway was this past weekend. Friday and Saturday. Lorien and I drove over to Lansing around 4. My plan was to get ALOT of stuff checked off my To Do List. I have 3 workshops this week to prepare for and had a few "congrats" cards for several people for different occasions to do and I brought my scrap booking to do. I got 2 scrapbook pages done and one card Friday night....No, I am not kidding! How sad!

Saturday was jammed with fun stuff to do. We started the morning with shoebox swaps. This is a swap where you design a card and then cut everything that the creator will need to make the swap themselves. Everything but adhesive should be included. There were 23 to make so it took a long time, but it was fun. They were full cards and so many of them were great quality! After the shoebox swap Lorien discovered that my tire was flat on my van. Completely flat...can you believe she got right down on the ground with a blanket and changed my tire!?!? What a friend.

Then we broke for lunch, did our regular swap where we made 16 full cards and swapped with the others who signed up for that. Again, some really great stuff.

Finally we had challenges to do! FUN...but because I have been in a creative slump, I was feeling very unworthy to be there! I planned 2 challenges which I couldn't participate in (that was great because it gave me more time to focus on the ones I could do). We were supposed to choose stamp set, colors and any accessories, the organizer of the event bought everything except the stamp set and ink and you had to create with just the supplies there unless the challenge hostess allowed other items to be used.

I actually won a challenge. This card is the one I did that won. It's a pocket card so imagine the "U" part inside the card. How lucky was I to be allowed to use the slit punch! I love the scallop edges and adored pairing these colors! I also took advantage of the "rock and roll" technique on the "U". A technique I just finally figured out how to do after 3 years of being a demo!

We had a great time.

I'm An Affirmation Kinda Gal

I'll admit it, I desire a "thank you" from my husband for merely bringing the groceries in. I'd like it even more if he would tell me how cheerfully I do it, how beautiful I look while doing it and that by just watching me bring the groceries in, he is reminded how thankful he is that he chose ME out of all the women out there! But, realistically I know a "thank you" is about as far as it will go! I love affirmation. We have recently read the book "The 5 Love Languages" and it was no task for me to declare out loud that my primary love language is "Words Of Affirmation". So, when I opened an envelope in the mail this week and this was looking back at me, I puffed up my chest and grinned....My up, up, up line has been sending these out for awhile now. I think I have collected 3 or 4 of them. This quarter she indicated I was #4 in her downline for sales. I am not sure how many she has in her downline, but currently but when I saw her this summer she said about 100. Thanks to all my great customers and especially my stamp club members-many of whom have been stamping with me for 2-3 years!

Color Challenge

On splitcoaststampers.com they have daily challenges to help you with your projects. I check out the Color Challenges and the Sketch Challenges weekly. I peek on a couple others if I think of it, but these two are part of my weekly routine. This week the color challenge was to use the colors Chocolate Chip, Blush Blossom and Cool Caribbean in your project. Here is the first one I did using a new stamp set I got this week from the Winter Mini. The stamp set is Big Pieces and it matches Little Pieces (which is also used on this card). The adorable rick rack is from the Flirty ribbon collection in the Winter Mini also. Aren't these colors perfect together? The "happiness" is from the Word By Word background stamp. I just inked the word with a Stampin Write marker to stamp just the word I wanted. Of course I had to do some faux stitching! Next to ribbon it's my favorite thing to add to a card!

The Winner is.....

My oldest picked a number this morning...number 5 it is! Sue B, I think I know who you are, but if I'm mistaken please e-mail me your address. My e-mail address is caspen1973@yahoo.com. This Friday night a couple friends are coming over to stamp, hopefully I will have more samples to share with you all Saturday. I'm working on several scrapbook pages so maybe I will share some of them. Keep checking and keep responding, I love feedback!

Inspired By A Purse

When the Spring Mini is released to customers, you will find a ton of incredible new stamp sets including this one, Polka Dots & Paisley. Demonstrators received this set free from Stampin' Up! at Christmas. This card was inspired by a purse my dear husband got for me for Christmas. The purse is made by Vera Bradley (love her stuff!!) and the print is Mesa Red. It's funny how you start looking at things and immediately know which Stampin' Up! colors will match! I am hostessing a small swap with a few girls from Splitcoaststampers and they had to use this set. This is one of my 2 designs. Hope they like!

Blog Candy of My Own

What is "Blog Candy"? Well a reader to a blog happens upon a contest wherein you must answer a question and post it to the blog in question. The blog author will draw a name to determine the winner and then the winner receives the "candy" or prize! Pretty easy. They are all over the stamping blog's I read and recently I won off of Lorien's blog, so I am doing a contest of my own.

The prize will be a bottle of Stickles (glitter/paint all in one) and some punched scalloped squares made with my new Marvy Punches. The Stickles is the color "Purple" and the squares will be punched out of Elegant Eggplant and you will get 10 of each size shown here. So here are the rules:

1- Be sure you comment to this post about the following question:

"What is the most romantic thing your husband has ever done for you?"

2- I'm giving you a whole week to comment so you can really think on it! The deadline is Tuesday, January 30. I'll draw the winner sometime in the afternoon of the 31st.

3- You have to check back here to see if you win!

Good luck!

Isn't He Punny?

Shame on me! My pal Lorien informed me today that she keeps checking my blog and I have had the same card up for days! She is right...actually, it has been a couple weeks. I'm sorry. I just assume no one is reading it so why bother! But obviously someone is! I entered a Blog Candy contest on Lorien's blog (see her link on my sidebar) and "won a major award!" Actually, I wasn't the major winner, but I won all the same! I stopped by her house today and got to pick a mini stamp set from Michael's and a spool of ribbon. The ribbon on this card is what I picked.

This card is made with our Sell-a-Bration set, Very Puny. Isn't it cute? I love the cow and the frog in this set. I never use metal edge tags so I thought I would finally use one! I like how this turned out. I got the layout from a Sketch Challenge on Splitcoaststampers.com - it's a great source of ideas!

Sell-a-Bration: It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year!

Here is my first creation with any of this year's Sell-a-Bration sets! This one was created with Big Blossom and So Very. On the blossom I did the faux shaving cream technique stamping the flower with Pixie Pink and then using the word "happy" from Happy Everything I inked it up with Real Red and smeared it all over the ink on the blossom and here you have it! SO less messy than the true shaving cream technique and "so very" fun!

Remember, if you purchase $50 in Stampin' Up! product, you can get either of these sets for FREE!

Marvy Scallop Punch ROCKS!

I have been seeing creations on Julie Ebersole's blog (see right hand column) and she has been using scalloped punches shaped like squares and circles. I asked for one for Christmas and Brooke got me one! (Actually, daddy picked it out and put her name on the tag - she's only 2!) I love it! You just insert your card stock into the punch and BAM- there it is! Cute isn't it. I imagine I will be using it alot. I actually ordered another size from Joanns.com and it is a bit smaller. Now I am waiting to find the circles. I just hate to pay regular price for them! The regular retail is $19.99. Of course the 40% or 50% off coupon from Joann's makes them right up my ally but I haven't found the circle ones at Joann's yet. I will keep looking!

This card is the birthday card to go along with the "Memory Verse Flippy Thingy" for my friend Michelle (see post below). The Chocolate square is adhered right to the designer series paper (Spring Flowers) and the stamped flower from our Looks Like Spring stamp set is punched with the same size scallop punch, I just off set the white square and used Stampin Dimensionals to make it pop up a bit. I made the card to match the Flippy Thingy. Hope she likes it.

Great Gift Idea!

I have a group of 3 girlfriends from church that I am very close with. We do a Bible study together 2 times a month and at Christmas we get each other small gifts. A couple of us hand make our gifts each year and I love giving my gifts (usually a Christmas ornament of some kind) and I love receiving their handmade goodies! This year Jennifer made us these beautiful Memory Verse flippy things (so very technical!). They have 12 different memory verses in them, one for each month and each verse comes from Psalms. I fell in love with mine! Another friend is having a birthday today. Her husband is actually throwing a surprise party for her at the church tonight and I wanted to make her a gift just like the one I received. Here is my first one---a Memory Verse Flippy Thing! I used all Stampin' Up! products (are you surprised by that?) I used our designer series paper Spring Flowers. I just followed the color scheme in the paper- So Saffron, Mellow Moss, Blush Blossom, Chocolate Chip. I chose verses that related to "strength" because the friend whose birthday it is, is one of the strongest ladies I know!

BIG Kisses to Santa Baby!

This Christmas was wonderful. It is so much FUN with little ones! Our girls are 7, 4 and 2 and they were so excited about Christmas! Our oldest is so sweet and polite and would love just about anything for Christmas. This year she asked for a Bible of her very own. Isn't that sweet. The 4 year old just kept saying, "Can't you get that out? I want to play with it!" She doesn't understand how long it takes to unwrap those 102 wire twisty ties! (I HATE THOSE THINGS!) Here is a photo of her on one of the things she asked for. A simple pony head on a stick to ride around the house on! So simple - and NO WIRE TWISTY TIES! The 2 year old kept saying, "More presents me mommy?" In a way it made me sad to hear that. Did we miss explaining to her that Christmas is all about a tiny baby born long ago in Bethlehem? Probably not, we did attend a Jesus walk a couple weeks ago, they have been talking about Jesus' birth for several weeks at church in class-I had to cut her some slack and remind myself she is just 2! I guess I was surprised at how excited she was. I don't remember the other two getting so excited at such an early age.

Anyway, can I tell you how good Santa was to me? My sweet Santa hasn't really been a great romantic type Santa. My dh and I have been married for almost 10 years and together as a couple for 14. He has never been real romantic and to be honest tends to buy me things I NEED rather than fun stuff I want. Last year I got plastic mixing bowls from Big Lots and flannel pjs. This year he brought me to tears twice!

I really wanted a Vera Bradley purse but was sure my guy was not going to be caught dead picking out a purse! But, Santa brought it. A beautiful Mesa Red On The Go bag! I love it. But honestly more than anything, love that he really listened and he was so excited to give it to me!

But the best gift---a trip tomorrow -- just him and I -- to the Fox Theatre in downtown Detroit to see Irving Berlin's A White Christmas!!!! He plans on taking me to Greek Town for lunch, on the People Mover and to the Casino to look around. I don't know if I am most excited for the fact we will be without kids, he arranged the sitter or the fact he came up with this whole trip on his own. Even as I write I am about in tears.

This has been a hard year for us and he has really scored some points this Christmas!!! In the next couple days I hope to show you some stampin goodies this same Santa got for me-like a Marvy Square Scallop Punch, how about the pink and brown striped bag from Scrap, Paper, Scissors....I must have been very good this year.

UHU Review

A couple week's ago I discovered that UHU was giving away free samples of its adhesives to any crafter with a Blog as long as you would use the product and post a review of the product on your blog. SO, without hesitation I sent them an e-mail requesting mine. It arrived rather quickly and in my package was the UHU Glue Roller and the UHU Scrapbookers Pen. UHU GLUE ROLLER

The glue roller is a lot like the Stampin' Up! SNAIL, or Tombow's Mono Adhesive. The mono is my adhesive of choice at the moment. I was excited to try something similar but different in hopes it would be better. The Glue Roller is not refillable (at least the one they sent me is not). Rather than being a gluey tape thing like Mono, it is small adhesive dots. I will say that I like the dots better than the tape because there is no clogging. Also, I noticed that if you work slowly and precisely, the entire strip of dots is released onto your cardstock. Often with Mono half the glue remains on the applicator or clogs the applicator so you have glue boogers to remove. The UHU is also very smooth when applying it. The adhesive quality is about the same as Mono. It holds if you use it on all the outer lines. BUT, if you are looking for some super holding power, this is not for you.

Scrapbookers Pen

The Scrapbookers Pen is just liquid glue. There is no pen like applicator at all. I am not a huge glue fan when papercrafting. Its just too messy. I hate when I use it and it oozes out the sides. This glue is no exception. It is actually messier than any glue I have used with paper crafting (again, keep in mind I have only used about 3 types). When you take the lid off there are glue strands already so I knew it was going to be messy. I actually used this to try to glue a button onto my cardstock. It worked great for that! It held. The only problem was that it oozed out the sides and the holes in the middle of the button. I will probably continue to use my Crystal Effects for buttons as I like how easy it is to control it. But, if you like using glue, you might want to give this a try.

Merry Christmas to Me!

Yet another reason I love being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator---all demonstrators were told that Shelli (the co-founder of Stampin' Up!) was sending each of us a Christmas gift, but they didn't tell us what it would be. A few years ago when Stampin' Up! moved to a new facility we experienced terribly long shipping times, at Christmas they rewarded us for the trouble by sending us all a NEW stamp set as a gift!

When they announced we would be getting a gift I was just dreaming for free rubber! And, my package came yesterday! FREE STAMPS IT WAS! The set is called Polka Dots & Paisley and will be released in the Spring Mini Catalog. Here is the first card I have done using my new present. I'll try to play with it some more and post more samples soon!

I Bought Another Company's Stamps?!?!?

As everyone knows, Stampin' Up! is not the only rubber stamp producer. As you may or may not know, Stampin' Up! is not the only home based sales of rubber stamp sets. There are 2 other companies that I am familiar with - TAC (The Angel Company) and CTMH (Close to My Heart).

The main difference that I have heard about our companies is that SU! sells wood mounted stamp sets whereas the former companies sets are acrylic mount. What does that mean? Well, our rubber images are permanently adhered to wood blocks. The other companies images are removable and adhere to acrylic (plastic clear blocks). People who use acrylic blocks rave that your storage space is increased immensely because your sets are only as thick as a CD case and you store them in those to save shelf space. You have an acrylic block which your rubber images are stuck on to and them removed when you don't need it. This way you may have say 4 blocks that you use for all your images. I had heard it said too that the rubber images are clear so that you can see exactly where you are stamping an image. I was curious....

A friend had a book party with TAC and I found one set that I really liked so I ordered. It got the stamp set today and this is what I noticed:

1) The images are not the same size as the catalog. I know it says somewhere in the book that the images are only a certain % of the size shown, but I hate being expected to visualize the size of an image!

2) The images are not perforated at all on the rubber-it is literally a sheet that you just have to cut around the separate images, maybe not a big deal, but just different.

3) NO DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO MOUNT THESE THINGS! The rubber is separate from the foam! I assume that I mount the really sticky side of the rubber to the rubber image itself and not so sure about the other side. It is hardly sticky at all. This must be the side that attaches to the acrylic block. I wonder how long this thing will stick to the block if I change images frequently.

4) No sticker for the outside of the plastic container to label your box.

5) The rubber is not clear. It is blue...I always thought that the great thing about acrylic mount stamps is that the images are clear and you could see right through the block and rubber image to see exactly where you are putting the image. NOT so with TAC.

Once I buy an acrylic block (I neglected to get one when I placed this initial order), I will let you know about how they stamp. Let me just end by saying that I am so happy I found Stampin' Up!!! I love the images on the stamp set I purchased and TAC definately has a different style than Stampin' Up! I'll have to wait and see if I feel the desire to purchase any more.

Giving Up on Christmas Cards!

Not forever, just this year. I have lost count of how many I have sent out. Near 70 I am sure. I just can't keep doing it! The cost in postage alone is crazy! If you haven't gotten one from me, be sure that I am wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year but our postage fund has gone bankrupt!

Winter Mini Friend

This was made with Friendship Matters, a set from the new Winter Mini catalog. This mini catalog is incredible and everytime I look at it, there seems to be yet another set that moves up my WANT list!!! This is the only one I have purchased as of yet because I know that in January I can earn Sell-a-bration sets with the other goodies I am eye-balling! I made this card this morning for the Splicoaststampers color challenge for the week. CC#92 is Cool Caribbean, Whisper White and Real Red. Ever since Cool Caribbean was released I have been pairing it with Red and have LOVED those colors together...so bright! Anyway, I'm sending this one to a dear friend who needs a pick me up! Lisa is not a stamper so she won't see this to know she is getting it. Hopefully she will consider it a "fun" mail day when she gets the mail this week.

To do the scallop I used the scalloped decorative edge scissors which are no longer in the catalog! What a shame. I used the itty bitty circle hole punch to make the holes on the scallops and then using my white gel pen stuck the tip inside the circle and spun it around. I think it is rather cute!

Got to Get Busy.

I am still not done with my Christmas cards! Some people have received them from me but still others aren't even in an envie! I picked up stamps to send the last of the ones that are done, but I still have a few to finish-my stamp clubbers, some SCSer's that I wanted to send them to, and I still have a couple ornaments to make for Christmas gifts. Maybe tomorrow I can get some time to finish! At that time I will try to make something to post on here too! Don't give up on me!

I Was Challenged

Splitcoaststampers is celebrating their 100th Sketch Challenge this week. Every Wednesday they post a sketch of a layout that you are able to follow to get ideas and inspiration. This week is their 100th challenge! They have challenges everyday of the week. It is a great way to get inspiration! I created this Christmas card for the SC100. I have always really liked the Merry set but have to admit I have only created a handful of things that I like with it. I know that a big reason is that the hat looks so cute with multi colors and I have been too lazy to color all the stripes in. Well, I gave into it yesterday and am so pleased with the outcome. I already have my Christmas cards done for this year, but I like this so well it might be one of the ones I do for next year.....lest I remind myself that a new catalog comes out in just 7 months, who knows which holiday sets I will have on my shelf next November!

Happy Birthday....

Here is a card that I made for a customer who is now more of a pal than a customer. Claudia's birthday is this week and I finally got a chance to sit down and play the other night! On splitcoaststampers I found this adorable card in the Wild About You gallery and loved the layout, so I just copied the layout, changed the colors and -pow - here is her card. Hope she likes!

Happy Holidays!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I was so excited coming into the holiday knowing that my husband would have a couple extra days off of work-surely I would get lots of stamping/scrapbooking done! It wasn't in the cards! I got sick on Friday with a terrible cold, I am thinking a sinus infection, and I really didn't have the drive to create anything! Furthermore, we have decided to replace our kitchen and livingroom floors. My husband is doing the work himself (with the help of my dad) and it is taking awhile. The kids were running around like animals so there would be no "me time" in the cards this weekend. Regardless, it was a peaceful holiday and I am hoping that this week will afford me some time in my playroom!

Confession Time

I confess, often I see a stamp set and I scream, "I HAVE TO HAVE THAT ONE!" It happened with City of David, I have never really been to impressed with the christian Christmas sets that Stampin Up! has offered. They are typically too artsy fartsy for my taste. I can't stamp elegantly. I have a dear friend, Jennifer, who can make those artsy fartsy images look breathtaking. She has a style that continually amazes me, whatever she touches looks so elegant. I am so jealous of that! So, when I saw City of David in the new catty, it was on my wish list immediately. A christian stamp set for Christmas that is drawn in a style I can create with. But, then I got the set and have not been happy with hardly anything I have made. Until now, I just finished this and I love it! I don't know why, maybe it is the colors, but this one card will make me keep this set! Enjoy....

Here is another....

Here is my 2nd creation tonight.

My Favorite Time of Year.

Fall is my favorite time of year hands down. I love sweater weather, curling up with a blanket and the smell of wet leaves. But in my stamping, I hardly ever stamp fall creations. As a matter a fact I traded away my only "fall" set, Fall Whimsy, I always seem to jump from summer to winter/holidays. Tonight I actually stole about 45 minutes while Megan was working on homework and had fun creating winter season cards. Here is one of the ones I did. The snowflake is heat embossed with white embossing powder on vellum. Yup, vellum. I stole the idea of embossing this snowflake and putting a brad in the middle from regionals. I was so afraid of heat embossing on vellum, but it worked great, my first try too. The giant buckle card is one that I have done in the past, but not often. I forgot how cute they are! And that Word Window Punch works great for the slit!

Christmas Card Stamp a Stack

My Christmas Card Stamp a Stack's are coming up. I have one scheduled for Saturday, November 4 at 10 am and also one on Friday, November 10 at 6:00 pm. Both are nearly full so if you are interested contact me today! Here is a sample of one of the cards we will be making. It is a card desgined by Amy Cloncs and it is just beautiful! So shimmery! It uses our Brushed Silver cardstock as well as Irradescent Ice Embossing Powder! Isn't this a clever way to use the Oval punch? As soon as I saw this card I knew it had to make the cut! We will be making 5 cards, 2 of each. We will use the following sets for our cards that day- Peaceful Wishes, City of David, The Snowflake Spot, Cold Play and It's Snow Time.

Peaceful ---

I love this new set, Peaceful Wishes. I loved it the first time I saw it but continued putting off buying it. Then I got a $100 product bonus from Stampin' Up! and I picked this as one of my freebies! It is such a simple set to use but still make classy cards.

Stampin' Up! Regionals in Lansing

The regional conference was Saturday in Lansing and it was such fun! I made about 150 swaps total. It is so much fun trading card samples with other demonstrators. There are always amazing ideas and even those that you kind of scratch your head and say, "What were they thinking?" We had a Splitcoaststampers dinner get together afterward at Clara's and it was much fun! The swaps were awesome! We did a winter/Christmas theme and everyone put some real effort into those! Here is a photo of myself and Shelli Gardner. Shelli is the co-founder of the company. She shared with us this weekend that just before Stampin' Up! was started her and her husband were being advised to file bankruptcy. She was a stay at home mom and her sister and her were looking for a stamping company that sold stamps in coordinating sets. They never did find one, so they decided to start one themselves! And the rest is history.

SOOO Neglectful!

I can't believe it has been so long since I have added a post to my blog! I apologize! I recently decided to be a co-leader to my daughter's Brownie Troop. This is her first year and I have never been involved with scouting before. It has been taking alot of time and I have not spent any time stamping! BUT, tonight some friends are coming over and I will be working on my Christmas Card Stamp a Stack cards and some swaps for regionals. So, with any luck I will have posted back here shortly!

September 11....

I have been thinking alot about this day. I hope you all have. I am remembering where I was and what I was doing when Clint called from work and said, "Are you watching T.V.?" I turned it on to the Today Show and saw it all happening. I was shocked. I didn't know what to say. I remember getting off the phone with him so I could sit in stunned silence and watch the remainder of the morning play out. Megan was 2 at the time and I remembering weeping for her. I remember being angry that I had brought a child into the world to live in a world where we were no longer safe. Clint and I have been watching the TV mini series The Road to 9-11 (I believe that is the title)and I am so frustrated with the events that led up to that terrible day. Frustrated that so many times our nation has been just teetering on the edge of some sort of terrorist attack and luckily it was stopped in time. When will our luck run out? It is so creepy to think that amoung us there are people who want us to die, want our innocent children to die, while we run to the grocery store, take the kids to the bus, go to church. My immediate question is, "How do things like this happen?" But I know the answer. Satan happens. He laughs each time that one of these evil people suceeds. As scary as the world we live in now is, I am so glad I have found the love of God and the peace He brings to me. Just last night Megan told me that at school they practiced a "lock down". We knew what it was about. It is for events like Columbine (another event Satan controlled). Our initial thought as parents is "Darn that public school for scaring our 2nd grader." But instantly Clint said, "I guess it is no different than our parents practicing for bomb raids in school." He's right, Satan has always been here but it seems so different when it is happening to your child. I told her that if she ever has to be in a lock down for real that there is one thing that is most important to remember. I expected her to say "Yes, Mrs. Stone says to keep quiet. That is the most important." But she didn't. She said "Yup, Jesus, Jesus is in my heart." I guess with all the fears we have as parents, we must be doing something right with our children.

Glitter and Ribbon Stamp a Stack

My Glitter and Ribbon Stamp a Stack is coming up September 16 at 10 am. Glitter and ribbon are my favorite embellishments to use on projects - they dress them up so nicely and take your art to the next level! We will be making a total of 10 cards at this stamp-a-stack for $15, with the incentive that if you place a $50 order, you get $10 off your order! CHA-CHING! 10 cards plus $50 worth of product for just $55!! You know you love me! Here is a card we will be doing at the stamp-a-stack. I completely CASED (copy and share everything) from another demonstrator on Splitcoaststampers, Lisa Alberding. I love, love, love pink and look----there is some glitter AND ribbon on this one! Hope to see you there.