Life Is...

Valentine's Day 9

2012-02-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

I seem to be having problems with Blogger - I have tried 3 times to post this. Let's see if THIS one works!

Saturday was a busy day - Stamp Club in the morning, shopping in the afternoon to get ready for the evening Michelle had planned for her fiance. She was going to have a surprise candle-lit dinner and we were helping serve. (side note, she has been doing a weeks worth of Valentines too for him!)

So, this day had to be quick and easy too! ENTER the Big Shot. He is really my hero I think. It makes fun boxes and gift giving fun and simple. If you don't have one.. YOU NEED IT!

STAMPS: none

COLORS: Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Real Red

ACCESSORIES: Heart Framelets, Big Shot, Petal Card Die (retired)

Valentines - Day 8

2012-02-13T15:00:00.000-07:00

Friday was a late day - we headed to get our taxes done and returned home after stopping for delish pizza and great entertainment at Organ Stop Pizza. I had made some Valentine's Chex Mix - found on Betty Crocker

STAMPS; Pretty Postage

COLORS: Whisper White, Real Red, Basic Black

ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Fancy Favor die, Scallop Trim border punch, 1" square punch, Postage Stamp punch

The Big Shot makes bags and boxes a snap! Quick to make and simple to embellish! VOILA -

OOPs.... what a whirlwind week! Valentines, Day 5..... and 6, and 7, and 8????

2012-02-12T19:29:00.000-07:00

So, this week was Book Fair at school and I am over my head busy. I completely apologize for not getting these posted earlier. BUT better late than never.

I will post a couple per day to get them caught up.

STAMPS: Candy Conversations, P.S. I Love You

COLORS: Basic Black, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron, Perfect Plum, Pear Pizzazz

ACCESSORIES: Modern Label punch, Small Heart punch, Full Heart punch, Word Window punch

STAMPS:Sprinkled Expressions, P.S. I Love You, It's a Wrap Holidays

COLORS: Riding Hood Red

ACCESSORIES: Word Window Punch, Modern Label punch, 5/8" organza ribbon

STAMPS: Up, Up and Away

COLORS: Night of Navy, Pumpkin Pie, Cherry Cobbler

ACCESSORIES: Wide Oval punch, Scallop Oval punch, Scallop border punch, Cherry Cobbler seam binding ribbon

STAMPS: Sprinkled Expressions, Fabulous Phrases

COLORS: Pretty in Pink, Whisper White

ACCESSORIES: Lace border punch, Pretty in Pink 5/8" satin ribbon, Pearl Jewels

I have to give credit to some other Stampin' Up! artists for some help on some of these projects. The first card was inspired by one I saw on a blog. The last card, the pink one, was one I completely CASEd except changed the color. Diane at Joyful Stampin made a great RED one.

Valentine's Day 4

2012-02-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

Today was a card of thanks day. I think we tend forget to thank our sweeties for the many things they do for us each day. Men are very different than women and I think many times we think that they don't love us because they don't show us they love us in the way WE want. I know I am that way. But, when I stop to think of all the ways that I am shown love, I realize how much my honey loves me. Today was a day when I realized how much he loves me through his actions - he subs for paper routes and this takes away sleep. I told you all in my last post that I have a cold or the flu and I frankly feel super icky!

He stepped up today on his day off --- he picked up our basket from Bountiful Baskets, got papers ready for him to throw tomorrow, came home and started washing laundry (5 loads all day), went shopping with me, took me to lunch, pulled weeds for 3 hours while I took a quick nap, then finished up the laundry when we came home! He needed a nap and got a very short 30 minute one or so - but definitely pampered me today! THANK YOU SWEETIE - I love you ALWAYS!

STAMPS: Always Elegant, Four Frames

COLORS: Real Red, Pretty in Pink

ACCESSORIES: I {Love} Love jumbo wheel, decorator label punch, Adorning Accents Edgelets dies, Fashionable Hearts embosslets die, White Bakers Twine

Happy Valentines - Day 3

2012-02-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

This was the Valentine of the day for Friday - but I gave it to my hubby today. I am coming down with the flu or a cold and was just not up to norm. I fell asleep instead. I gave it to him on Saturday with day 4... watch for that one tomorrow!!

I used the 1" x 8" cello bags from Stampin' Up! and filled it with Twizzlers. The stamp is from the set Love You Much and I added a little punched flower to add something extra.

STAMPS: Love You Much

COLORS: Real Red, Wild Wasabi, Marina Mist

ACCESSORIES: white brad

Happy Valentines- day 2 -AND BLOG HOP!

2012-02-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks for hopping onto my little place on the web! You probably came from Nichole's blog. I am happy to have you stop by. As my followers know, I am just starting my Days to Valentines gifts - I give my sweetie a treat or card every day leading up to Valentines, and you happen to have caught us on DAY 2. Sign up to get updates or follow me to see the next 12 days!

Our blog hop theme is Anything BUT a Card - so it was perfect that the 2nd day for my honey was a 3D box complete with a CUPCAKE! I used the FREE set from Sale-a-bration - Outlined Occasions. You can get this set free when you spend $50 (before taxes). I added a quick-made cupcake pick using the new embosslits die - Fashionable Hearts and used a couple of dots to hold them to the toothpick. You can't really see the sparkle, but I used some Dazzling details to the word LOVE to spice it up a bit!

I used very little supplies for this one and it came together very quickly.

STAMPS: I {Heart} Heart, Outlined Occasions

COLORS: Whisper White, Poppy Parade, Basic Black

ACCESSORIES: Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch, 1/8" basic black taffeta ribbon, Dazzling Details, Fashionable Hearts embosslits die

Thank you for stopping by - you can head on to the next stop on our hop at Peggy's I have included the entire blog line up if you get lost - ENJOY and HAPPY HOPPING!

Hopping Just for the Fun of it http://www.theloveofstamping.com/hopping_just_for_the_fun_

Stampin' Dragon   www.stampindragon.blogspot.com
RaissaStamps http://www.raissastamps.com
Scrappy Stamps and Ink    www.scrappystampsandink.blogspot.com
Life Is...    www.amanda-lifeis.blogspot.com
stampinpegcadillo http://stampinpegcadillo.blogspot.com
The Love of Stamping    http://www.theloveofstamping.com

Happy Valentine's - Day 1

2012-02-03T17:52:00.002-07:00

Some of you may remember last year I decided to give my sweetie a Valentine a Day leading up to Valentine's day - so I thought I should do it again. Wednesday snuck up on me and I had already made a bunch up. I will share them all with you - just as Mike is getting them - ONE AT A TIME!

So for the 1st of February - just a card telling him how much I love him!

The details are:
STAMPS: It's a Wrap Holidays, I {Heart} Hearts
COLORS: Pretty in Pink, Real Red, Regal Rose
ACCESSORIES: 5/8" Real Red Satin Ribbon, scallop squares duo die, corner rounder punch

Watch tomorrow for a fun project with a delicious yummy!!!

AND BLOG HOP tomorrow also! FUN DAY for all!

SUDSOL Blog Hop -

2012-01-31T22:37:00.000-07:00

Welcome! I hope you enjoyed your stop at Jennifer Weide's blog. She had some great stuff didn't she? I am honored to be a part of this blog hop! I really think SUDSOL is so invaluable as a demonstrator. I don't live by my upline and don't think she is very active. I have not ever really gotten much support from her, but when I need help, I can email my SUDSOL sisters (and brothers) and get help quick. It has become an invaluable resource for me in my Stampin' Up! business. Please sit back and enjoy your trip around our Hop! We are all spotlighting the new catalogs - the Occasions Mini Catalog and the Sale-a-Bration Catalog.

I have chosen to spotlight the Packed for Everything Bundle stamps from the Occasions Mini Catalog. I earned them FREE from Stampin' Up! As a demonstrator, we get so many perks; it is really fantastic! I was a bit challenged by them, but honestly after playing with them for an afternoon, I think I may have a new love!

The first stamp is called Packed for Dad - This was a fun card - a little bit time consuming to cut the pieces, but easy enough. I just stamped the image 3 times; one on Whisper White, one on Marina Mist and one on Wild Wasabi. I cut out a few of the pieces and layered them on the card with Stampin' dimensionals. The background is done with the Woodgrain background stamp.

The next card is done using the Packed for Birthday stamp. This one was a bit more challenging. I am not a huge fan of coloring, but I pulled out the trusty old Stampin' Watercolor Pencils and off I colored. The colors needed to be bright, so I chose Tangerine Tango and Pacific Point as the base colors.

The third stamp is Packed for Baby. I think this is my favorite of the 4 stamp sets. It is really cute for baby cards and projects. I did not want to just show CARDS, so I went to the SUDSOL website and found a great box pattern. I did one that was shared by fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrator Paula Goff. I did not want both sides tall, so I changed up the box a bit to fit my needs. I used the colors Pear Pizzazz and Peach Perfection - inspired by the burp cloth I wanted to give as a gift. I also am using a few other Occasions Mini Catalog items - Adorning Accents Edgelits Dies and the matching Adorning Accents Textured Impressions Embossing Folders. Add a pop of color with the Poly Stitched ribbon and a sentiment from the Hostess set Tagtastic and VOILA! A fun gift for a mom-to-be!

I saved the BEST for LAST! This one was chosen the fav by my sweetie, Mike! He said he loved the way it looked. I wanted to make a card that reminded me of the Red Hat Ladies but ended up not adding the traditional purple, but went with the elegant color combo- Real Red and Basic Black. I spent a little intimate time with my scissors again cutting out just ONE accent piece and popping it up with Stampin' dimensionals again. I also added the sweet NEW product Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details - also in the Occasions Mini Catalog to the purse as some bling. I used the Lace Border punch to create a fancy 'girly' border, and a bit of Dotted Scalloped Ribbon and here is the finished card.

I hope you have enjoyed your trip down the PACKED for EVERYTHING stamps. Head on to the next blog to see Stacey Tomkowiak and what she has created for you! Thanks for stopping by!

CONTINUE on the Blog Tour
Jennifer Weide	Stacey Tomkowiak

Save the Date!

2012-01-31T14:38:00.000-07:00

It's the MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!

2012-01-30T14:34:00.000-07:00

And you thought Christmas was the best time to get presents!  Well, at Stampin' Up! they think that you should get some gifts just for you after you spend all your money on others.  So, from now until March 31, 2012 you can pick something FREE from the Sale-A-Bration brochure for every $50 you spend (before taxes).  Check out the stuff you can get FREE!

And come back to my blog on February 1st for the SUDSOL blog hop featuring the Occasions Mini catalog and the Sale-a-bration catatlog too!

Framelets tutorial video.

2012-01-26T10:15:00.000-07:00

These are really amazing! I am completely in LOVE! Watch this video from Stampin' Up! to see how amazing and versatile these are. I will be showing the heart one on some projects in the next week or so.

catch up part 4 - club card 3

2012-01-25T10:08:00.000-07:00

This card was easy to make. Sara, the hostess, had requested a sympathy card - so here it was. It showcases a new product Stampin' Up! carries -FRAME-LETS. They are awesome! I will share a video about them tomorrow! STAY TUNED.............

STAMPS: Vintage Vogue, Thoughts and Prayers, Posy Punch (hostess)

COLORS: Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral, Pool Party

ACCESSORIES: Labels Collection Frame-lets, Fancy Flower punch, Everyday Enchantment DSP

Catch up part 3 - Club card 2

2012-01-24T09:51:00.000-07:00

The second card was one that was made for one of my customers. December's club ended up on my birthday. I had a customer unable to attend and she told me to spend her money for her ---- FOR MY BIRTHDAY gift from her! THANK YOU KATHY!

STAMPS: Extreme Elements, Daring Adventure

COLORS: Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze, Night of Navy

ACCESSORIES: Well Worn DSP, 1" circle punch, Live Every Moment embosslit, Denim ribbon,

Catch up part 2 - Club card 1

2012-01-23T09:39:00.000-07:00

Here is the first card the ladies made in January. I used a lot of product from the new Occasions mini catalog. These gnomes are simply adorable! I love them - even better that I earned them FREE!!!!!!

STAMPS: Gnome Sweet Gnome, Sprinkled Expressions (SAB)

COLORS: Basic Gray, Cajun Craze, Pear Pizzazz, Baja Breeze

ACCESSORIES: Twitterpated DSP, 2 1/2" circle punch, 2 3/8" scallop circle punch, small tag punch, large tag punch, Riding Hood Red 3/8" taffeta ribbon, scallop trim border punch, markers, impression plate

Playing Catch up - part 1

2012-01-22T09:32:00.001-07:00

Well, I have been a terrible blogger - nothing to blame except being lazy I guess. BUT I am bound and determined this year to be better! SOOO... you will get catch up blog posts this week! YAY.

I will start with January club - I set a goal to be more grateful last year. A part of that was to be grateful for my customers! I have a great bunch of gals who are loyal and we love our monthly get togethers. When one of them is missing, the others are very concerned and all send well wishes.

As a way to show MY thanks - I have tried to make a gift for them each month. THIS calendar idea (*not my own!) came from a blog I subscribe to in my Google Reader. I can't seem to find the email right now, but THANK YOU for your inspiration for this fun desktop calendar idea!

STAMPS: Fresh Vintage (SAB set), For All You Do

COLORS: Pool Party, Lucky Limeade

ACCESSORIES: Everyday Enchantment DSP, scallop square punch, 1 1/4" square punch, Lucky Limeade 3/8" ruffled ribbon

Merry Christmas to ALL!

2011-12-25T17:57:00.003-07:00

Holiday Craft Camp projects

2011-11-25T12:49:00.001-07:00

Here are the projects planned for the Craft Day -

November calendar of events

2011-11-13T13:21:00.001-07:00

I love My Digital Studio - I use it mostly for my monthly calendars-- so here you go. I think in a week or two I might spotlight the calendar I just made for Nathan on his mission.

But, this is the calendar for November with all the events I have going on. Watch in the next few days for photos of the Holiday Gift projects and prices.

Double take of a Double take!

2011-11-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

Or is it double, double, take? I am not sure. I liked the idea that the club ladies could choose their own individual touch to the card that I did another one at the hostess club that they could do just that. This card was a CASE from Mary Fish - a fellow Tucson demonstrator.

Stampin' UP! has great ways to support their demonstrators and there are other means out there in our highly technological world to get support. Mary is also a transplant to Tucson and hooked up with our Southwest Stampers group. It is always nice to get together with other demos, but in a pinch, I have to admit I turn to my cyber demos on SUDSOL. I had the privilege of being stop #4 on their blog hop yesterday!

Back to the card. I used the stamp set Easy Events so the ladies could choose from 8 different celebrations! They all turned out fantastic. I told the ladies that they could make these as gifts and stamp a bunch of different sentiments to let the recipient choose what event they needed.

The first is the CASE from Mary, the second is my additional version for a birthday.

Stamps: Easy Events

Colors: Whisper White, Basic Black

Accessories: Red Glimmer Paper, Silver Glimmer Paper, 1 3/8" square punch, 1 1/4" square punch, 1" square punch, Heart to Heart punch, Blossom Bouquet triple layer punch, Scallop Square die

SUDSOL Blog Hop -

2011-11-02T20:09:00.000-07:00

I am honored to be part of the SUDSOL blog hop this go around. I have some fun holiday samples to share with you today and a couple of them were inspired by samples I found on SUDSOL or tutorials. SUDSOL stands for Simply Unique Demonstrators Sharing OnLine and is a fantastic demonstrator community. You can find many great resources to help your business along including a listening ear when you have a bad workshop or if you need a WOW project or if you simply want to swap cards. Check the community out! Join me on SUDSOL - Your 24/7 Upline!

You should have just come from stop three -Nola Burkhard at her blog Ink on Her Paws. Please enjoy the samples that I have for you to celebrate the holidays! All of these are cards inspired by other demonstrators.

Stamps: Hand Penned Holidays, Easy Events

Colors: Very Vanilla, Riding Hood Red, Wild Wasabi

Accessories: Snow Burst impressions folder, Very Vanilla Designer Velvet Ribbon,

Stamps: Contempo Christmas

Colors: Pool Party, Whisper White

Accessories: 2 step Owl Punch, Northern Flurry impressions folder, Dazzling Details

Stamps: The Sounding Joy

Colors: Not Quite Navy, Rich Razzleberry

Accessories: Silver embossing powder, Scallop Trim Border punch

Stamps: Four the Holidays, Triple Treat Flower

Colors: Real Red, Garden Green

Accessories: Houndstooth impression folder, 1/4" grosgrain ribbon - Real Red, Garden Green, Modern Label punch, 5 Petal flower punch, Fancy Flower punch

Lastly, I made a treat holder using a pattern on SUDSOL. There are many patterns in the Creative Library to use for your needs. This particular one uses the Scallop Circle Die and the 1 3/4" Scallop Circle punch to create a fun Reese's cup holder.

Stamps: Pennant Parade, Delicate Doilies

Colors: Cherry Cobbler, Wild Wasabi

Accessories: 1 3/4" scallop circle punch, Scallop Circle die, 1 1/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch

I hope you have enjoyed your visit to my blog on the SUDSOL blog hop. Please hop on to the next stop here.

Thanks for stopping by!

CONTINUE on the Blog Tour
Nola Burkhard	SUDSOL

Club double take

2011-11-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

More club card shares for you today. These two cards were the options for the gals. I thought that not all people like to send Halloween cards so I created a simple solution- two cards that are similar, but can be easily adapted to a different celebration. I began with the Give Thanks card and with a few additional stamped images created a fun Halloween card.

Stamps: Jack of All Trades, Hand Penned Holidays

Colors: Pear Pizzazz, Peach Parfait, Soft Suede

Accessories: Photo Corner punch (retired)

With a few additional pieces you can get a great Halloween card ....

Stamps: Jack of All Trades, Grateful Greetings

Colors: Pear Pizzazz, Peach Parfait, Soft Suede, Concord Crush

Accessories: Corner Rounder punch, Ticket Corner punch, Scallop Square punch, Postage Stamp punch

Chat sketch take 2

2011-10-31T22:49:00.000-07:00

So I posted the sketch yesterday from a couple of weeks ago on SUDSOL. I have told you how much I love SUDSOL! I get workshop ideas, sketches, patterns and templates for boxes and gifts, and so much more! I will feature a project on the blog tour that utilizes that special area of the website - Patterns and Templates.

BUT, you have to wait a couple more days -- Thursday in fact. In the mean time, here is the second card I completed using the SUDSOL sketch. The Stamp a Stack gals loved it! I hope you enjoy!

Stamps: Snow Much Fun

Colors: Pool Party, Wisteria Wonder

Accessories: Lace Border punch, Snow Burst impressions folder, Snowflake punch, Corner rounder punch

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2011-10-30T22:41:00.001-07:00

I have blogged before about the SUDSOL Chat & Challenges. This card was one I made for that very thing. I always try to get a card done in the 1 hour time limit and this is what I came up with. It is perfect to wish you all a very Happy Halloween! I know I love to see the kids in costume and this year have a great costume. I will try to post a photo of that later this week too.

Here is the sketch we were given. If you try it - link back to mine!

Before I show you the card, I want to remind you to check back on Thursday, November 3rd for the SUDSOL blog tour. We are all spotlighting Holiday designs and projects. I am excited for it... SUDSOL is who I always turn to when I need help as a demonstrator. My upline is in Utah and I hardly ever talk to her - like NEVER, but I can shout out to my SUDSOL sisters and get help right away!

Back to the Halloween card! Watch for the other version that I got finished during the chat tomorrow!

Stamps: Wicked Cool

Colors: Cajun Craze, Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black

Accessories: Frightful Sight DSP, Oval punch, Scallop Oval punch, 2 1/2" circle punch, 2 3/4" scallop circle punch, 1/2" scallop dots ribbon - Basic Black, Sweet Buttons embosslits die, scallop edge border punch.

October Fun!

2011-10-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

I am trying to catch up a bit before the BIG BLOG HOP! Next week, on Thursday, November 3, I will be participating in the SUDSOL blog hop. SUDSOL is a great resource for Stampin' Up! demonstrators. There are lots of benefits to this demonstrator only group. I have mentioned the Chat & Challenges before, but there are templates, class outlines, tutorials, organization tips and tricks, card ideas, gift ideas, scrapbook ideas - you name it and it is probably there! Be sure to sign up for my emails or follow me and see what we have planned on this hop!

For the October Hostess club I have a couple of cards to share today. The hostess club had so much fun with their cards.

Stamps: Hello Friend, Bright Hope
Colors: Always Artichoke, Crumb Cake, Bashful Blue
Accessories: 2 3/8" scallop circle punch, 3/8" taffeta ribbon (crumb cake), Sweet Buttons embosslit, Crystal Effects

I saw a boy version of this card on the Stampin' Up demo website and knew I had to copy it. LOVE it. I love that you can use the Stitched Stocking set for more than just Christmas stockings.

Stamps: Stitched Stockings, Petite Pairs

Colors: Pretty in Pink

Accessories: Perfect Polka dots impressions folder, 5/8" satin ribbon (Pretty in Pink), Pearl Jewels, Eyelet border punch

Halloween Hop!

2011-10-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the fun this month with our Hopping Just for the Fun of It blog hop. You are in for a treat today as you see the fun Fall and Halloween ideas that some amazing Stampin' Up! artists have come up with. Please sit back and enjoy the ride today as you hop from blog to blog. You can start anywhere and end anywhere - just enjoy the cards and projects we have prepared for you.

You have just come from stop #11 -Stamp With Jane. Didn't you LOVE her great ideas for the Sorting Hat?! I have some fun stuff for you today.

I am not really a Halloween person I have to admit, I have good intentions but never seem to find enough people to send things to. First up is a little test tube box I found on Lisa Sommerville's blog. I have a tutorial I will post later this week for you all. I have a little similarity going with each project - maybe you can see what it is? Post a comment if you can figure it out!

Stamps: Spooky Bingo Bits

Colors: Pear Pizzazz, Peach Parfait, Elegant Eggplant

Accessories: Lace Border punch, Postage Stamp punch, 1" sq. punch

This next card also uses the Spooky Bingo Bits set. It is a fun, simple design.

Stamps: Spooky Bingo Bits, Grateful Greetings

Colors: Lucky Limeade, Concord Crush, Poppy Parade, Peach Parfait, Island Indigo

Accessories: Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch, Scallop Oval punch, Large Oval punch, Postage Stamp punch, 1" sq. punch, Corner Rounder punch

The next card is a very popular fancy fold design these days around the stamping world - I have seen lot's of samples, and probably the best is Dawn Griffith's video. Do you notice the fun medallion??? I will show you a tutorial of that later this week also!

Stamps: Jack of all Trades, Spooky Bingo Bits

Colors: Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black

Accessories: Frightful Sight DSP, 1 3/4" scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch

And the last project I have for you is a 3-D box that I saw on an email group I'm on using the Big Shot machine and the ever popular Top Note Die! Cute way to give a small sweet treat to someone you love!

Stamps: Spooky Bingo Bits, It's a Wrap Holidays

Colors: Cajun Craze, Old Olive, Basic Black

Accessories: 1 3/4" Scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch

Thanks for stopping by! Here is the lineup for the rest of the blog hop- I am stop # 12. The next stop is #13 - Raissa Spatola. You can start anywhere and end anywhere and if you get lost along the way- please check back on the list and you can link to any of the blogs!

Happy Friday and Hopping tomorrow!

2011-09-30T21:12:00.000-07:00

The day has come and I am so happy to be here on FRIDAY! It has been a long week and I am tapped out - emotionally and financially! But, tomorrow is a new day - and a BLOG HOP day! The first Saturday of every month I will be participating in a blog hop - just of Stampin' Up! ideas. This month is going to be Halloween and Fall ideas. You are certainly in for a treat from some great fellow demonstrators.

So for a sneak peak, I'll share the little treat I enclosed in Nathan's box I just sent a couple of weeks ago. It is a little Halloween goodie bag. I am almost certain they don't have Candy corn in Mozambique!

Stamps: Grateful Greetings

Colors: Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight

Accessories: Top Note Die, Petal Cone Die, Postage Stamp punch,

Perfect Polka Dots impression folder

Here is the lineup for the blog hop tomorrow - I am stop # 12. You can start anywhere and end anywhere and if you get lost along the way- please check back on the list and you can link to any of the blogs! See ya tomorrow with MORE luscious Halloween ideas!

S'more fun with July club

2011-09-27T16:47:00.000-07:00

This was a project I wanted to do for a year. Well, I finally got to it! It is a s'mores kit. I have admired them for a while and knew that the In the Stars stamp set was perfect!

It is made with a Top Note die cut and scored the long way. The stamped images were colored in with Watercolor Pencils.

Stamps: In the Stars

Colors: Night of Navy, More Mustard, Old Olive

Accessories: Watercolor Pencils, cello bag

Fancy Fold Pinwheels

2011-09-26T16:42:00.000-07:00

This card was a fancy fold card. It was quick and easy to put together. I started with the 'window' card idea with the punched pinwheels then built larger layers and ended up with this card. The card size is 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" but instead of cutting the paper 5 1/2 x 8 1/2, you cut it 4 1/2 x 11. Then you fold it at 5 1/2 and then score the front side at 4 1/4" from the non-scored edge. You then will fold it up and run adhesive inside and hold down the top fold. The other layers were 4" then 4 1 3/4" squares and finished off with the postage stamp punch.

stamps: Sweets for the Sweet, Happy Greetings
colors: Riding Hood Red, Pale Plum, Lucky Limeade
accessories: postage stamp punch, ticket corner punch, Lucky Limeade 3/8" ruffled edge ribbon, basic rhinestones

some oldies!

2011-09-25T16:21:00.000-07:00

I realized today as I 'clean house' per se, that I have not shared some club cards for a while. I will play catch up for a couple of days with some oldies, but goodies! These samples are from July club.

This first card was to get myself to use the Blossom Petal Punch. I borrowed it from my friend (and oops, I still have it!) so I thought I should actually use it! There is very little stamping on this card. It also spotlights the Designer Paper Packs that go with each color family.

Stamps: Four Frames, Petite Pairs
Colors: Pear Pizzazz, Rose Red, So Saffron
Accessories: Blossom Petal builder punch, 1 3/4" scallop circle punch, Decorative Label punch, Stripes impressions folder, Sweet Button embosslit die]

It's a Wrap - swap style

2011-09-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

I participated in an all demo swap with stamps from the new Idea Book & Catalog. I kept this card from blog-world until now to share with you. I fell in love with this set right away and saw great potential with it. You can use it to wrap around mini candy bars but I was swapping cards so I had to make it a card - This is what I came up with.

Stamps: It's a Wrap Occasions

Colors: Whisper White, Basic Black, Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral, Island Indigo

Accessories: Polka Dot impressions folder, Scallop Trim border punch, Cupcake builder punch, Dazzling Diamonds

After I got the first card done, I decided it wasn't as hard as I thought, so I created another one!

Stamps: It's a Wrap Occasions, Baby Bundle

Colors: So Saffron, Marina Mist, Wild Wasabi

Accessories: Scallop Oval die, Finial Press impressions folder

A 'little' spotted break from card crafting

2011-09-23T05:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I am going to take a little shameless plug here to show off my latest adventure. This adventure was not the one I envisioned myself taking at this point. However, here is my story.

Once upon a time (like almost every day) Mike was subbing a newspaper route in the wee hours of the morning. This happened to be the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. As he was in an apartment complex throwing their papers, he heard a very small whining sound and followed it with his 'hound-like' ears (this plays a part). To his surprise, he found a very small puppy under a car. ABANDONED! Well, as many of you know, I have a wonderful daughter in law, who among her many talents is an animal lover and has worked animal rescue for a long time. That little voice in his head told him he better save that puppy or chance who knows what for leaving the small creature there to die in the parking lot - so we became the puppy rescue.

We were vigilant and posted FOUND signs with photos, walked around asking if anyone knew who's puppy it was. No one to claim the wee lad.We waited the two weeks after we reported him and still no one! Which brings me to the new project at our house these days.....................

Well.... I guess the happily ever after is that he has a good home now....................OURS! I am not the happiest camper, but dang he is the CUTEST little thing ever! We are pretty sure he is a beagle with maybe nothing else!

And I ask you, with a face like that (and I mean the puppies) could you give him away? And while I mention the OTHER face.... I really can't say 'no' to my BIG creatures too! WELCOME COSMO!

2nd Challenge Card

2011-09-14T17:20:00.000-07:00

This was my second card I made using the sketch that SUDSOL provided. Once I got going, I really saw possibilities for cards. I pulled out my Easy Events set - a new one in the Stampin' Up! 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog. I have a family member going through a hard time right now, so I decided to make a card to send off. Cards are such a great way to share a hug across the miles and there are LOTS of miles between us.

I started with my Color Coach to pick the colors I wanted. I thought Riding Hood Red would be good, then I found Pear Pizzazz and Early Espresso to match. I took the card base of Pear Pizzazz and ran it through the Big Shot using the texture plates. I then stamped the Wood-grain background stamp on a strip of Soft Suede with Early Espresso ink. I quickly punched out a border strip of the Riding Hood Red with the Dotted Scallop border punch and punched a few hearts from CS scraps. Then I stamped the Wood-grain on a Very Vanilla circle and stamped the image on the card which I colored in with markers. Rounded the corners for a bit of softening to the edges and there you go!

SUDSOL - Chat and Challenge

2011-09-13T17:11:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to participate in the SUDSOL Chat and Challenge last week. SUDSOL is the Stampin' Up! Demonstrator sharing spot. The acronym is Simply Unique Demonstrators Sharing OnLine. It is like your favorite friend - warm, comfortable, and a great place to go for help or advice. I do not live close to my upline so I go to SUDSOL for help. Each week they host a Chat and Challenge and post a sketch or color combination or some other challenge. Last week it was a sketch. I got to participate for the first time in a LONG time and I was so excited!

Here is the sketch they provided -

And my take - take #1 - I used the new DSP from the 2011 Holiday Mini Catalog - SPICE CAKE. I love it! The stamp set was Happiest Birthday Wishes. The set is exclusive for hostesses. I stamped it three times and punched out with the 1 3/4" Scallop Circle, the 1 3/8" circle and the 1" circle punches. I added a simple bow with the new Ruffled Ribbon in Pool Party and VOILA!

I will share the 2nd card I completed during the 1 hour time limit for the Chat and Challenge tomorrow.

Pinwheels!

2011-09-12T16:49:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, I loved pinwheels! They always made me smile and feel carefree. The pinwheel seems to be the latest thing - so I showed the Hostess Club gals how to make them showcasing Stampin' Up!'s Designer Series Paper.

The paper is Big Top Birthday and has a fun color pallet - Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise. The pinwheel was simple, and with a little embossing on the bottom with the Stripe Impressions Folder for the Big Shot and a punched border with the Scallop border punch you have a fun card!

Petite Pairs meets Strength and Hope

2011-09-11T16:37:00.000-07:00

This was our super simple card for Hostess Club. It was Very Vanilla and Marina Mist. Simple stamping with Petite Pairs and Strength and Hope, a bit of tearing and a splash of ribbon - and VIOLA! Instant hug to send in the mail.

Another SWEET card

2011-09-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

This card was one that the gals made at the August Hostess Club. It was super fun to make and with the magic of Crystal Effects was spectacular! It always amazes me to see how ONE or TWO small things make such a fabulous effect on a card.

The colors were bright and happy - Tangerine Tango, Concord Grape, and Daffodil Delight. The stamp set was Sweets for the Sweet. I added some poly stitched ribbon on the punched border to add some pizzazz. The Crystal Effects give such a nice shiny feel to the lollipop bags, you almost want to eat them!

I saw this card idea on the Stampin' Up! demonstrator board - Stampin' Connection. You gotta love your fellow demos!!!!

WOAH! time flies!

2011-09-09T16:25:00.001-07:00

So, I realized today that I sort of fell off the face of the earth! I apologize to you followers! I am going to try harder to stay updated. In any case - here is a fun card for a kiddos birthday. Or even a big kid too!

It uses the stamp set Something Sweet. This set is very versatile and can even use the Sweet Treat Cups. I will create a card with that in a few days so you can see how cool those are! The colors used are Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point, Real Red, and Daffodil Delight. I accented with the Perfect Polka Dot impressions folder and Scallop Trim Border punch. The whole card was quite simple to put together.

Missionary cards

2011-08-18T21:22:00.000-07:00

So, many of you know I have a son serving a Mission for our church. He is in Mozambique and all of his roommates from BYU last year are also serving. I try to send them cards every couple of months. This card is the one I sent them.

It uses my favorite masculine stamp set - The Open Sea. I will be so very sad to see it go after the Stampin' UP! Summer Mini catalog is finished August 31. Perhaps Stampin' Up! will carry it over... hint, hint.... I saw a card on the Stampin' Up! demonstrator blog by Claudia Perry and loved it! I changed it up a bit, changed colors and VOILA!

The colors are Crumb Cake, Always Artichoke and Island Indigo. I used a sentiment from the set Best Dad Ever! =Punches make this card super easy - 2 1/2" circle, 1 1/4" circle, and the Decorative Label punch.

August Scrapbook class

2011-08-17T21:09:00.000-07:00

I always love to create some fun scrapbook pages for the monthly class. The pages were fun and mostly easy. The first one is a generic one using the new Hello, Doily background stamp. The colors I used were Pretty in Pink, So Saffron, Pear Pizzaz and Orchid Opulence. The Designer Series Paper was retired from last spring.

The second page was a good one too- but a bit more complicated. I am glad that I waited to make this one for the scrapbook group since the new single stamp School Lines. The other stamp set is Greeting Card Kids - they remind me of the old Campbells Soup Kids. The colors are Night of Navy, Daffodil Delight and Old Olive with a little Cherry Cobbler.

Workshop "kick it up" card

2011-08-16T17:57:00.000-07:00

For my workshop this month I featured a 'kick it up" card. The ladies made the simple version -

As they were passing their supplies I showed them 2 simple ways to 'kick it up'. The first is a few simple punches and coloring -

Then the second 'kicked up' card I added the Beautiful Wings embosslet die, a Rhinestone Jewel and a small piece of Daffodil Delight 1/8" taffeta ribbon.

Christmas Card Stamp a Stack - part 2!

2011-08-15T20:52:00.001-07:00

There were 4 lovely cards made at the 1st Christmas Card Stamp A Stack. I tried to keep them easy thinking that any one could be mass produced. Here are the last 2 cards -

The first one uses Baroque Motifs and Delightful Decorations. The colors were Elegant Eggplant and Garden Green. I also added some gold embossed 'twinkly lights'. The punched strip is the new Lacey Border Punch - LOVE IT!

This second card may be my favorite! It was a simply elegant color combination of black and white. The snowflakes are embossed with the Northern Flurry impressions folder and topped off with a sentiment from a retired stamp set. The corners were punched with the Scalloped Trim corner punch then I added the bling with the Rhinestone Jewels.

Christmas Card Stamp a Stack

2011-08-14T21:50:00.000-07:00

This past week was the first of 5 stamp a stacks designed to get your cards done for holiday giving. The ladies made 8 total cards; 2 each of 4 different designs. I will share two of the cards today.

I simply love this little reindeer! He is so festive - little DASHER. Stampin' Up! has some great single stamps and he is one of them. Pair him up with some snowflakes from Snow Swirled and some calming colors and it is striking! The colors were Cherry Cobbler and Baja Breeze, Dasher sported a little Soft Suede to top the card off.

This card was super simple! The hardest parts were getting full ink on the Medallion Stamp and punching out 9 little circles with the Owl Builder punch. I added a little sentiment from the set Punch Potpourri in Real Red to accent the Garden Green 'wreath' and tied up a quick bow to finish it off.

Cupcake gift holder

2011-08-08T22:37:00.001-07:00

Michelle had a friend who works at the mall she works at who was celebrating a birthday. She made him a cupcake and when I saw how cute her cupcakes were, i thought immediately of the cupcake box I had seen on Sarah Willis' blog. You can see her original here.

Grunge swap card

2011-08-07T21:24:00.000-07:00

I made this card for a swap and loved the design! It was really simple and came together very quickly.
The stamp sets I used were Extreme Elements and Grunge Rock – they are great sets for masculine or teen cards. The colors were Wild Wasabi and Marina Mist – accented with Early Espresso. I used the new Postal Stamp punch and backed the punches pieces with coordinating squares. The 3/8” grosgrain ribbon added a great finishing touch to the card.

Sharing my Creative Cave

2011-08-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

So, last summer when my son married his amazing wife, Dawnmaire, I not only got a fantastic daughter I got a stamp space! So, I realized I have never shared photos of my little heaven on earth. Here they are!
This is the room standing in the doorway looking in. Going in a clockwise direction -

color coordinated bookcase. All the files are 12 x 12 scrapbook paper housed by color in RAINBOW order (red, orange, yellow, green, indigo, blue, violet) On top of the shelf are drawers with color coordinated embellishments (brads, buttons, etc.)
my workspace desk. It houses by stamp pads, ink refills, Stampin’ Up! embellishments, wheels, stamp blocks, markers, Big Shot die cutting machine
under the desk are 3 13 x 13 file drawers – they have various supplies for scrapbooking or stamping like vellum, stickers, punches, refills for adhesive or trimmers.
hanging on the wall above the desk is my Stampin’ Up! ribbon storage. This is actually made from rain gutter that my DH hung on the wall for me.
DVD bookcase holding current Stampin’ Up! stamp sets.
On the right what you can’t see is a twin sized bed for when my missionary son, Nathan, returns home next summer.

Here are some close up photos -

right side of my desk – usually my laptop sits in the open space.

Stamp set storage – many of these have moved to the other side of the room to the RETIRED stamp set storage for those sets I can’t bare to let go of yet!

The ribbon has had an overhaul and is more full now – Stampin’ UP! retired a lot of my fav ribbon, but I can’t get rid of it, so I keep it and add to it! I’ll post a new photo in a few days.
I will share the OTHER side of the room tomorrow! STAY TUNED!

July club cards– Pennant Parade

2011-08-04T19:46:00.000-07:00

It is always a favorite when Stampin’ Up! creates a stamp set/punch that coordinates. This is my favorite one right now – Pennant Parade stamp set and Pennant punch. This was a fast, easy card with just three simple colors – Island Indigo, Pool Party (both new In colors) and Daffodil Delight. Add an embossed Perfect Polka dots impression folder Top Note Die and a quick punched border with the Scalloped Ribbon border punch – and you have a great, simple card.

August Stamp Happenings

2011-08-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

I simply had to create this month's calendar using a SNEAK PEAK item - NEW DSP! Starting in September, the Holiday Mini catalog will be available and the background paper on the calendar is from a new Designer Series Paper pack. The Holiday Mini Catalog is set to ship to those of you in my Hostess Club around August 15; please let me know when your mini catalog arrives. If you are not in my Hostess club and want a copy, just contact me. I'll be happy to get one out to you! I always have room for one more in my hostess clubs, so if you want to join - shoot me an email! The purchase requirement is low - $20 per month - and the benefits are HIGH! including half-price items!
I have a number of fun events planned for August. I know I always am rushing around come Mid November (reality is Mid December) and find I don't have Christmas and Holiday cards done. So to help you out of this predicament, I am offering a series of Christmas/Holiday cards beginning in August. If you take the entire series which will be once a month from August to December, you will have completed 40 cards by mid December. Each month I will be adding an ADDITIONAL stamp-a-stack to the calendar. This one is JUST for Christmas/Holiday cards and will still be 8 cards for $10. However, I have an incentive for you if you want to attend all of them. If you commit to all five, and PREPAY for the entire series, you will get a Christmas/Holiday bonus from me! What might it be, you may ask? Well, since you will be making all those cards to give away, you certainly will need some for yourself in the new year to say Thank You for all the wonderful gifts you receive, so in January I will have an EXCLUSIVE Thank You card stamp a stack that you may attend FOR FREE. Not ready to commit to the entire series by the August class - that's ok, you can still attend any and all, if you end up attending all 5 anyway, I'll have a different Thank You for you!

Another exciting this for August - Stampin' Up is having a terrific sale on their wonderful Designer Series Paper. When you buy 3 packages, you get a 4th for FREE!
Please let me know as soon as possible what Stampin' Events you would like to attend this month - I would LOVE to create with all of you! Thank you for making my business be fun. My calendar is filling up fast with workshops, so if you would like to have a group of your friends join us to decorate their lives with stamps, give me a call or an email.

Party time Scrapbook class style

2011-07-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

For July the scrapbook gals made some wonderful layouts too. Again - the inspiration for them came from fellow demos - on our demo blog.

the first layout was a great sentimental one - it could be almost anything. I used by favorite masculine stamp set these days- The Open Sea - I may shed some tears when it is not current anymore. HOWEVER, the upside will be that the new Holiday items will be available and I got a sneak peek. All I can say is WOW! Stampin' UP! has outdown themselves... but you'll have to wait until August to see the samples.

Ok, so I digress---- the Nautical Expedition DSP was a lovely compliment to the first layout ... the left side ... I CASEd that from Jackie Topa. I could not get away from the ship in a bottle - it was striking. The colors were Night of Navy, Cherry Cobbler and Not Quite Navy. The distressing was done with Early Espresso.

the second set of pages was also inspired by the colors of a DSP - this one was the retired pack of Birthday Celebration. The ladies were impressed how easy the title was to make with clear mount stamps - it was amazing; simply lay out the letters you want to spell out then press your clear block on the top - you get them exactly how you want them!

Scrap that inspiration

2011-07-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

June's scrapbook class was a great evening. It was nice to visit while the ladies created their pages. I was inspired by a couple of people on Stampin' Up!'s own demo blog . thank you to the great demos who inspire me.

This is the complete first layout - Sunny Day DSP, Heart from the Heart stamp set - Daffodil Delight, Poppy Parade were the colors too. I added a bit of Daffodil Delight satin ribbon to finish it off.

The second set was all about animals and the zoo. We created punch art animals (how fun is that!) The colors were very safari -like; Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Rich Razzleberry, More Mustard.
The background was done by using the edge of a Stampin' Around wheel.

My Digital Studio gift-

2011-07-18T13:24:00.002-07:00

The band teacher at the High School was retiring this year so I felt like I should do something special for him. He taught the 3 boys for 8 years, so he has a special place in our hearts. I popped open My Digital Studio, found a great music quote and got to designing. He absolutely LOVED it and said it would be hanging in his house for years to come.

Thank you, Mr. Robert Gaston!

Christmas in July Stamp Camp projects -

2011-07-17T13:07:00.003-07:00

There will be a fun day of crafting on July 30 at my home! Any and all are welcome. It will be a fabulous day of creating for all! Check out the projects you can choose from. I will be putting together tutorials for all the projects sometime next week or the first week of August. (thank you for the suggestion Joyce)

stamped CD clocks

$10.00

8 1/2" x 11" Family collage

$5.00

8 1/2" x 11" Friend collage

$5.00

11" x 8 1/2" Merry collage

$5.00

Jingle Bell Glass Block

$15.00

Memo Pad Case

$5.00

Nugget Boxes

$3.50

Peace, Joy, Love wall hanging

$7.00

Recipe Card Apron Box (design from Ellen Kemper)

$5.00

Christmas Countdown

$10.00

Anniversary

2011-07-14T19:20:00.001-07:00

It is so hard to believe that a year has passed by so quickly - it just seems like a short while ago that my oldest son, James, married his sweetheart Dawnmarie. I love her so much and am so glad he found her. I made them this card for their anniversary this past week. It was all about the hearts!

Wedding invitations

2011-07-08T07:51:00.001-07:00

My daughter in law and I have a crafting business we do together called Celebration Creations. You can check that blog out with the linky on the left side bar of this blog. We do all kinds of things to help celebrate any occaision - weddings, birthdays, showers (baby or wedding), quincinerras, you name it - we do it!

I made some sample wedding invitations up and thought I'd share them here -

Both use impressions folders and some heat embossing also. I hope they inspire you today!

The Open Sea strikes again!

2011-07-07T07:07:00.000-07:00

With the blessing of rain that Tucson has been receiving, I wanted to share another water inspired card. This features my favorite set from the Stampin' Up! Summer Mini Catalog, The Open Sea. It reminds me of my dad.

gifts to mail

2011-07-06T07:19:00.002-07:00

Every year for the past 10 or so, I have showered my Mother in Law with a card shower for her birthday - literally. I try to send her at least 50 cards to get her through most of the next year with birthday and anniversary cards and of course a couple of 'just because'. She is an old fashioned LETTER WRITER! I know, pick yourself off the floor - they DO still exist. I love this about her; she tries to keep in contact with all those important people in her life. She has forced herself to learn how to use email so she can keep up with her techie grandkids, but she still loves to put pen to paper! I love her dearly and wanted to share a few of the cards I made for her.

I know they will remain a secret to her - she is NOT a follower of my blog -but since you are --- pass the blog on to YOUR friends! I would love to see your friends and family following my little creative journey!

This first one is a CASE from the a Stampin' Up! demo blog -SUDSOL. Many demonstrators are getting ready to leave for the 2011Stampin' Up! Convention. Unfortunately, I can't attend this year again, but I love to be inspired by those who do! Thank you Mary Brown for the inspiration for this card. The stamp sets are Extreme Elements and Just Because. The bright colors are from the Bright Collection - Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive and Pacific Point.

For these cards I was using up scraps on my table. I love the triple layer punches and this is a fun way to use up leftover punchies from other projects. I had punched out about 50 Real Red, Pear Pizzazz and Basic Black flowers using the Flower triple layer punch, and had a pile (not very small) of the leftovers. I glued them on Whisper White CS and then ran that through the Big Shot using the Square Lattice impressions folder. I layered that with a few other layers and stamped a simple greeting from my favorite 'go to' birthday set - On Your Birthday. To add a punch of color, I added a couple of flowers using the new set Fabulous Florals. I was so thrilled to find out it is carried over into the 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog!

This last sample was a direct CASE from the Stampin' Up! demonstrator publication Stampin' Success. Each month we get such wonderful ideas and inspiration in this. I always look forward to the day it arrives and love to pour over the pages inside.

Happy Fathers Day! (ok - so I'm a bit late)

2011-07-05T07:16:00.000-07:00

I had some fun times making Father's Day cards. I had one for the club members to make, but when it came right down to it, I wanted to make Mike a different one - sooooo here is the one I gave him.

it uses the stamp set Tool Time. I finally broke down and bought this set - I have eyed it for a while now (like 2 years) but remembered this fun card I have seen MANY places online and knew the time had come to buy it. The letter 'a' is from a retired alphabet set and the "lucky you" quote is from another retired hostess set Afterthoughts.

Mike enjoyed his pampereing day- the kids got together and bought him a mini donut maker and he was showered with a HEART attack - REAL style- about 80 donuts! The kids had me make mike his own heart attack card too - he has put that somewhere safe and since I forgot to take a photo of THAT card, I'll hunt and try to post it later.

Tart and tangy farewell

2011-07-02T17:54:00.000-07:00

Add a quick tag with the two different sizes of tag punches and you have a super quick gift to sneak some Starbursts or Skittles inside!

I will miss this fun set of fruits. It is so bright and sunny - perfect for a summer sip of fun! The club gals made this little pillow box with Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzaz, and Tangerine Tango.

June Club cards -farewell to the retired

2011-07-01T17:50:00.000-07:00

Monochromatic cards are so easy to achieve and stunning to see! I used retiring DSP - Bella Blue- for the color pallet - Pacific Point. The focal point came from the set Engraved Greetings. simple and stunning. This card was found on a blog and all i did was change out the colors and DSP.

June stamp-a-stack - triple flower punch

2011-06-30T17:43:00.000-07:00

This was a quick card for the evening also. These new style punches are such a great addition to the already amazing punches Stampin' Up! offers. this punch can do triple duty - literally.

.This punch makes quick work of making fun flowers for any card design. If you partner it with the stamp set Bold Blossom, it is a great card.

I used the colors Daffodil Delight,Melon Mambo and Old Olive. See how easy this card was? I punched out once with Daffodil Delight and once with Melon Mambo and layered them together to make a super quick flower. I used one part of the punched shapes to create a border for my stamped piece and accented with some retired Melon Mambo pom pom trim. (It is so fun! I miss it.)

June stamp-a-stack

2011-06-29T17:36:00.000-07:00

I struck again with the boats! I love this set The Open Sea. This card was one of favorites of all time. The colors were inspired by the Designer Series Paper - Night of Navy and Early Espresso.

It also featured a definition from the set Define Your Life. I will miss that set once it retires!

The second card is a very simple one with the new Flower Garden impressions folder - I saw this card on a blog and decided it was a quick addition to the evening.

Just a quick bit of ink to accent the flower and a strip of ribbon make this a card done in a flash.

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-28T18:17:00.000-07:00

This was my Father's Day to all my family. Enjoy your special day dads!

May Stamp-a-stack - clear block stamping

2011-06-27T17:31:00.000-07:00

This card was done to teach a little technique that is a great way to add a focal point to a simple stamp. You simply ink up your acrylic block on any stamp pad and stamp directly onto your card. With this card, it is done in Not Quite Navy to back the stamp Sail Away. The ship stamps in the Stampin' Up! summer mini have taken me by surprise; I am drawn to them!

To finish off the card, I used the spiral border punch which is sadly being retired this week. I love that border and will miss it dearly~! There was a little bakers twine accent and a sentiment from the Teeny Tiny Wishes set; that set is a MUST have! The Designer series paper was from the Summer Mini Catalog also - Nautical Expressions.

May stamp-a-stack - Strength and Hope swirl

2011-06-26T17:19:00.000-07:00

I saw a stamped gift set on Stampin' Addicts by Betty T and was so struck with the Swirly Sizzlets border Die on her gift set here that I wanted to replicate the feminine feel. I came up with this card

The colors were Sahara Sand for the card base and Pink Pirouette and Rose Red for the pinks. I loved the little touch of bling with the Rhinestones. The focal point stamping in the center was punched around with the scallop trim border and corner punches.

May Stamp-a-stack - Strength and Hope CASE

2011-06-25T17:19:00.000-07:00

Here are the cards that were made at the May Stamp-a-stack. I used some of the new sets from the Summer Mini Catalog. First was this card using Strength and Hope I saw on Wendy Hawkinson's blog. I changed the colors but her card was the inspiration for it.

I used 2010-11 In Colors - Peach Parfait, Concord Crush and Pear Pizzazz for the inks and cardstocks. I added a little tag from the Tiny Tags set to complete the card. The background was stamped and then run through the Big Shot using the Square Lattice Impressions folder.

May club day 2 -

2011-06-13T09:39:00.000-07:00

The next 2 cards were both from new items in the Summer Mini Catalog. We had to have a Father's Day card ready for the men in our lives, so I used the new set Best Dad Ever and made a Joy fold card. The ladies loved the look and the simplicity!

The colors we used were Not quite Navy, Garden Green and More Mustard. I had them color the ties individually as they are all on one stamp, then we used a sentiment from Oval All and added a bit of texture to the front left flap with the Perfect Polka Dots impressions folder.

The last card from the Summer Mini catalog featured the striking set The Open Sea. I am so driven to this set - Stampin' Up! really hit the mark with this set! I CASE'd this one from the mini catalog - thanks designers!

The colors on this one were inspired by the Designer Paper Nautical Expedition. Not Quite Navy and Cherry Cobbler. I think this card may be the graduation cards for all the graduates in my life this year! (well, I thought they might - but haven't gotten them out yet!) The greeting was from Word Play again! I also used the Postage Stamp punch - NEW FABULOUS punch!

A Little Behind

2011-06-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

Ok - so make that a LOT behind - May was so ridiculously busy I am finally starting to dig out from the mess! So, I will start with May's Stampin' Up! Stamp club. We had a great time at Tracy's house making some wonderful cards with NEW items from the Summer Mini catalog.

The first card was a simple one - it wasn't with new product, but fast! It used Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set (love that set!) The colors are Tempting Turquoise and Peach Parfait. The sentiment is from the set On Your Birthday.

The second card we made was also simple - a little bling wedding card using the set Word Play. We punched out a square with the Ribbon Border Punch out of Marina Mist CS and ran a white ribbon around the card and added a little 'bling' with a rhinestone jewel! VIOLA!

June Stamp Calendar

2011-05-29T08:24:00.002-07:00

I wanted to get a move on June since it is the LAST month with our current catalog. There are plenty of exciting things coming in July with the new Idea Book and Catalog! I can't wait to get my copy later in June. You will all be amazed that Stampin' Up! could get any better!

I will be holding a stamp a stack THIS weekend - $10 for 8 cards (4 designs, 2 each). I know it's short notice, but I wanted to get one while my nieces were here (hoping they'll stay!) AND I just have to use up some of the RETIRING products. The retired list comes up this Wednesday and I will send it all to you so you can put in an order for your favs! I will write more about that with the list.

I am also going to have a NEW Catalog Open House June 30 - come and see the new catalog, make a great project using NEW products and if you are an ongoing Club member, take home YOUR catalog! If you want to join my clubs, now is the time! You get lots of great perks... I will have a special gift for you at the first Club meeting in July.

Graduation bliss....

2011-05-03T22:16:00.000-07:00

Alright, so I decided that I would not wait until Graduation to announce which card was the one Michelle went with. She actually had a tough time deciding - she loved almost ALL of them! However, I told her we couldn't do all of them. She said we could make the decision, but she liked the one with the photos - and she did not really like the black and white card. So, it was narrowed down to the BLUE and GOLD school colors with my fav stamp set - Baroque Motifs and the feminine pink one. Dad's fav is the pink one (all girl she is) but we decided to just go with BOTH of the ones with photos -SOOOO - there were 2 cards that won.

With that spirit, I will give 2 prizes! Natalie and Heidi were the winners for the comments they shared - soooo.. I will get your prize out to you next week!

Here is a birthday card that I made with My Digital Studio. It uses one of the newest templates that was in a recent update. I have been sending this to my Facebook friends on their birthdays - enjoy!

May Calendar

2011-05-01T07:32:00.002-07:00

I have lot's of fun projects planned for everyone! I hope to see some of you at them - let me know a few days ahead if you plan to attend or bring a guest

Graduation announcements - 4th card - and BLOG CANDY

2011-04-29T16:22:00.002-07:00

This was the last card that I created. It is a more traditional black and white graduation card. I downloaded the stamp brush set for graduation from last year's Occasion's Mini catalog and added a bit of ribbon and a couple of punches. It is simple, but sweet, just like Michelle!

Now that you have seen them all - which was YOUR favorite! I will give away some BLOG CANDY to one random person who leaves a comment about which card was THEIR favorite. Be watching tomorrow for the 2 cards that won~ and are being sent out to friends and family.

Graduation announcements - 3rd card

2011-04-28T16:19:00.000-07:00

The next one I used my all time 'go to' stamp for backgrounds - Baroque Motifs. I think that may be my favorite part of My Digital Studio - that I can get many of my favorite stamps in digital format to create wonderful projects. If you are short on cash, you can buy a download and print off the stamped image! What a great idea!

This card also uses the school colors for the stamps - I added a photo, a bit of text, and a stamp from my favorite Sale-a-bration stamp that I also got the digital format of - Bliss. I really miss that set already!

Graduation announcements - 2nd card

2011-04-27T16:17:00.000-07:00

The next card was very quick and easy. I used the school colors of Michelle's high school to inspire me. I added some punch shapes and of course ribbon and a bow to make it fancy and VOILA!

graduation announcements

2011-04-26T16:17:00.000-07:00

So, I have another senior this year - Michelle will be graduating in just 3 short weeks! Hard to believe. I have always made the graduation announcements and invitations for my kids, so this would be no different, however this time around I was able to use the digital paper crafting software from Stampin' Up! - My Digital Studio. I created 4 different designs for her and we picked the 2 we loved. I will share all of them with you, and then after you have shared which ones were your favs - I will let you all know which 2 WE picked.

Today's share is a very feminine pink card - I used the digital stamp brush of one of my favorite stamps - the Medallion stamp -

April club - technique card

2011-04-25T10:59:00.000-07:00

For the technique card I taught the ladies how to do faux postage stamp cards. They really enjoyed these and the subtle effects you can get with just a little effort.

The colors I used on this were So Saffron, Pear Pizazz, and Blushing Bride. We used sponge daubers to get the background of the stamped areas, then stamped on top of them with the ink pad. The stamp set is Funky Four - I got it FREE during Sale-a-bration! (Gotta love FREE!) We finished off the card with a bow using the Blushing Bride poly stitched ribbon.

Here is the template for the postage: Faux Postage 3x2 Sheet 42

April Club - mother's day card

2011-04-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

This was a fun card to put together and the ladies were shown how they can use the clear stamps to stamp more than one image at a time. I saw a similar card using different colors on Splitcoast Stampers. I used the DSP Sunny Garden as my inspiration for colors. Poppy Parade and Daffofil Delight seemed so happy.

The stamp set is Messages for Mom and we accessorized with some Pear Pizazz poly stitched ribbon. I have become a bit obsessed with the Scallop Trim Border punch (as my club gals will tell you!) We used it on this card again!

Farewell to BLISS

2011-04-08T20:16:00.000-07:00

Sale-a-bration is over - and that means farewell to some loved stamps. The stamp sets that are available during SAB are only available while the sale is on. Once it is over, the stamps are retired- never to be seen again. I am usually fine with that idea - but BLISS changed my mind - I nearly cried when I realized that it would not be back again! I love this set.... I just can't get enough. I am sure it will still get plenty of use at my stamp table.

This card was the card the ladies made at Annette's workshop in March. They loved the feeling of creating something so beautiful!

The card was a direct CASE from Amy Celona. I saw her card and KNEW I had to make it. So, I realized I couldn't improve perfection and just left it as she designed it. The color is Baja Breeze - a very nice shade of bluish green. I just used Basic Black to keep it simple. A little tidbit of Springtime Vintage DSP and inked edges and you have a very vintage looking card.

Farewell Bliss......................

Fancy Folds class - gate fold card

2011-04-07T20:08:00.000-07:00

This was the easiest fold to make. I needed a couple of birthday cards for some teenage nephews, so here it was. I went to my favorite sets for teen boys - Extreme Elements and Grunge Rock; add a little Extreme Skater and you have a wonderfully cool card! Some kids would even call it SICK!

The colors were cool for a guy - quite grungy... Basic Gray, Marina Mist and Basic Black. I added a little silver embossing on the 'real' medal to hold it all closed.

Fancy Folds class - joy fold

2011-04-06T20:08:00.000-07:00

Now after a brief commercial break for some other items, I am returning to the regularly scheduled programming of the Fancy Folds class from March. this card is called a Joy Fold - this is another fold that is around all over the place. I turned it to be a vertical card instead of a horizontal one.

The colors I used are Night of Navy, Pumpkin Pie and Garden Green. The DSP is a retired one from last years Summer Mini - Travel Journal. I adore the Bugs and Kisses set so it made the cut for a fun masculine card. I finished the card off with some Pumpkin Pie Satin Ribbon.

Workshop card

2011-04-05T18:49:00.001-07:00

I had a Stampin' Up! workshop a couple of Saturdays ago and it was a LONG day - I got a speeding ticket, my hubby got left at the lake by the boy scouts so I had to go pick him up - 2 hours out of my way! YUCK. BUT, I had a wonderful time with Annette and her friends down in a gorgeous area of Southeastern Arizona.

I am going to share the box I showcased the Big Shot with. I love that thing! I can use it on every project if I try hard! It is an essential for me. The colors were inspired by the Color Coach - Real Red, Old Olive, and Marina Mist. It uses the Box #2 die. The stamp set was easy... Circle Circus - a definite 'go to' set for me! Finish it off with a quick run of the Butterfly Bliss builder wheel and a little Real Red 1/4" Grosgrain ribbon and VOILA! instant great gift. I can not take credit for this design; I think Angie Kennedy Juda came up with one of the origional designs of these boxes made using the Petal Cone die and the Big Shot. But I saw this box on Dannie Graves' blog Dannie's Designs.

Annette loved it! And of course I tucked some chocolate inside for her!

Fancy Folds class - tri-fold

2011-04-04T21:29:00.000-07:00

The next card the ladies did was this tri-fold card. These are all over the place, so I am not sure who to recognize for the work. They look difficult, but they really are quite simple. It takes more time to embellish and decorate than the actual making takes. this used my favorite DSP right now - Springtime Vintage. It is such a lovely feminine paper set. I also taught the ladies how to make the great scallop circle punch flowers and they were amazed!

The sentiment on this card is from my favorite go to saying set - Word Play.

Stylish Blogger - - - - I feel so honored!

2011-04-04T19:23:00.000-07:00

A fellow demonstrator, Kendra Richardson, chose me for a Stylish Blog award! I feel so honored. You can check out HER amazing blog at Kendra's Creative Corner. There are some responsibilities that go with the honor.

Thank the person who nominated you and share their blog - THANK YOU KENDRA -
Share 8 things about yourself.
Pass the award on to 8 other stylish blogs!
Leave a comment to tell them you nominated them for a stylish blog award.

As for the 8 things about me -

I have a love/hate relationship with chocolate - I can eat it all the time, but who should???
I am Canadian by birth - American by naturalization.
Paper crafting is my mental release.
I love my Heavenly Father and his son, Jesus Christ - He is my everything.
I have a wonderful husband who tries to give me everything I could ever want and need - he works very hard for our family and takes over when I am weak and can't be SUPER woman.
I love mellow music - Seal, Michael Buble, Josh Groban, El divo
I am a Broadway junkie! I can't get enough - - -
If I could, i would eat pizza EVERY day :-)

Now to the most important part - the 8 stylish blogs I LOVE - -

Natalie at DoodleCraft - http://doodlecraft.blogspot.com/
Jan "Tink" at Stamps, Paper, Scissors - http://stampspaperscissors.typepad.com/stamps_paper_scissors/
Dawn at Dawn's Stampin' Thoughts - http://dawnsstampingthoughts.typepad.com/dawns_stamping_thoughts/
Ann at Ann's Creative Nook -http://www.annscreativenook.blogspot.com/
Julie at Paper Pleasing Ideas - http://paperpleasing.typepad.com/my_weblog/
Vimar at VS Paper Kreations - http://vspaperkreations.blogspot.com/
Melanie at Oops a Daisy Designs - http://oopsadaisy.typepad.com/oops-a-daisy/
Gretchen at Inspiration in Action - http://gretchenbarron.typepad.com/my_weblog/

CONGRATULATIONS ladies - enjoy the honor as well as I do!

April Calendar

2011-04-03T16:30:00.000-07:00

Here is my calendar of Stampin' Up! events for April. I always use My Digital Studio to create them... isn't it CUTE?! I love that I can get stamp images digitally that I wouldn't normally get for paper stamping and still get to use them. If you want to attend any event, please let me know a few days in advance.

Click to enlarge the calendar if you need to.

Tiny Thanks -

2011-04-03T07:30:00.001-07:00

I had this scheduled to post a while ago, but for some reason it didn't go. SOOOO... here you go!

I couldn't seem to not do 4 projects with the club gals, so I picked a small project with these 3" x 3" thank you cards. They were able to chose what color they wanted and we made matching envelope to match. I think they are adorable! And simple too!

The DSP is from a Hostess pack of In colors. The stamp set for the sentiment is also a Hostess set - Cute by the Inch. I embellshed the tiny envelope with a fun swirl from the set Priceless. Monocromatic is so stunning! I showed the gals how to make the Poly Stitched ribbon have 2 separate looks simply by fraying the ribbon.

The envelope I found on a blog - Deanna Perrault You need a peice of CS cut to 7" x 4.25". You will score 1/2" on the long edges and 1" and 4.25" on the short one. Trim off the flaps on both ends and round the corners. Sticky Strip the envelope together and you have a great little gift card! Perhaps I will make my first tutorial post with photos of this???

Hmm... what do you think... would you like to see some tutorials with photos???

Fancy Folds class- March

2011-04-02T21:29:00.000-07:00

For March, I had my Stampin' Up! stamp a stack with the ladies focusing on varieties of folded cards. Typically a card is made with an 8 1/2" X 5 1/2" paper folded in half. These cards all used different folds. The first was a basket fold card inspired by one I saw on Janine Tinklenberg's blog Stamps, Paper, Scissors. I already knew I wanted to use the set Awash with Flowers so the basket fold was an easy choice. The colors are Melon Mambo, Pacific Point and Daffodil Delight. I ran the card front through the Big Shot using the Square Lattice impressions folder.

The saying is from a hostess set - Afterthoughts. (you gotta love being a hostess and getting FREE STUFF!

Technique card for march club - SWIPED!

2011-03-16T07:24:00.000-07:00

had the ladies learn the Baby Wipe Swipe technique. I wanted a fun masculine card and chose the colors Elegant Eggplant, Garden Green and Pumpkin Pie.The sets I used wereLook Who's Turning and a Sale-a-Bration set that you can earn for FREE - Punch Bunch. I had to use this little owl - he is just so cute!

I always love showing how you can make your own patterned paper or backgrounds with stamps or other simple things.

I was super excited when I realized that I could use this card for a bunch of birthdays in my family this year! It is fun to use this set to spotlight the age of the receiver, and I seriously searched my birthday list to see if I had any 12 year olds, 23 year olds, 34 year olds... etc I was THRILLED to see that I have a set of nieces and nephew who are turning 34!!!! Guess what card THEY are getting?!

Easter Box

2011-03-15T07:14:00.000-07:00

I had the ladies at our March club make this adorable Easter box. It used the Fancy Favor box die for the Big Shot. Have I told you how much I love that tool????? I have a hard time NOT using it every time I create. This was another punch art sample for them. The bunny was easy - I took a few minutes on the the Stampin' Up! demonstrator only group, Stampin' Connection, and came up with some ideas to get my mojo going for this cute bunny. I can't give credit to any one person - but to MANY- I think I took bits and peices of about 5 samples, and then did my own thing to make it perfect.

The box was made with Bashful Blue CS and accented with Blushing Bride for the punch tag and Pear Pizzazz for the ribbon. The trim on the top of the box was made with Springtime Vogue DSP cut out with the same Fancy Favor Box die. The handle was from the extra piece left over after cutting out the box. The Easter Wishes stamp comes from a wonderful holiday set - ALL HOLIDAYS.

The punches used were Full Heart, 2 3/8" scallop circle, 1 3/8" x 5/8" oval, 1 3/4" x 7/8" oval, and the eyes were from the 2 Step Owl punch. The edges were all chalked with Pretty in Pink chalk and I highlighted the eyes with the fabulous White Signo gel pen!

Ecclectic Stamp club

2011-03-14T07:03:00.001-07:00

March is a fun month - fast, but fun. Annette was our hostess and she wanted to make a scrapbook page. I wanted to spotlight an Easter gift and of course we have our technique card and birthday card. SOOOO what resulted was a wonderful mix of fun! I want to share the scrapbook layout first since i was sort of of a scrapbook roll in my earlier posts.

This layout didn't really use much stamping (just the sentiment in fact) however, I have wanted to kick up the punch art with the ladies, so this was a wonderful example. They punched the Easter chick and voila! Super cute layout!

The colors were inspired by the wonderful Springtime Vintage DSP. I love this paper and will be so sad when it retires after April 30. Rose Red and Always Artichoke are a great combination. The chick was punched out of Daffodil Delight with the 1 3/4" scallop circle, 2" x 1 3/8" oval punch, snowflake punch, 2 Step Owl punch and the 5 Petal Flower punch. I chalked the edges with Pumpkin Pie chalk to give it some dimension. I CASEd a card I received at Stampin' UP! Regional convention in 2010 to make this element. The sentiment was punched out and added. Rose Red Seam Binding ribbon adds just a special touch to the Scallop Trim border punched strip

Wheeling Easy - part 2!

2011-03-13T06:48:00.003-07:00

The second layout was inspired by my musical children. They love music and all have chosen some sort of music to learn - James plays saxophone- alto and tenor. He owns 3 of them! Nathan is our beat keeper - drummer. He will bang on everything. I suppose Africa was a GREAT place for him to serve his mission. Michelle has a great set of her own portable pipes. She can rock anywhere with her angelic voice. Nick covers it all - he plays trumpet, picked up French Horn this year and sings tenor as well!

So in honor of my musical children - voila! A traditional elegant black and red layout was born. I made my own patterned paper with the Baroque Motifs stamp set (my HUGE 'go to' set). The wheel on this one was Music Notes.

I love the simple elgance of this layout.

Wheeling Easy!

2011-03-12T06:48:00.001-07:00

I had a great scrapbook class for Feburary and particually loved one set of pages. I think one of the best tools around to make simple fun pages is the Stampin' Up wheels. They are so easy to use, and make quick accents and patterns. The two sets of pages from the scrapbook class for February showcased them.

The first set was a birthday layout. I used the colors Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, and So Saffron. The most adorable cupcakes were made with the fabulous set Create a Cupcake. I used builder wheels on this page - Birthdays and Candle Crazy.

birthday cards in MDS

2011-03-07T06:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I got busy and didn't get you the last few posts about My Digital Studio. However, today's MDS tip is one that is a great time saver! I don't know if you are like me and end up forgetting birthdays until the DAY! I am so bad at that! Well, with My Digital Studio you don't have to look like a heel for forgetting - all you need is an email and your digital designed paper project!

Here is an example that I have been emailing or posting to facebook lately. I used a template that comes with the software and tweaked id a bit to make it my own. The origional had a different sentiment and I changed one of the flowers. It took me just a few minutes to change it up to personalize it for my friends!

Just one more reason why YOU need a copy of My Digital Studio. CONTACT me to get yours today!

Stamp a Stack - February

2011-03-01T15:47:00.003-07:00

here are some fun cards that we made at February's Stamp-a-stack. The first is my favorite. It uses a Sale A Bration set - Punch Bunch. I had seen several cards with bows made from the small and large oval punches.This is a hinge card and it has a little card hiding inside. The colors were inspired by the Celebration DSP - Real Red, Pear Pizzazz, and Pacific Point.

The second card was all about the chocolate! it was fun to use the new Occaisions mini catalog set Eat Chocolate. I also used Daffodil Delight 3/8" taffeta ribbon and the sweet stitches buttons. The colors were Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight and Early Espresso.

the fun card was inspired by a fellow demonstrator - Holly at InkPaperStamps. I had envisioned an ice cream cone, but had a difficult time getting it small enough to make a card. She saved the day with her idea for making it a card on it's own! THANK YOU!

This last card was one that came into my mind after i saw a card posted somewhere (sorry I don't' remember where) I used Vintage Vogue as my stamps, Pear Pizzaz, Not Quite Navy and Peach Parfait were the colors. The knot is made with the In Color poly stitched ribbon.

Here are the fun cards we did at February's stamp a stack -

MDS commercial

2011-02-28T15:31:00.000-07:00

So here is a day break from all the reasons why YOU need to own My Digital Studio. I couldn't get photos of the last 2 club cards from February since my camera was stolen, however ... I have replaced the camera and got the photos taken - so before I forget - here they are!

The first is a technique card using the marble background technique. I used the colors Pear Pizzazz, Regal rose and Baja Blue. There is only one stamp set used - and it is Word Play. I also used the new Sweet Button embosslit. The adorable buttons are actually die cut! The addition of black stitch marks make this card pop!

This card used my favorite set out of the Sale A Bration flier - Bliss. It is gorgeous and so elegant. I got my color inspiration from the Designer Series Paper Elegant Soire. It is beautiful. I taught the ladies how to make a bow without tying it - I found this wonderful idea from Lee Conrey - she posted a great tutorial on Stamping 411 which I copied and taught my club. They all loved it!

My Digital Studio - Day 3

2011-02-27T10:20:00.001-07:00

As promised today I am sharing a card that my best friend Sara created. Her sister announced she was getting married and Sara got right to work in her My Digital Studio to come up with some ideas. She saved her creations on her laptop and a few days later came over with laptop in tow. We looked at her designs and made a few adjustments and then I dug out the right paper and stamps for her. She created a wonderful card to mail to her sister, BUT before she even saw the REAL card - she had been given a sneak peek through an email Sara sent to her - she fell in love with the card and Sara went off to work ordering the paper and products she needed to recreate the card for her sister to mail.

She used Concord Crush, Old Olive, and Daffodil Delight. The stamps were from my favorite elegant set - Baroque Motifs. She added brads and a different ribbon - but the idea blossomed from her My Digital Studio.

SOOOOO............... what are YOU waiting for? Contact me today to order YOUR copy of My Digital Studio - you will get FREE stamps with your order!

My Digital Studio day 2

2011-02-26T10:15:00.001-07:00

Today's card is a fun birthday card or invite. I used a bright color pallet of Daffodil Delight, Concord Crush and a touch of Poppy Parade. You could easily recreate this card using paper and stamps. I am planning on doing just that thing with this card. I like to see the card before I cut paper so I pulled out my computer and opened up My Digital Studio to create a digital card. Now that I have tweaked it how I like it, I can re-do it with paper and stamps! I am not out my precious resources to a failed project.... My Digital Studio saves the day!

The stamp set that I used for the background is Circle Circus (still my GO TO fav!) and I also added the sentiment stamp from Party Hearty.

Watch for tomorrow's My Digital Studio tip that I share with a sample by my best friend Sara. Her sister announced her marriage and Sara offered to make her invites. Stay tuned to that story TOMORROW!

My Digital Studio creating

2011-02-25T10:15:00.001-07:00

As you may remember I had my wonderful camera stolen 2 weeks ago. I felt as if I had let you all down, so I made some digital creations! I decided it was time for a new blog header today and realized I had some digital images I could share that I created in My Digital Studio. I truly love this program and I wish Stampin' Up! would stop releasing downloads - I want to go crazy with them. (NOT REALLY) I have had a bunch in my shopping cart for a month now and haven't had the funds to purchase them! Oh well. I will be sharing a weeks worth of My Digital Studio creations - so stay tuned and find out why YOU can't live without it!

This first card is a baby shower invite or baby announcement. Simple to recreate in paper form also! Or how about HYBRID? If you don't know what hybrid means, it is simply to take a digital creation and add REAL embellishments to it. SO - you could add REAL buttons to this one, or REAL ribbon - or even the stamped star could be punched out and stuck on.

The colors I used were Crumb Cake, Marina Mist and Old Olive. Very cute for a little boy!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's great birthday card!

This second card is a birthday card or invite. I am going to recreate this one in paper form for a swap I am in this month. I love the colors of Daffodil Delight and Concord Crush. This is another great feature of My Digital Studio.

Valentine's Day 9

2011-02-13T15:12:00.000-07:00

Since I was too exhausted each day this week to make certain I got a valentine to my sweetie - I am behind! so... the one I gave him next is this one - It is a non-traditional color valentine also. I used Cajun Craze and Night of Navy. The Scallop Trim border punch made such a great visual effect with the offset layers. this card was made completely with scraps. it is amazing what you can create with those lovely little bits of color you find in the scrap pile! This uses the I {Heart} Heart set also. that is one versitile set of heart stamps!

slowing down on blog posting and Valentines Day 7

2011-02-12T15:11:00.000-07:00

Ok - sorry life got really busy this week. I had planned to pre-post my blog entries for each day this week on Sunday, but I was honestly just too tired. This week was book fair at my day job as librarian and I put in 10-12 hour days all week. SOOO I had a hard time getting them posted - I also have to admit that I even forgot to give them to my hubby most days! I feel HORRIBLE... but I will figure out how to make it up to him.

I promise I will post the rest of my valentines gifts - but after those, I will have to slow down a bit as my camera was stolen. It was taken off my desk in the library during our school open house event on Thursday. I am mortified and have done a good deal of grieving about it. now to figure out how to get a new camera! URG... I am infuriated when I think about it.

anyway, until I get a new one - I can't post any more photos other than the ones I already took last weekend. Please understand I really do want to share and NEED to get photos done of projects for the little business that my daughter in law and I do with favors, cards, and gifts for celebrations, so I can't wait too long!

OK... enough about that.. how about a little LOVE????

So the card I gave my sweet guy wasn't a card at all! it was a cute little milk carton box. I used the Big Shot to cut it out. I then used the set I've been using I {Heart} Hearts to stamp the small hearts that look like conversation hearts. I then took the set Got Treats and used the Valentine one for the sides of the box after I inked the edges with Pretty in Pink ink. The other colors were So Saffron, Certainly Celery, and Bashful Blue. I snuck some REAL conversation hearts inside and closed up the top with a mini library clip.

Break for a CLUB Commercial

2011-02-07T21:37:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday the ladies all met at Peggy's house. We had a wonderful time creating the projects. I really thought hard about Peggy and made projects that I thought were her style. I used the new Springtime Vintage DSP on a couple of projects. The first was a wooden clothespin we altered. I used the stamp set Greenhouse Garden and Tiny Tags. The leaves are made with the Two-step bird punch and Almost Artichoke CS. The lace trim is Chantily and a Very Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware ribbon slide top it off!

The next one also used the Springtime Vintage DSP. The stamp set is one you can get free during Sale-a-bration - Punch Bunch. the color scheme is Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze and a tad of Always Artichoke. I was so excited to be able to use the large 2 3/8" scallop circle punch since it is off the do not order list. This card also uses the Big Shot die Two Tags die. The card is finished off with a knot and ribbon strip of Crumb Cake Seam Binding Ribbon.

The other 2 projects I will post another day. I hope you enjoyed your little break from Valentines!

Valentine Day 6

2011-02-06T21:37:00.000-07:00

I took a new approach today and tried NON traditional colors for this card. I also tried to use up scraps from my drawer. I also changed stamp sets - now I am using I {Heart} Heart. The saying is from Teeny Tiny Wishes. I used Cajun Craze, Wild Wasabi and Daffodil Delight. I background is embossed with the Polka dot impressions folder and the Big Shot. I also used some retired Dusty Durango polka dot ribbon. (great that it was 2-sided!)

valentine day 5

2011-02-05T22:01:00.000-07:00

Today was a busy day! I had my club workshop this morning, then I got together with my Daughter in law and we made a diaper cake. I'll post those photos later! We are embarking on a creative adventure together making wedding and baby items to sell - both cards, favors, invites and gifts. We'll see where it takes us! We certainly have fun making the items together.

BUT - the entire day I was waiting to finish up my card for today - I am finding it harder to create a card with the set - Love You Much - but I did it AGAIN! I used Pretty in Pink ink and stamped the 3 heart image as a background on the card. I then used the single stamp that I LOVE from the Occaisions Mini Be My Valentine - stamped in Melon Mambo. I cut it out and mounted it on Stampin' Dimensionals (I do not know what I would do with out those!). I finished the quick card off with a strip of retired Melon Mambo polka dot ribbon tied on the bottom of the card.

Life Is...

Valentine's Day 9

Valentines - Day 8

OOPs.... what a whirlwind week! Valentines, Day 5..... and 6, and 7, and 8????

Valentine's Day 4

Happy Valentines - Day 3

Happy Valentines- day 2 -AND BLOG HOP!

Happy Valentine's - Day 1

SUDSOL Blog Hop -

CONTINUE on the Blog Tour

Jennifer Weide

Stacey Tomkowiak

Save the Date!

It's the MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!

Framelets tutorial video.

catch up part 4 - club card 3

Catch up part 3 - Club card 2

Catch up part 2 - Club card 1

Playing Catch up - part 1

Merry Christmas to ALL!

Holiday Craft Camp projects

November calendar of events

Double take of a Double take!

SUDSOL Blog Hop -

CONTINUE on the Blog Tour

Nola Burkhard

SUDSOL

Club double take

Chat sketch take 2

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

October Fun!

Halloween Hop!

Happy Friday and Hopping tomorrow!

S'more fun with July club

Fancy Fold Pinwheels

some oldies!

It's a Wrap - swap style

A 'little' spotted break from card crafting

2nd Challenge Card

SUDSOL - Chat and Challenge

Pinwheels!

Petite Pairs meets Strength and Hope

Another SWEET card

WOAH! time flies!

Missionary cards

August Scrapbook class

Workshop "kick it up" card

Christmas Card Stamp a Stack - part 2!

Christmas Card Stamp a Stack

Cupcake gift holder

Grunge swap card

Sharing my Creative Cave

July club cards– Pennant Parade

August Stamp Happenings

Party time Scrapbook class style

Scrap that inspiration

My Digital Studio gift-

Christmas in July Stamp Camp projects -

Anniversary

Wedding invitations

The Open Sea strikes again!

gifts to mail

Happy Fathers Day! (ok - so I'm a bit late)

Tart and tangy farewell

June Club cards -farewell to the retired

June stamp-a-stack - triple flower punch

June stamp-a-stack

Happy Father's Day!

May Stamp-a-stack - clear block stamping

May stamp-a-stack - Strength and Hope swirl

May Stamp-a-stack - Strength and Hope CASE

May club day 2 -

A Little Behind

June Stamp Calendar

Graduation bliss....

May Calendar

Graduation announcements - 4th card - and BLOG CANDY

Graduation announcements - 3rd card

Graduation announcements - 2nd card

graduation announcements