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.

Rock and Roll baby!

We all know that the set Roses in Winter is a beautiful set that is very difficult to "mess up". An easy and enjoyable 2 step stamping set for sure. But I finally figured out how to do the "rock and roll" technique and now I love it even more! This was created using Apricot and Burgundy ink. How do you do it you ask? Just ink the largest rose stamp in apricot then gently roll the edges of the stamp in the burgundy ink around the entire rose and stamp. Do the same to the middle sized rose and then the smallest portion just do that in burgundy. It just looks so pretty. It reminds me of the roses my grandmother used to grow in her garden. They were HUGE and I think this is so pretty that it makes an otherwise simple card look beautiful!

Paper bag scrapbook?

Yup, what will people think of next? A mini scrapbook made from lunch bags! Here is the cover of my first paper bag book. If you can't see the title in the hardware frame, it says "sisters". The book has photos of my girls together. The first two pages shows each of them seperate and alone and then subsequent pages have Megan and Brooke together, Kira and Megan, Kira and Brooke. The journaling is done on tags that are stored in the open end of the bags. It really is turning out cute! I used the hostess level 1 Simply Scrappin Kit and there is TONS left over. You can easily do say 4-6 of these books from one kit. HMMMM, I see a class idea in my future!

Isn't he cute?

Here is my first full card made with this new You're Neat set. I adore these little fellows. Aside from the teddy bear there is a cat and a monkey. Again I used the slit punch to make the scallop but made it even better by making it look like eyelet lace by adding the small hole in the middle. Aren't punches fun?

Stamp a Stack this Friday

I re-scheduled my stamp-a-stamp for Friday instead of Saturday and it seems to be working better for people. This card is one that we will be doing. It uses Seeing Spots which is an awesome set! I love the stamp that says "Thank You". I am hoping that someday they create a companion set that will include things like "Happy Birthday", "Thinking of You", etc. You'll be learning how to make the adorable scallop border that you see using our slit punch! AND---notice that pretty blue color? Think it is not Stampin' Up! paper? Think again-that is Cool Caribbean. Beautiful color isn't it???

#1 out of 200??

We had our mini convention this past Saturday. We had a great time. The projects Linda planned were great. She is very well organized and a wealth of information. I could imagine that if she lived closer by we would be very good friends. Linda made an announcement just before the convention started and said that out of the 200 in her downline, I had number one sales/recruiting for last year! I was blown away. I know that I did a pretty decent amount, but assumed that someone else out there was doing better. She gave me a pin that says Top 10!, a cute 6x6 page that is like a certificate (I promptly hung it in my room downstairs!) and she got each of us a cell phone charm from Convention that has a Stampin Up logo on it. This photo is of me (on the far right), Linda Taulbee-Heller (middle) and Sharon (on the far left). Sharon is another one of my uplines. We had a great time Saturday!

Looking forward to Saturday

Saturday is the mini convention that Linda Heller has planned for us demos in Flint. There are only about 15 customers signed up, but it will still be fun. I am looking forward to her visit here. I have never met her but really have enjoyed our few phone converstations. I will be demoing the Faux Shaving Cream technique, amoung other things. When I first read about how to do it I thought it sounded silly, but here is the sample I will be teaching the ladies how to do on Saturday. Doesn't that elephant look cute?

Visiting my Blog?

I have no idea how to add a guestbook to my blog so this is my archaic way of doing one! If you visit my blog, please post here. More importantly if you have a blog yourself, please let me know the address so I can peek in on you!

Mini Convention in Flint - DONT MISS IT!

If you are a customer of mine you have already heard about the mini convention several demonstrators and I will be a part of on Saturday, August 5 from 12 noon to 6 pm. You really don't want to miss this. Linda Heller, a demonstrator with a downline of well over 100, will be coming up to Michigan to put on this mini convention as a service to those of us in her downline. As a guest at the mini, you will be stamping 10 projects using new stamp sets and accessories such as chipboard, hodgpodge hardware, etc. In addition to stamping, you will be treated to SEVERAL demonstrations throughout the day. For example I will be showing you how to do faux shaving cream, how to use the color spritzer tool and the new tag corner punch. There are at least 5 other demonstators who will be showing you other cool techniques and new products. We are closing our registration shortly and have room for only 10 more so contact me today! The cost is $35 and there are stamp sets and more great goodies that will be given away!

Next Class - Stamp a Stack of Goodies!

My next class, a "Bring in the New" stamp a stack is coming up on Saturday, August 19 at 10 am. At this class we will be creating cards using all new stamp sets from this new catalog. We will be making 5 different designs-2 of each-so you will take home 10 completed cards. The charge is $15 and if you place a $50 order at the class I will take $10 off your order...this is like getting $50 in product for just $40. I have lots of cute projects planned. We will be using "Wild About You", "Sweet Shapes", "Flower Fest" and "Seeing Spots". I promise you won't be disappointed. We are limited to 8 participants SO CONTACT ME TODAY TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT. (Pre-payment necessary to hold your spot please.)

I LOVE Sparkle!

Another new set - "Eat Cake"...The sparkle is really easy and less messy than using glue. It's called Faux Diamond Dust. Here's how you do it.... 1- Stamp the image you want all sparkly 2- Use your Versa Mark pad and ink the entire image up 3- Pour Iradescent Ice embossing powder all over the image 4- Heat with your heat gun That's it! Have fun making things sparkle!

NEW STAMPS!!!

AHHHHHH-yesterday I lugged 2 big boxes in from the garage because Mr. Brown dropped my glorious stamps off from my Open House. I had several new sets and got to play with them a bit this morning. This card is made with Flower Fest. This is the first card I made with it and I am a bit impressed if I do say so myself. I love this color combo too-barely banana, mellow moss/always artichoke and ruby red. This stamp set is a bit pricey, it was $35 but I got it for free from the merchandise I earned from the Open House. If you book a demonstration, you can earn free stuff too! Contact me today!

NEW Stamps are Coming to My House!!

FINALLY, the order from my Open House has been shipped! It is due to be delivered here by Mr. Brown on the 17th! I can hardly wait. I am in several swaps with new sets so I need to get busy...

OHHH, the pain!

If you haven't heard, I have a bulging disk in my back right now pressing on my sciatic nerve. OWWW! Keep me in your prayers because it has been very hard to live with the last 2 weeks. I'm not supposed to sit much, so it is severely limiting the time I spend in my stamping room!

RAK from Yvette

A RAK (random act of kindness) needs to be practiced more often. My absolute favorite website of all time, splitcoaststampers.com, has a RAK group and if you sign up you may be the lucky receipient of a piece of stamping heaven. I know that I stamp for other people all the time but rarely receive stamped goodies, so this way I might get something in the mail! Yvette is one of my FAVORITE stamping artists on SCS. (Click on the splitcoaststampers on the right hand side of my Blog and go to the gallery and find her work-beautiful!) She sent me this card last week which I needed badly!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my dad's birthday, I doubt that he looks at my stamping blog, but if he does--Happy Birthday to you! Here is the card he will get when we go watch fireworks at his place tomorrow! I was so excited to see that Unfrogettable made it into the new catalog!

GREAT Hostess Sets!

How could I forget to tell you about the hostess sets? They are much larger than past years. The level one sets have only ever had about 4 stamps, the new ones have up to 8 stamps! In addition once a hostess hits $400 in sales, Stampin Up is letting you choose an addional hostess set! This is an awesome time to be a Stampin Up! hostess. Contact me to be the first to book a workshop from the New Catalog and I will be sure to use brand new sets at your workshop!

Its here!!!

Well the new catalog arrived last night at about 5:30! It was worth the wait. The colors that are used throughout are beautiful and the new sets are so great. Some of my favorites are Flower Fest, Eat Cake, Happy Everything, Seeing Spots, and Wild About You. What is really encouraging is that most of the sets on my wish list are $20 or less. There are several new sets that are $14.95 and You're Neat is only $12.95. Our new printed papers are to die for! Soft ones and bold ones, everyone will have something they MUST have!

NEW CATALOG OPEN HOUSE

Please join me at my New Catalog Open House for make and takes, prizes, yummies and of course the NEW CATALOG! We will be doing 3 make and takes with the new hostess sets, including the above card using the white gel pen and the new set "Both Way Blossoms". You can purchase the new catalog for just $5 at the Open House. You must be present to get this special price! Please contact me at caspen1973@yahoo.com to RSVP. The Open House will be on Saturday July 8 and runs from 10-1. There are lots of ways to win goodies and one way is to RSVP!

Sheltering Tree

As I sit waiting for those catalogs (guess what??? They are supposed to be here today!!!EEEEEEKKK) -breathing, breathing, take a deep breath...anyway back to your scheduled program- At my last stamp camp my mom ordered Sheltering Tree, a new set in the Summer Mini, which I thought was cute but wasn't sure I had to have it...well, I traded a set I will never use to someone on my favorite stamping website (splitcoaststampers) and they gladly shipped me a brand new Sheltering Tree stamp set! I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! It is just the cutest set and I love using the bright springy colors like the sample here. I wonder what it would look like with the new patterned ribbon that will be in the new catalog...yup, patterned ribbon...

I'm in Shock!

SO, the retirement list for the accessories came out this morning...the first time Stampin Up has shared it with us before the new catty actually arrives on our doorstep and I must say I am in SHOCK! They list the Watercolor Wonder Crayons as retiring?!?!?! Now, before you pass out, like I nearly did, some other demos are tossing around the idea that they MAY be reconfiguring the box or MAY be allowing individual color families to be ordered. Now that is more like it! So, I am fanning myself here, getting up off the floor and headed for a drink of water so I can collect myself. The later would be a great choice for my customers. So many LOVE the crayons but can't shell out $60 for them, so I would love for them to be able to get them per color family. Another bit of chitter chatter amoung our secret "demo only" cult, is that all the tag sheets are being retired too! That also could be a good thing...does that mean tag punches are on the horizon?!?! Oh I do hope so! To be able to punch a tag from ANY color, now that is what a girl wants! Now here is one I cannot understand-the medium white envelopes? How the heck can you discontinue envelopes?!?!? I guess I will just have to wait and see what they do about that one!

No Power?!?!

Yesterday we spent Father's Day at my brother and sister-in-laws house in Shepherd, MI. It rained all day. Yuck! I have a Stampin Up meeting today and need to finish some swaps so was looking forward to coming home and disappearing into my little room downstairs to finish up. We must have had a terrible storm here because we had no power! My dream of stamping was destroyed!

Cards that Move II a Sucess

We had my Cards that Move II class this morning. I think it was a sucess. As always, it took 4 hours to do the 4 complicated cards we did. The most difficult for everyone was the flip-flop or swing card. As I told the ladies there, it is not one that I would choose to do unless doing it for a class. There are other interactive cards that I would choose. Like my favorite, the double slider pictured in the post below. Monique really liked that one too. My mom was there and had some trouble with a couple, so it was fun to give her a hard time. Isn't that what mom's are for? LOVE YOU MOM!

My Class List - Please Join Me!

June 2006-September 2006 You MUST pre-register for all classes. There is a limit of 8 students per class. Class fees are $15. Bring in the NEW Stamp a Stack August 19, 10 am * We will be making 5 designs and 2 of each (total of 10 cards). We will be using NEW stamp sets from the NEW catalog! (No photo yet because the new catalog isn't out yet!) Glitter and Ribbon Stamp a Stack September 16, 10 am * We will be using my personal favorite acessories! We will be making 5 designs of 2 each (total of 10 cards).

The New Stampin Up! Catalog is Coming!!!

I can't believe I will have the new catalog in my hands the last week of this month! I get so excited to see the new stamp sets and any new accessories. I SO hope we get some really pretty printed papers-like the Spring Showers and Spring Flowers from our Spring mini and the ones in our Summer mini. None of the current ones float my boat. I can't wait to hear feedback on how customers and hostesses like the new hostess sets. Speaking of new hostess sets, here is a sample I made recently using a level 3 hostess set - Basket Full of Fun. I used the faux stitching on the side, I love that technique. It is so realistic looking and so easy to do.

My Girls~

I guess I can blame it on my girls when people ask me how I got started with my obsession of stamping! I started scrapbooking when Megan was born 7 years ago (has it really been that long?) It was relatively easy to find time to scrap when it was just Megan, but now that there are three girls running around I need a quick "fix" of creativity! SO, I tried stamping in my scrapbooks and now I do more cards than anything! Those are much quicker to do than a 2 page spread! So I guess I need to say, "Thank you girls!"