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!