I Forgot How Good It Feels

To stamp that is...I haven't had time to sit and stamp at all! I didn't realize how much I had been missing it either till I actually sat down with some friends on Friday and got several cards done. We had a great time laughing and stampin! Here is a card done with Stampin' Up! supplies. I apologize for the lack of lighting. It is late fall here in Michigan and we won't see the sunshine again until late March so I am forced to take photos in the house again.

This one was made for a swap on Splitcoaststampers. We had to use the set True Friend, some printed paper and ribbon. This is what I came up with. I often have a hard time using printed papers in my projects and this was no exception but I LOVE the colors on this and really adore my new Paisley Background.

Supplies Used: Close to Cocoa ink, cs, Soft Sky ink, cs, Certainly Celery Stampin Write Marker, cs, Certainly Celery Designer Prints paper, Chocolate Taffeta Ribbon, Paisley Background Stamp, Fancy Flexible Phrases (Spring Mini Catalog 2007).

I Know, "Post Something Will Ya!"

Lorien left me a comment telling me to post something...honestly I haven't really made much! I have been so busy the last 2 weeks in the evening that I haven't sat in my chair downstairs to create. BUT, as Lorien knows, tonight I have three friends coming over (including her) and we are going to stamp all night. SO, I will have several things to post soon. What is on my To Do List you ask? 1) Do my swaps for DKOS#15 and I think I am in 3 groups for that one... 2) Work on a birthday gift for a friend....

3) Start 3 Christmas gifts...

SO...I won't be able to show you the Christmas gifts till after the holidays because 2 of the gals who are getting them occasionally check my blog...I won't be able to show you the birthday gift because she is also a blog reader so you have to wait till December to see that...But really, with 3 cards to work on I'll have some things to share. The only problem is that since Lorien will be here tonight, she will have already seen the cards!

Happy Halloween and I'M A WINNER!

Happy Day After Halloween! Here is a picture of the girls getting ready for all the festivities! Every year I take their photo in front of the same tree in our front yard. It is so amazing how fast the kids grow! What a beautiful night in Michigan for trick or treating! It was mild enough that Megan only needed a jean jacket and Brooke and Kira were toasty in their costumes. We did get a bit wet, it started sprinkling but we walked through it. We were out a LONG time, just over 1 1/2 hours and Brooke walked nearly the entire way! We got so much candy...notice I say "we" because of course some of it is meant for me! Especially the Snickers and the couple York Peppermint Patties.

Guess what?!?!?! I WON THE LIZZIE ANNE DESIGNS CONTEST! See my post just below for the card I submitted. I can't believe I won! I obviously love people to tell me that they love my stuff otherwise I wouldn't have a blog! So, this is the ultimate encouragement, plus it doesn't hurt that I get a FREE stamp set! I am getting Christmas In the City. Run over to Lizzie Anne Designs (LAD) and check it out! http://www.lizzieannedesigns.com/

Last Contraband for Awhile

Here is another sample I made using a recently purchased contraband stamp. This beautiful fairy was made by Lizzie Anne Designs. I saw it for the first time on Cambria's blog where she made this adorable tooty fairy box for her daughter. http://cambriaturnbow.blogspot.com/2007/10/lizzie-anne-tooth-fairy-tin.html As soon as I saw it I knew wanted to make some of these boxes for my three girls. I wish you could see how sparkly the fairy is...you just can't stamp a fairy without adding sparkle. I sent this card in for a contest they are having at Lizzie Anne Designs. I wasn't even paying attention to the date so I hope it gets there in time to be considered.

The card itself is really easy to make. The beautiful fairy is stamped on Watercolor Paper with Timber Brown Staz On and colored with my aquapainter. I added stickles to her crown, wand and skirt. I used my Cuttlebug embossing folder on the Soft Sky panel and used Stampin Up's largest circle punch to punch a circle out of the panel where I wanted the fairy to be shown. Then I used a piece of Groovy Guava and punched the same circle out. Next center your SU scallop punch over the Guava circle and punch. I used my white gel pen to trace the edges of the scallop circle and put little dots in the scallops. I adhered that to the Soft Sky panel. To do the grass I stamped an adorable flower that LAD enclosed for free when I ordered Fairy...so I don't know if it goes to a set or if it is a little individual thing, not sure but it was FREE so I really loved that! So, I stamped the flower randomly on Certainly Celery cardstock and then just freehand cut the hills. I sponged the Celery ink directly on the edges of the hills. I used my white gel pen to trace these little lines that are part of the flower stamp. I adhered the front hill on top of the bottom hill with dimensionals. Finally, I used Stampin' Up!'s Fancy Flexible Phrases and stamped "Wishes" in Timber Brown. I punched it out with the Word Window punch and added the pretty little diamond jewel.

Supplies used: Groovy Guava cs, ink, Soft Sky cs, ink, Timber Brown Staz On, Certainly Celery cs, ink, So Saffron ink, Creamy Caramel ink, Aquapainter, Fancy Flexible Phrases (SU!), Word Window Punch, SU! Scallop Punch, White Gel Pen, Cuttlebug, Fairy (Lizzie Anne Designs), Stickles

Elzybells!!!

If you know me at all, you know that I am a die hard SU snob! I don't buy any paper but theirs, no inks, no embellishments, NOTHING! I love our stuff, plus I can sell our stuff and as a stay at home mom with three girls I need to make some cash right?!?! So, it stands to reason that my money goes where I can earn money...investing in my business. I spend time on other stamping blogs and have been persuaded to buy just a couple (I think about 4) stamps from A Muse Artstamps because they are adorable, but yet, I have remained controlled...(did you see that Lorien? CONTROL....) Anyway, I saw stamps on this blog: http://elzybellsna.typepad.com/my_weblog/ the other day, and lost all control! I bought 4 stamps from them and I can't wait till they come out with more...Isn't this little girl adorable? She is called "Winter Girl". I also got "Girl With Sled" and you see the snowflake on the pink? YUP, it's from Elzybells...AND, so is the cute greeting that is on the tag, it says "Warm Winter Wishes". If I haven't personally directed you to their site, run there and check these cuties out. The other plus....wood mounted!!! YES! The trend in stamping is leaning toward acrylic stamps which I still haven't enjoyed and I will admit that some stamps I have considered, sitting on the fence to purchase, but the fact they are acrylic has stopped me. But these cuties are wood mounted. AHHHH, so, my goal is to flood the gals at Elzybells with cute samples and hope they beg me to be on a design team..who knows, it could happen right?

Supplies used: All Stampin' Up! (are you surprised?) and of course the Elzybells stamp!

SNEAK PEEK!

Don't you love free stuff? I attended Stampin' Up! regionals in Canada last month and after the event was over I received a free set in the mail. This set will be in the Spring/Summer Collection and I got a chance to make a card with it! Here is is! What do you think? This is an adorable set and I used my favorite designer paper with it, Fall Flowers. I love the mix of the Soft Sky, Really Rust and Olive. This set is called Enjoy Every Moment and has 11 stamps in it. Hopefully I will get a chance to play with it more later tonight. This particular card was made for Trish Kustra (scottsmom on SCS). She sent me a wonderful altered tin filled with ribbon, Peppermint Paties (one of my favorite chocolates!), a stamp set, some embellishments and a chipboard alphabet! She sent this to me because she said I am a great swap hostess! What an ego boost! I loved her treat so I wanted to send her something to say thanks...I hope she likes it!

Supplies Used: Soft Sky cs, ink, Olive cs, ink, Really Rust cs, ink, Fall Flowers paper, Olive Wide Grosgrain, Photo Corner punch, Earth Elements buttons, linen thread.

We All Gotta Have A Hobby

Some people may actually think it is weird that I spend my free time rubberstamping...why not sewing or knitting they may say....but hey, everyone has gotta have a hobby. Why not rubber stamping? My husband has several outdoorsy type of hobbies. He is not your typical hunting or fishing type of guy but rather gardening and bees. Yes, bees. He has sevearl honeybee hives in our backyard and several more at a friend's house down the road. He gets looks when people hear about the bees. Mainly looks that say, "Are you crazy?" But he loves it. Lately he has taken to removing honeybee nests from buildings. He has done 2 removals this summer so I thought I would share a photo of a bunch of bees that took up residence in an apartment building...amazing!

What is Bo-Ho Anyway?

If any of gals that were at our stamp club meeting last week see this post, they will be laughing...(waving a cyber hi! to Marcy, Pat, Tiffany, Kelly and Abby!) I LOVE, LOVE the set True Friends from the current mini catalog and especially LOVE this flower image. Isn't it sweet? I don't know what it is about it that grabs me but it is so sweet. But what I want to know is what is BoHo? Currently the BoHo style is very popular in paper crafting. This set has a BoHo feel but I don't know what it means to be Bo-Ho? Anyone else know?

I wish I could say this pocket card was all my idea, but it wasn't. I seem to be stuck in a CASE-it rut right now. We did a card just like this at Regionals in Canada a couple weeks ago. The only thing I changed was the image on the tag. The original card that Stampin' Up! designed used the {Thank U} image, which doesn't do it for me. So I used my favorite image in this set, the BoHo flower. I colored it with Stampin Write Markers and can say I adore the way this turned out. The colors were completely Stampin' Up!'s design and I love them together!!

Supplies: Kraft cardstock, Soft Sky cardstock and ink, Mellow Moss cardstock and ink, Red gingham ribbon, tag corner punch, Ruby Red brads, So Saffron cardstock, Stampin Dimensionals

Christmas Card Class #2

This is another sample from my Christmas Card class 2 weeks ago. It was the last one I created for this class. Usually the last card I design is my least favorite....you have gone through many color combos, layouts, stamp sets, etc. and you are tapped out creatively. Well, I loved this when I was finally done. I wasn't even planning on using this set but it seemed that my Cold Play set walked off and I couldn't locate it. So...this is was my final design for that class. I plan on using this design as some of my Christmas Cards this year.

Supplies: Snowflake Spot stamp set, Purely Pomegranate ink, card stock, Bashful Blue ink, card stock, Mellow Moss ink, card stock, ribbon. Versamark ink, heat tool, Irradescent Ice Embossing Powder, Crafter's Tool Kit, Photo Corner Punch.

Halloween is Coming

As a kid, I loved Halloween and I still think Halloween is fun for kids but it has become so adult the last several years. Many of the decorations are too scary for young kids. Did the adults that buy these things forget that this "holiday" is supposed to be for kids. My middle daughter wouldn't even go trick or treating last year because she was so freaked out by the yard decorations in the neighborhood we were trick or treating in. I don't think I have ever sent a Halloween card. But, I did enter a swap in which we were requested to make a simple Halloween card. This was my submission. Enjoy.

Supplies used: Pumpkin Pie card stock and ink, Black card stock,ink, grosgrain, Always Artichoke ink, linen thread, scallop circle punch, circle punch, Creepy Crawly Designer Series paper, paper piercer and template, black eyelet.

Fall...It's the HOTTEST Time of the Year?

Here in Grand Blanc, Michigan we have our air conditioning running today. It is over 90 today! I don't remember a time it was this warm in October. So, here is a fall"ish" sample for you to enjoy.

Supplies: Groovy Guava ink, cardstock, ribbon, Mellow Moss ink, cardstock, Ruby Red ink, cardstock, watercolor paper, brads, aquapainter, Give Thanks stamp set, Canvas background stamp, Vases in Vogue stamp set.

Christmas Card Class

This Saturday is my 3rd annual Christmas Card class. I love this class because I get to break out the Christmas CD's and Christmasy candles. I have 17 registered for this class. It should be fun!

Here is a card we are making. It uses Peaceful Wishes (my favorite holiday set), Hung Up On The Holidays and Fundamental Phrases. I really love this color combo...Kraft, Soft Sky and Mellow Moss. It is a different holiday combo but I just love it. It feels so cool and country at the same time. The main panel was stamped on Shimmery White cardstock. I wish it were a bit more shimmery. I think if you didn't know it was "Shimmery White" you wouldn't even notice. I'll have more samples from that class soon!

Big Week!

Ahhh, the sounds of fall....shhhh, can you hear that? At my house it is a bit quieter from the hours of 8:20 and 11:30. Megan and Kira went back to school last week. Megan started 3rd grade and Kira started Kindergarten. Megan has never really liked school but for the first time she seems excited. I don't know if it is the teacher or the fact that she can read and has been enjoying writing much more. She was going on and on one night about the fact that if she gets all her work done during the day she can have free time and she has chosen to spend her time writing stories. Our digital camera doesn't always work when I want it to so the first morning of school I used my 35 mm so I KNEW I would get some photos. So, no digital pic of Megan on her first day.

On Kira's first day I wanted just one digital pic so I could send it to daddy at work, so here she is in all her glory. She is definitely adjusting. She was so excited to start school but after the first day she said she didn't want to go back. Yesterday when I asked her how her morning was, she said that she didn't cry at all. We do "the Kissing Hand" each morning as the bus rolls up (have you ever read that book? Her teacher read it to them the first day of school and I had forgotten how great of a story that is for kids going away to school!)

And if all this weren't enough, as the girls were preparing to leave for school Brooke, our youngest who is 3 years old, decided she wanted to use the potty so that she could go to school too. She is doing so well! She has only had 2 accidents in 8 days and is wearing under ware at night with no accidents! So, next Wednesday I will drop her off at Tiny Tots (class at a church in town for 2 hours, one day a week)...SOOO, next Wednesday, the house will be completely quiet for 2 hours! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!?!? I can't.

Didn't Get It....But Here's a Sample.

Well, I heard back regarding my first ever submission for that design team and I didn't get it. No big deal. I'm sure there were tons of incredible submissions and mine probably wasn't even on the table to be chosen from!

Here is another sample I sent in for their consideration. It is also a swap that I sent in for Jami's Holiday Mini Swap on SCS. This one was made with a set that is currently available from our Holiday Mini Catalog. The stamp set is called Naughty or Nice?

Another One for You Tandra!

HA! Thanks for asking me to post more stuff Tandra! Three posts so now I should be good for awhile! Actually I will have some stamping time this Sunday evening as my husband will take the two older girls to his folks to camp out in the yard and I will put the youngest to bed at 7:30, so maybe I will have more projects early this coming week....when 2 kids are in school!

Here is another that I submitted to Cornish Heritage Farms.....I LOVE this image by Stampin' Up! It screams fall and I LOVE fall, the smells, the chilly temps, the leaves. Michigan is a beautiful place to celebrate fall.

Supplies used: Give Thanks set, Fall Flowers paper, clear buttons, linen thread, Soft Sky card stock and ink, Linen background stamp, Everyday Flexible Phrases set, Groovy Guava card stock and ink, Going Grey ink, Black Staz On ink, Alway Artichoke card stock and ink, Reall Rust card stock and ink, aqua painter.

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!