Stampin Up Retirement List is Out!

The Retirement List has been released and you can check it out by clicking on this link: http://www.stampinup.com/us/documents/Retired_Lists_0608_US_A.pdf. It's a busy morning so I'll pop back in later with more chit chat about the retiring stuff!

Snail Mail

I just adore this image! It is from the CC Designs set, Froggie and Friends. (Don't forget, Christine is having a sale at All That Scraps - check out the link on the sidebar!) I wanted something really simple because I wanted something that was cute but the words inside are the focal point. We are so lucky to have the internet to keep in touch, but I miss the written letter. One of my aunt's and I used to keep in pretty good touch through the mail when I was in high school and part of college but I discovered that when you have e-mail you take it for granted that you can send a note any old time and I hardly ever send them at all. Does that make sense? Anyway, this is going to be sent to my Aunt Beryl. She is very special to me and I hope she likes this cute little fella! The little gems on the end of the Snail Mail strip are Robin's Nest Dew Drops from All that Scraps. These are from the Water collection..you get oodles (and I mean more dew drops than you will ever use!) of dew drops in several colors, this one here matches wonderfully with Soft Sky paper don't you think? I just adhere them with a Stampin Up mini glue dot. They work perfectly!

Supplies Used: Soft Sky cs, Always Artichoke cs, ink, Really Rust cs, ink, Whisper White cs, Fall Flowers Designer Paper (Stampin Up), circle punches, SU Circle Scallop Punch, Robin's Nest Dew Drops (Water), Black Staz On, Aqua Painters, Froggie and Friends.

We Live on a Farm

Here is the card my husband will receive on Father's Day. The only thing it is missing is the retired background stamp that was chicken wire...the background is really plain on this but otherwise I liked how it turned out. We live in a subdivision with about 1/2 acre and my husband has always wanted at least 5 acres so we could get chickens, a horse, have a larger garden than we already have, etc. (We do have several bee hives but it just isn't enough farm for him) Anyway the other day we were just saying to one another how there never seems to be any peace and quiet around here...so when I thought about his Father's Day card I was going to do something related to animals. At first I was going to use the Wild About You set and put something in it about us living in a zoo and he being a great zoo keeper, but when I remembered that I kept this retired Stampin' Up! set, On The Farm, I decided it was perfect for him. The three animals represent each of our three girls. Inside it says, "You have always wanted to have a farm but God already blessed us with three animals. You are a great farmer!"

Supplies Used: Real Red cs, striped ribbon, SW Marker, Bashful Blue cs, SW Marker, Summer Sun cs, SW Marker, Whisper White cs, Creamy Caramel SW Marker, Close to Cocoa SW Marker, Pretty in Pink SW Marker, Regal Rose SW Marker, Certainly Celery SW Marker, Circle Punches, White Signo Gel Pen, Paper Piercer, On The Farm set.

Happy Father's Day Dad!

Here is the Father's Day card I made for my dad. I used CC Designs Jack that was released a couple months ago. My dad enjoys working with wood so I knew this image would be perfect for him. The ribbon and card stock look black in the picture, but it is actually Night of Navy. The jumbo eyelets along the side are also by Stampin' Up! As I look at this it seems pretty plain and not amazing...but I also keep telling myself that my dad doesn't care how fancy it is and sometimes you just have to make some simple cards. It seems anytime I make a manly card that is how I would describe it - simple. Do you have anything special planned for Father's Day? We are going to my parents after church on Sunday for lunch and just hanging out. Nothing exciting, but just making memories is pretty exciting.

All That Scraps Challege - Gate Cards

This week's challenge at All That Scraps is to make a gate card. Gate cards are fun and simple ways to make your card a bit different from the traditional card. You fold each side in and then adhere your image in between the two. You just have to remember to only put adhesive on one side of the image or else you gate will be stuck shut! I can't help you with the patterned paper (came from a stack and my mother shared some sheets with me) and the ribbon was some ribbon that came on a package of CC Designs Stamps that Christine sent awhile back. The Dew Drops were placed on the ribbon with Stampin' Up!'s Mini Glue Dots...they are the perfect size. If you have time, play along and post your link here. Let me see what your gate card looks like! Supplies Used: Certainly Celery cs, ink, Pretty in Pink cs, ink, So Saffron Stampin Write Marker, Old Olive Stampin Write Marker, Black Staz On, Aquapainter, Poinsettia Robin's Nest Dew Drops, Hey Chicky stamp set (CC Designs).

Strawberry Thank You's

Here are the Thank You cards for my daughter's party this past weekend. I just realized I never shared the picture of the invite, but I also never took a photo of it! What was I thinking!?!? Anyway, this one uses a retired set Sweet and Sassy is the name I think. A super simple layout but it would be perfect for all those little images like Amuse or Stampin' Up's set, ABC Images. On the focal image I just stamped the strawberry in Black Staz On and scribbled my Pretty in Pink marker inside. Then I used some Cotton Candy Stickles on the seeds of the strawberry to make it shimmer just a bit. The scalloped edge is made with the slit punch and the ribbon is Stampin' Up's! Pink Taffeta ribbon. My dh just pulled some strawberries out of the garden last night...mmmmm!

Supplies Used (All Stampin Up unless noted*): Real Red cs, Certainly Celery cs and marker, Pretty in Pink cs and marker, Versa Mark ink, Slit Punch, Pink Taffeta Ribbon, Cotton Candy Stickles*, 1 3/8" Circle punch, Scallop Circle punch, Sweet and Sassy set.

SALE!!

All That Scraps is having a sale! Check out the announcement Christine posted on the All That Scraps Blog: "We need to move out some of the slower moving items that are taking up space. We are starting out at 25% on most items and will continue to discount them until they are gone. But once they are gone they are gone, they will not be restocked. Some of the items are Cuttlekids, Disney Cuttlebug, Pattern Paper, Tins, Alterable Purses, Cardstock (Bazzil and Prism), Big Shot. Instead of having the items in the main category they have all been moved into the *Sale*Sale*Sale* category to make it easier to find the items that are on sale. We will also have 4 or 5 -8 1/2" x 11" Paper Racks that we will be getting rid of. We will sell them for $50.00 plus you pay shipping. If you are interested please let me know. Make sure to check back as we will be adding items." I hope you find some good bargains!

Another Year Older

My middle daughter turned 6 on Wednesday and her birthday party will be on Saturday. It is great having kids with birthday's in the summer (the youngest turned 4 on the 24th of May) because we are can have parties outside...very little necessary for decorating and you can have virtually as many kids as you like. She decided she wanted a Strawberry Shortcake party this year. I found these pencils at the Target Dollar Spot several months ago. They are the ones that have the little individual leads you take out when it is dull and then put it through the end. I saw some adorable pencil holders on Laurie Schmidlin's blog, http://justgivemestamps.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/01/pencil-holder-p.html, awhile back and decided this is what I wanted to make for the kids party favors. I used a retired Stampin Up! set (I think it is called Sweet and Sassy) for the strawberry and the tiny flower from Simply Said. They aren't difficult to make at all. If you need a visual check out the link above....

1) You'll need a sheet of paper that is 6 3/8" x 3 5/8".

2) Score it along the long sides of the paper at 3/8", 1 5/8", 2", and 3 1/4".

3) Turn your card stock 90 degrees (so it is wide) and score one end at 3/8" (this forms the bottom of your box).

4) On the little bottom you have created you will snip each of the tiny scored sections.

5) Remove one end section (either one it doesn't matter).

6) Fold up the box and secure with Sticky Strip.

The band at the top is made with a strip that is 3 5/8" x 1 1/2" and scored at the same measurements above minus step 3.

SO simple...it reminds me of a 2, 4, 6, 8, box which you could also make to match and fill with some candy. Too bad the party is tomorrow or I would make some of those too!

Supplies Used: Regal Rose cs, ink, Real Red cs, Black SU ink, Signo White Gel Pen, Certainly Celery 5/8" Grosgrain ribbon, Red Gingham Ribbon, Rough Edges Alphabet, Simply Said set, Sweet and Sassy set.

All That Scraps Challenge

Jenn O., another designer for All That Scraps, is going to be heading up some weekly Challenges. This time I was able to play. The challenge was to use these colors on your card - Summer Sun, Wild Wasabi and Chocolate Chip. I don't have any Wild Wasabi so I substituted Old Olive instead. This is the project I came up with using Froggie and Friends...As soon as I saw the frog image I knew he had to be riding on the back of his turtle friend. All supplies are from Stampin' Up! except the patterned paper and the stamps. The patterned paper is from the Mellow Collection from Basic Grey. I hope you have a friend who you know would stick their neck out for you. I have several and count myself as being very blessed because of that!

Supplies Used: Summer Sun cs, ink, Chocolate Chip cs, ink, Old Olive ink, cs, Black Staz On, Old Olive Wide Grosgrain, slit punch, brads, dimensionals.

Froggie and Friends and a Turtle Too!

Let me clue you in on one of the fun things about being on the CC Designs design team. Christine will draw a set and show us a few images before the set is ever turned into glorious rubber images. I was able to see some adorable images to the new set called Froggie and Friends in March I believe, and I was immediately excited to get that set in my hands! I love frogs and turtles. So here is my first sample with Froggie and Friends. This set is huge, has lots of words, 2 frogs, dragonfly, snail, turtle, cat tails, and more!

I can't tell you much about the supplies on this one because Christine has been doing something else that is such fun! She has been sending us little kits with the new stamps that include card stock and embellishments and on at least one sample we can only use the supplies provided. This is one of those kits. I really like how it turned out! The fly, cat tails, turtle and hat are all separate images as is the greeting "Sorry I'm late..." Inside it says "did I miss cake?" Funny huh? I LOVE this ribbon! It matches Bashful Blue from Stampin' Up perfectly! Enjoy your day and if you have any birthday cards to make you best get busy or you'll have to make a card like this!

Hello Layla!

Isn't she cute?!? This is another one of the new cuties from CC Designs new set Layla and Virginia. I paired it with some pretty paper from My Minds Eye. I just love this paper and keep thinking I need to order some more! I water colored the main image with Stampin' Up! inks and an aqua painter, added some Certainly Celery brads and some sweet little prima flowers with More Mustard brads and Ruby Red brads as well. You can get the My Minds Eye paper at All That Scraps and the new girls that Christine has designed will be released on June 4th at 12:01 am. Check it out at All That Scraps: http://www.atsblog.typepad.com/

Supplies Used: Pretty in Pink cs, ink, Ruby Red cs, ink, Pumpkin Pie ink, Soft Sky ink, Certainly Celery ink, Creamy Caramel ink, Black Staz On ink, Certainly Celery brads, Ruby Red brads, More Mustard brads, prima flowers, Stampin Dimensionals, Layla and Virginia set.

So Little Time!

I can't believe it has been so long since I was able to stamp!! I seem to have very little free time and this month I have been very tired. I haven't laid down during the day to nap since my 4 year old was about 6 months old and I found myself laying on the couch several days this past week and a couple days the week before! But, I got happy mail last week! Some new release sets from C.C. Designs!! I have prepared one project so far but I can't show you until tomorrow. If you head over to the All That Scraps blog you can see some sneak peeks of one of the sets there! http://www.atsblog.typepad.com/ We were at the Toledo Zoo today. When our 4 year old potty trained (in September) we promised her a trip to see the elephants. No Zoo's in Michigan have elephants any longer so a trip to Toledo was in order. It isn't a bad drive, just 2 hours and as long as you aren't cringing at the amount of gas it takes to get there it is quite leisurely. So they saw the elephants and the polar bears (our 6 year old's favorite animal). We met some friends down there and had a wonderful day. Check back tomorrow for a sneak of a new set from CC Designs!

Just Celebrate Invitation

These are the birthday party invitations for my youngest daughter's party. She will be turning 4 later this week. Last year we did Curious George and when asked what kind of party she wanted this year she said she wanted Curious George again. But her favorite animal is the elephant so when I got the adorable set "Just Celebrate" from the mini catalog, I knew I had to use it on her invites. She ended up telling me a jungle party was fine. The funny thing is that we never do a ton of decorations when we do a themed party. Usually it is just the ivites, thank-you's and a banner. Plus, we almost always do her party outside since usually the weather in Michigan is nice enough to do that by the end of May/begining of June...who needs decorations when you are outside?

So, this is the invite and I think it turned out super cute. I love doing simple invites mainly because I don't really like doing a bunch of cards exactly the same anyway, so the more simple the better! Plus, the 3 and 4 year olds who are getting them will appreciate it no matter how fancy it is.

I colored the elephant in with Prismacolor pencils and a blending stump. My friend Lori was over this past Friday and she brought hers for me to try. I liked them but it seemed like alot of work - the blending part. I may just need more practice too! I used both the Mega and Giga Scallop punches from Marvy. In addition I used my new toy - the Punches Plus Brass Template from Stampin' Up! It is an embossing template that has images of most of our punches (including the ovals) and around the image is the PERFECT paper piercing template to mimic the punch. So, I just used the "you're invited" stamp from my Family Phrases set and punched it out with the large oval. The I used dimensionals to pop it up on the front of the card, laid the template down and paper pierced the oval around it. The perfect touch!

Supplies Used: Pretty in Pink cs, ink, Old Olive cs, Rose Red cs, ink, Whisper White cs, Black Staz On, Punches Plus template, White Signo Gel Pen, Slit Punch, Simply Said set, Family Phrases set, Just Celebrate set.

Lily and Milo

Last night my girlfriends came over to stamp (hi Lorien and Lori!!) Lorien's parents did a great job and she is an amazing sharer of all things rubber related so she came not only to work on a few projects but with some stamps she said "I thought you might like to stamp some images." When I saw this little girl with the bird I couldn't resist and I almost couldn't stop coloring her. I did quit and went to bed around midnight and finished the coloring and card this afternoon. Isn't it adorable? These are apparently a new line of stamps and you can find out more about them and look at some beautiful artwork on the Rachelle Ann Miller blog...check it out http://rachelleannemiller.com/. Supplies Used: Certainly Celery cs, ink, Rose Red cs, ink, Bashful Blue cs, ink, Black Staz On, So Saffron ink, Close to Cocoa ink, Cutie Pie Designer Paper (SU!), Double Stitched Pomegranate Ribbon (SU!), Regal brads (SU!), Dimensionals, Slit punch, Just Celebrate set (SU!), Lily and Milo stamp).

Lulu Loves Presents

This card was done for a challenge that Christine issued to the All That Scraps Designers for this weekend. We were to create a card using pink cardstock and some brown only. We were allowed to use any other colors for the main image but the cardstock had to be pink or brown. Both my middle and youngest daughters have birthdays coming up so I think I'll give this one to my soon to be 6 year old. She loves cats and pink is her favorite color so I think she'll like it. Plus, what 6 year old doesn't think that "it's all about the presents"? Check out the All That Scraps Blog on Monday to see what the other gals came up with! http://www.atsblog.typepad.com/

Supplies Used: Close to Cocoa ink, cs, Regal Rose cs, ink, Pretty in Pink cs, ink, Old Olive ink, Whisper White cs, Paper Piercer, Signo White Gel Pen, It's My Birthday set.

Just Celebrate!

This ADORABLE elephant image is from a set in the Stampin' Up! mini catalog and is available until the end of June. My youngest LOVES elephants and the artwork in this set is just adorable. Each stamp in the set has a word that is attached to it. Originally the elephant was attached to the saying "new baby" but there is enough room on most of the stamps to cut the words off and mount them on the end of your block and use them with anything you like. So this elephant is celebrating! The printed paper is from "Summer Picnic" which is one of my favorites. I love the bright summer feel of these papers. I water colored the elephant with Bashful Blue ink and did some zig-zag stitching with my paper piercer along the top and bottom of the Real Red panel. You can't really tell in the photo but I used my Crop-o-dile to put three embossed circles along the bottom of the Pumpkin Pie matt. Did you notice there are no embellishments on this one?!?! That doesn't happen often when I am creating a project but I thought it was cute even without any ribbon, bling or glitter!

Supplies Used: Bashful Blue cs, ink, Pumpkin Pie cs, SW Marker, Real Red cs, Black Staz On, White Craft Ink, Paper Piercer, Signo White Gel Pen, Summer Picnic DSP, Just Celebrate set.

Quick Mother's Day Card

Here is a quick card for Mother's Day but really cute! This was made with the Punches Plus Classy Brass template from Stampin' Up! A really simple to use template that incorporates paper piercing templates that fit PERFECTLY around the geometric shapes that you can emboss. This is one product I glanced over until another demonstrator showed it to us at the SCS Birch Run weekend this past March. It also uses the set Blooming with Love - which I love! Simply stamp the single flower in Timber Brown Staz On and color the petals with your White Signo Gel Pen and emboss the square using the classy brass template, pierce using the same template, stamp your greeting, add some new Chocolate Chip Poly Twill Ribbon and you are all done!

Supplies Used: Chocolate Chip cs, Poly Twill Ribbon, Soft Sky cs, Timber Brown Staz On, White Signo Gel Pen, Punches Plus Classy Brass template, Blooming With Love.

Princess Birthday

One of my daughters is a huge girly-girl and for my birthday my secret sister for a SCS get together sent me a $15 gift certificate for some Lizzie Anne Designs stamps. I chose the set I used to create this girly card. My 5 year old had a birthday party to go to on Friday and this is the card I made. Unfortunately she didn't end up going because she got croup AGAIN. She gets it several times a year and this time she had a fever for a couple days so she missed 2 days of school and the party. She was a trooper though. I watercolored the images with my Aquapainter and SU ink. After it was all done I used my Stardust Gel Pen to add some sparkle on the castle shingles and parts of the princesses dress. I had to do the masking technique to get her hat to sit on her head...it took me awhile get it right but I finally did. If you haven't ever checked out Lizzie Anne Designs stamps, you have to because they are simply adorable stamps! http://www.lizzieannedesigns.com/

Supplies Used: Pretty in Pink cs, SW Marker, Close to Cocoa cs, ink, Creamy Caramel ink, Orchid Opulence ink, So Saffron SW Marker, Black Staz On ink, Swiss Dots Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, White Grosgrain ribbon, pink bling, Aqua Painter, Stardust Gel Pen, Once Upon a Time set.

Congrats Lorien!

My sweet stampin friend Lorien won the new CC Designs set A Hootin Good Time at the All that Scraps blog! http://atsblog.typepad.com/ats/2008/04/preview-day-1-.html If you check out the blog you can see the other DT members creations using Shari. You can also sign up to win yourself a set!

"I Want Fabulous!"

If you have girls you know that line is from a song in High School Musical 2. The girl who sings it is named Sharpay and although her character is a terrible snob the song is fun! "All things fabulous, bigger and better is best."

This gal reminds me of Sharpay to some degree. This is Shari from one of Christine's newest sets - Glam Girlz. This set has 3 adorable girls in it, words and a stamp that looks like sparkles.

I know you can't see it in this post but I used a Stardust sparkle pen on the glasses and the ring she is wearing. I love this printed paper but I'm not sure who it is by. If you check out the ATS blog Christine may have it listed there. She sent the DT members "mini kits" of goodies and we had to use what was in the kit and nothing more (except ink). So all the goodies you see on this card were straight from ATS. I love the color combo and it didn't take long for this card to come together at all. I love the hair on Shari but wait till you see Gwenny...she's my favorite and she carries a purse which is perfect for my upcoming weekend. You'll have to stop by tomorrow to check her out.