Merci Times Three

Here are 3 of the Thank You notes that I promised to show you! Basically the same image piece...but 3 different looks!! I just love, love, love this Merci stamp set...it's an amazingly versatile set to work with, but its time to move on. I need to get ready for my March workshops & some fun new projects = ) !

Part of the reason that these all look so similar is that I used up the various image pieces and other elements that were sitting on my workbench from earlier in the week. It was kind of fun...like a card kit...most of the elements were there, they just needed to be assembled. I don't know about you, but I'm not always good about using up those extra pieces. At times, I seem to have the attention span of a Sandflea (lol!)...and after a day or two (sometimes an hour or 2) of working with the same colors, stamps and papers...I'm just ready to move on. I had a little chat with myself about trying to more diciplined along with trying to be creative. And so...I used up those scraps and as a reward, I now have a clean workbench to start out a new week = ) !! Yay! I did pull out one new thing for the last card, some Berry Bliss DP...and it worked beautifully with the cardstock colors I already had out. Hooray for brown and pink !Supplies for the cards ~

Stamp: Merci (SAB)

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Celery, Whisper White, Shimmery White, Spring Fling DP, Berry Bliss DP

Ink: Brown Stazon & Chocolate Chip

Markers: SU ~ Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Celery, Old Olive (and a little bit of Barely Banana outlining on the last card)

Accessories: Scallop Circle Punch, 1 1/4 & 1 3/8" Circle Punches, Ticket Corner Punch, Silver, Pewter & Pink Rhinestone Brads, Robin's Nest Dew Drops, Paper piercing tool & Mat Pack, Love & Happiness Rub-ons (1st card), Round Tab Punch (for the sentiment on 2nd & 3rd cards), 1/4" Celery gg ribbon, Dazzling Diamonds, 2-way glue pen, Sakura clear stardust pen

Blog Candy Drawing Tomorrow! You still have a little time to get your name in the drawing...check it out HERE : ) !!!

Inspired

What inspires you? For me, it's having someone special to create a card for. I especially like making Birthday and Thank you cards. Birthdays, because it's fun to bless people with a one-of-a-kind card on their special day...I think people really feel special when they know you've taken the time to create a card especially for them! And Thank yous, because creating a handmade card always feels like such a personal way to express gratitude. This weekend I had 7 special people in mind as I was creating 2 birthday and 5 Thank you cards. Another thing that really inspires me is a good sketch....and guess what? I had 2 great sketches to work with! I'm going to show you the Birthday cards today and a couple of the Thank you cards tomorrow. For the first card, I used Julee's Poetic Artistry's Mojo Monday sketch25. For the second card, I used Beate's weekend sketch36!! Thanks girls, both sketches provided plenty of inspiration! Just click on their names to check out those great sketches.

I'm still enjoying the Merci SAB set! I can't get over how much I like it. Sometimes a stamp set will just surprise you like that! Hugs & Wishes is such a great all occasion set. I don't know what I ever did without it. I used the Spring Fling DP for both cards. I really like the soft, pretty, springy colors in that DP collection.

Have you signed up for the BLOG CANDY yet?? I'll be drawing one lucky winner on Monday morning! Check out the details HERE = ). It's been REALLY fun reading what all your favorite SU products are. You guys are making me want one of everything (lol!!!)!

Supplies for the first card~

Stamps: Merci, Hugs & Wishes

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose, Whisper White, Spring Fling DP

Ink: Brown Stazon

Accessories: SU Markers (Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Bordering Blue, Brocade Blue, Certainly Celery & Old Olive), Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Love & Happiness Rub-ons (SAB), Pewter brads, 1/4" polytwill brown ribbon, Ticket corner punch, Paper piercing tool/mat pack, Sakura clear stardust pen

Supplies for second card~

Stamps: Merci

Paper: Barely Banana, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White

Ink: Brown Stazon

Accessories: SU Markers (Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Barely Banana, So Saffron, Certainly Celery), Word Window Punch, 1/2 & 3/4" Circle punches, Banana brads, Paper piercing tool/mat pack, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, 1/4" gg ribbon in apricot & pink, Sakura clear stardust pen, Love & Happiness Rub-ons (sentiment)

Enjoy your evening!

Merci again

Just a quick post to show you this fun card I made for Jen's, i{heart}tostamp, weekly blog sketch. She comes up with the BEST sketches to try! Thanks Jen for another great one!! This is totally a SAB card...I used the Merci stamp set and the Love & Happiness rub-ons! I really like the clean, simple look of this card. And I didn't use a drop of DP... just cardstock. It's funny how you get into the habit on using DP and forget that you really can make a card without it...at least every now & then = ) .

I hope you've signed up for the BLOG CANDY I posted earlier today....you have till Monday morning to get in the running for some stamping goodies = ) !!

Supplies for the card ~
Stamps: Merci (SAB)
Paper: Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip, Celery, Whisper White
Ink: Brown Stazon
Accessories: SU Markers (Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery & Old Olive), Dazzling Diamonds & 2-way glue pen, Ticket corner punch, 1 1/4 & 1 3/8" Circle punches, Scallop Circle punch, Love & Happiness Run-ons (SAB), Celery 1/4" gg ribbon

Good Night = ) !

Anniversary Time Celebration!

HOORAY!!! It's time to CELEBRATE...my One Year Anniversary as a Stampin Up Demonstrator (click here for a little blast from the past from kool and the gang)! I love having an excuse to celebrate and give a little something away = )! I appreciate all of my blog friends who stop by and leave me kind and encouraging comments and it's not much...but I would LOVE to share a few of my favorite things (hey, wasn't that a song too?) with one lucky winner! Here's what I've selected for the BLOG CANDY:

(8) Sheets of DP: a variety of 6 x 6 sheets from my very favorite ~ Flowers For You
(6) Pieces of coordinating Ribbons....3 grosgrain & 3 polka dots (1 yard each)
(4) Sheets of coordinating colored cardstock (not pictured)
(1) Sheet of Shimmery White cardstock (not pictured)
(1) Container of my favorite glitter...Dazzling Diamonds!
(1) Cute little Heart/Hanger Stamp
(1) Little Tin for you to decorate

So...how do you get your name in the drawing? That's easy. Just leave me a comment under this post and tell me about one of YOUR favorite SU item from the Spring/Summer Collection or the upcoming Occasions Mini Catalog. Everyone's welcome to enter. One entry per person please and I'll randomly draw one lucky winner on Monday morning!

Several of you have asked about how long I've been stamping...that's kind of a long story, but here's the condensed version. I was introduced to stamping about 20 years ago and it was love at first site. But life was busy and I didn't have the time or energy to invest in a hobby, so my projects were very simple and limited. Years later, my friends at work who took the time to attend SU workshops raved about what they were learning and I was astonished when I saw the projects they brought into work. Nancy Littrell worked in the office next to mine and she attended Leslie Miller's SU workshops. Another friend, Lyn, attended Cami Turnbow's SU workshops. Talk about inspiration...those girls are AMAZING. I never really made the connection about the difference between going to a "party" and going to a "workshop". I thought they were just going to buy stuff. So I skipped the workshops and just bought stuff. I ended up with this really random shelf full of supplies and no time to use them or clue what to do with them. A few years later, I resigned from my job, my youngest went off to college & found myself with the unexpected blessing of having the gift of time! I attended a SU workshop at my sweet friend Kim Miller's home last February and she introduced me to my dream job! I began stamping on a regular basis and investing in quality SU products. In August, with Nancy Littrell's help and encouragement, I started my gallery at SCS and began doing some of the challenges. She was right (she always is)...SCS is a great place to learn and grow. And in October, after Kim (Miller) insisted I was "ready"...she sat me down and showed me how to start a blog! People will tell you...the more time you spend stamping, the better you'll get...and I think that's really true. I've done more stamping this past year than I did the previous 19 years combined. I've learned a lot...and still have a lot more to learn. That's the best...waking up everyday and having something new to learn and a new way to express my creativity! So that's my story....and I'm stickin with it *wink* = )

I have some fun cards to show you ...but this post is already a mile long, so I'll do that a little later. Have a great day & I look forward to hearing about YOUR favorite SU products!!

Merci

I can't believe it's Wednesday already! Wednesday is Sketch Challenge day over at SCS and my first card is for today's Sketch Challenge 164. Today's sketch was extra fun, because it came from one of Leslie Miller's beautiful cards. You probably already know Leslie...she's a mega-talented stamper and part of my up-up line. On top of being talented and creative, she's just as nice as can be! You can check out her card that the sketch was based on HERE and her AMAZING blog, Running With Scissors, HERE!

I got to try out my new Merci stamp set for the challenge card...always fun to have a new set to play with. Plus the price was right, thanks to SAB...FREE!!! Hey, did you notice the new Hodgepodge Silver Flower Ribbon Pull? It's one of the fun little piece that come in the new Silver HP set that will be available in the upcoming Occasions Mini Catalog on March 1st!

The Butterfly & Heart images on my second card got a little dusting of Dazzling Diamonds glitter which gave them the most wonderful shimmer = ) ! I love that glitter...it's fun, fun stuff!!!I think Friday is going to be BLOG CANDY day! You can help me celebrate my One-Year Anniversary as a Stampin' Up Demonstrator = ) !!

Supplies for my first card~
Stamps: Merci (SAB)
Paper: Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, Whisper White, Flowers for You DP
Ink: Pallette Noir Black
Accessories: SU Markers (Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Celery, Old Olive), Sakura clear stardust pen, Ticket corner punch, Paper piercing tool, Silver HP Ribbon pull, Silver brads, 5/8" Regal Rose gg ribbon, 1/4" Celery gg ribbon
Supplies for my 2nd card~
Stamps: Merci (SAB)
Paper: Pixie Pink, Gable Green, Green Galore, Whisper White
Ink: Pallette Noir Black, Pixie Pink,
Accessories: SU Markers (Pixie Pink, Pretty in Pink, Green Galore, Barely Banana), Small & Lg oval punches, Pink rhinestone brad, Moonbeam Prima flower, 2-way glue pen, Dazzling Diamonds glitter

Happy Stamping = ) !!!

Brand New Elzybells!

I've been so excited to show you a couple of my new Elzybells Stamps! My first love is Stampin' Up, but Elz has wiggled her way right into my heart and into my stamping supplies. I splurged and sent for 4 new of the newly released stamps. Click HERE to check out the other new Elzybells stamps, but I have to warn you...going there can be VERY hazardous to your credit card (lol!!). Don't say I didn't warn you. I used a bunch of SU SAB rub-ons on my first card. The flowers on the DP as well as the sentiment and the flower on the button are all FREE rub-ons from the SAB catalog = ) !!! Just incase you haven't seen the SAB catalog yet...click HERE to take a peek! Once you start using those rub-ons, you'll find that you can put them just about anywhere...they are seriously a LOT of fun to use! I made the 2nd card earlier this week for the SCS Color Challenge, to use Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise & Kraft (CC153). That is one fun color combo and I combined it with Wednesday's Sketch Challenge, SC163. I reversed the sketch, but still used the basic elements. You can see the all details for the sketch challenge HERE. I used rub-ons for the sentiment on that card too and for the little flowers on the center of the wheels! I'm telling you...once you start using those, it's amazing how many places you find that would be just perfect for a rub-on! Rub-ons are new to me and I'm finding that they are a wonderful compliment to the stamps and other accessories I'm used of using!

I have 2 more Elzs stamps that haven't even seen ink yet (gasp!). I hope to fix that later this week. I also have some blog candy and fun SU workshop projects to show you very soon! I mentioned in an earlier post that Cami helped me get my beautiful new watermark (I just love it....it makes me feel like a big-kid stamper!) and I wanted to thank her again (and again, and again!). She arranged for Beth over at Frecked Fun Designs to send it to me. What I forgot to mention was that Beth also did a brand new banner for Cami (stampalittlelovebaby)...so be sure to pop over and check it out. It's just absolutely the most perfect banner for Cami, the queen of pink! Beth does an awesome job. Thanks again Cami & Beth...I appreciate you both VERY much!!!

Supplies for my first card:
Stamps: Flower Girl
Paper: Pixie Pink, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, Petals & Paisly DP (retired)
Ink: Palette Noir Black
Accessories: Copics, Sakura Stardust pens, Ticket Corner Punch, Horizontal slot punch, SAB Love & Happiness Rub-ons, Turquoise button, Paper Piercing tool, 1/4" Turquoise gg ribbon, Pink Gingham ribbon

Supplies for the second card:
Stamps: Girl in car (Elzybells), Short & Sweet (flower), Bitty Birthday (balloons)
Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Green Galore, Kraft, Whisper White
Ink: Palette Noir Black, Green Galore
Accessories: Word window punch, Marvy Scallop square punch (purple), Green brad, Love & Happiness SAB Rub-ons, Copic Markers, Sakura Stardust pens, non-SU striped ribbon, 1/4" Turquoise & Green gg ribbons, Green Galore brad

Happy Presidents Day = ) !!!

RAK from Nancy

I never get tired of seeing this cheerful little elephant from the Happy Heart Day stamp set...isn't he the best? He arrived in my mailbox last week...a sweet thank you note from my friend Nancy Riley ~ iStamp! I love how she popped his little ear & arm up with dimensionals, as well as the bright, fun colors she used. Here is the card that I CASEd when Nancy was the Feature Stamper at SCS a few weeks ago:(click HERE for more details on this card from a previous post, including suppies used). Another thing I love about the Happy Heart Day Stamp set is that it's not only for Valentine's Day...and these cards are great examples of ways it can be used long after February! HERE'S a link to a previous post to learn how I custom mounted my set to be use-able year round!

One quick trip over to Nancy Riley's blog and I've already added to my wish list! She did a beautiful job CASEing one of my cards HERE....and used the Crew Kids Girly Simply Scrappin Kit. The colors and pieces in that kit are amazing! I've been seeing Cami (stampalittlelovebaby) doing some fun, fun things with that kit...check out her adorable Valentine Mailboxes HERE! Okay girls, you've convinced me, I've got to have that kit!!!

I have some a couple of NEW Elzybells cards to show you in the next few days and sometime this week....there will be BLOG CANDY (woooo-hoooo!) to celebrate my one-year anniversary as a demonstrator with Stamin' Up!! So, be sure to stop by again soon!

Have an AWESOME DAY = )

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! Wishing you a day that reminds you just how much you're loved!! This is a card I made for my sweetie, Bogue. I made him a card last month, but he ended up seeing it, so I decided to surprise him with a brand new card that he'd never seen today. I used the awesome sketch from Jen's, ihearttostamp, blog. I don't know about you, but sometimes, I sit down to stamp and it seems like every drop of creativity has run dry. That happened to me earlier this week. I think it happens to all of us from time to time. When that happens for me, there are two things that really help to get those creative juices flowing again. First of all, if I have someone in mind that I'm making the card for, that helps me a ton...I have that person in mind as I'm creating and it helps to give me purpose and direction. The second thing that helps me is a sketch challenge. Nothing like a good sketch to give you a little creative jumpstart!

I haven't shown you many pictures of me & my family...I try to keep the blog to mostly stamping stuff. But since today is Valentine's day, I thought I'd show you a picture of me and my husband from our trip (just last week!). One is from a buggy ride we took into the desert in Cabo San Lucas. We had an awesome tour guide named Adam from Dallas Texas. He was a sweetheart. Made it his goal to make sure everyone had a really great time and he succeeded!!! The second picture is from one of the formal dinner nights on the ship. We don't have a lot of occasions to get really dressed up, so it was fun to have the opportunity to do that. Okay...back to the card. Not only did I use one of my favorite stamp sets...love, love, love that Wild about You set! I've used it for baby cards, valentines projects, birthdays, you name it! I also got to try out some new Designer Papers from the upcoming Occasions Mini Catalog! Check it out...here are the Summer Picnic Papers:
Aren't those just the best??!!! So bright and fun. Just in time for Spring and Summer. They'll be available to be ordered, beginning March 1st! I also got to try out some of the SAB Rub-ons. Boy are those ever fun. Until this week, I really hadn't played with them a whole lot, but once you get started, you just find all kinds of ways to use them. I used ru-ons for the heart on the circle and for the 3 flowers on the bottom of the card. SAB continues until March 17th, so if you haven't taken advantage of the freebies, there's still plenty of time!! Click HERE to see the SAB catalog and all the free goodies you can earn = ) !

Last thing I wanted to say today is this ~ I know Valentine's day can be a fun day for a lot of folks, but a hard day for others...especially those who might not have that special someone in their life. Maybe it's because of the years that I spent as a single parent...I remember how days like today tended to magnified the lonliness. I want to remind you that that you're never alone...the God who created you, loves you with an everlasting, unconditional love. Psalm 117:2 reminds us ~ For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. And for those of us who will enjoy the love of family and friends today, let's remember to look around us for those who might need a little extra touch of love today. I remember how much it meant to me when friends remembered me with a special card, flower or phone call on Valentine's day...it made all the difference in the world = ) !!! Click HERE to hear one of my favorite songs by Matt Redman that describes God's amazing love that never lets go!
Supplies for my card:
Stamps: Wild about You
Paper: Real Red, Whisper White, Summer Picnic DP
Ink: Real Red, Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Word Window Punch, 1 1/4 & 1 3/8" circle punches, ticket corner punch, Love & Happiness (SAB) rub-ons, Silver Brads, Red & White striped 5/8" gg ribbon

I'm WILD about every one of you...thanks for stopping by !!!

Tulip Joy

Just a quick post...to share this fun tulip card that I made for a friend's birthday recently! I got this set, Never Ending Joy, to make Easter cards at my workshops this month, but I'll be using this one for a lot more than just Easter. I really love the simple elegnace of the image. We're using some really pretty Spring colors for the workshop cards (I'll show you those a little later this month). Hard to believe, but Spring really is just around the corner! Won't be long now & we'll be seeing some tulips coming up out of the ground...I don't know about you, but I can't wait = ) !!!

By the way, did you notice the new watermark on my photo? I'm so excited...my friend, Cami helped me get that...she is the BEST ever...Thanks Cami!!! It was made by Beth over at Freckled Fun Designs. You've got to check out her blog for all the details on the banners and watermarks she makes....they're AMAZING!!


Supplies for this card~
Stamps: Never Ending Joy, Canvas BG
Paper: Ruby Red, Old Olive, Bali Breeze DP
Ink: Old Olive, So Saffron, Ruby Red
Accessories: Ticket Corner Punch, Cutter/Distressing tool, Paper piercing tool, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, 2-way glue pen, Bobbin ribbon

Enjoy your evening = ) !

My Excellent Stamping Friends

Two of the most amazingly talented stamping girls sent me this wonderful award...and coming from them, it means a lot to me!! A GREAT BIG thank you to the wonderful Cami, Stampalittlelovebaby and Sarah, MyScrapbookTable, for sending me this most excellent award:

Plus...this card is in honor of Sarah being this week's Feature Stamper at SCS! She is a bundle of creative talent and you can find her card that I cased HERE. And the details for playing along with the FS Challenge HERE. This card actually combined Sarah's basic layout, use of floral background and oval sentiment, with the Poppin' Pastels technique that Beate recapped for us this week in SCS's weekly Inking. I'd already planned on using this technique at my workshops this month, but in a much smaller way. This card is my first attempt at doing it on a larger scale and combining several colors. I had asked Cami, a couple weeks ago, what I should use to seal the chalks..and she suggested "cheap hairspray"...and guess what...it works beautifully! A light spraying with Suave and the chalks were sealed!! Two of my customers ordered this Simply Said, stamp set recently, and it reminded me of just how much I love this set. It's just an awesome stamp set...hearts, flowers, sentiments...stamps that can be used alone, or with 2-step stamping...lots & lots of versatility in this little set and a great one to use for springtime & valentine cards and projects! It was really fun to take it out and use it this morning. We just returned from a cruise that stopped at some tropical ports, so I was feeling inspired by the bright flowers we saw...that was the final inspiration for this card and my color scheme!! First time I've stamped in about 10 days...it was fun to try some new things = ) !!!

And now, it's my pleasure to pass this EXCELLENT award on to 10 other people. There are so many wonderfully talented stampers out there, it's hard to narrow it down to just 10, but here we go:

Amanda ~ mystampingspace
Angel ~ angelosity
Dawn ~ treasureoilerdesignz
Diane ~ dianesdesigns
Flossie ~ flossiesfollies
Jackie ~ thescallopededge
Jen ~ stamping therapy
Michele ~ thestamplink
Nancy ~ istamp
Silke ~ mylife

Supplies for my card~

Stamps: Simply Said

Paper: Lovely Lilac, Pixie Pink, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White

Ink: Lovely Lilac, Versamark

Accessories: SU Pastels/Chalks, Sponge daubers, Silver Eyelets, Cropadile, Self adhesive rhinestones, Pumpkin Rhinestone Brad, Large Oval punch, 1 1/4 & 1 3/8" circle punches, Paper piercing tool/mat pack, Tag corner punch, 1/4" pumpkin gg ribbon, May arts polkadot lavender ribbon

Have a Marvelous Monday = ) !!!

Divine Design BV Challenge 2

I can't believe it's been a month since we posted our first Divine Design Challenge projects! I found it more difficult this month to select just ONE scripture...But, I was finally able to narrow it down to this, one of my all time favorite scripture from Galatians. The other Scripture Chicks have some really fun projects that they've been working on...be sure to hop on over to their blogs and check 'em out:
Lori Craig ~ Make A Difference
Angel Wilde ~ Angelosity
Jami Sibley ~ More is More
Taylor Van Bruggen ~ Taylored Expressions

I hope you'll be playing along too! It's easy...and you can join us anytime. If you decide to upload to SCS, be sure to use the keyword BVC08. Plus...I'd love to see YOUR project, so be sure and leave me a comment along with a link to your project too! For more details on this challenge, check out my first DD post, HERE. I promised to show you the method I'd be using to display my card, but the item I sent for, didn't work as I'd hoped. So...for now, I'm just setting my card in a prominent spot where I'll see it several times each day...and that's working just fine. I have a couple of other ideas I may use for displaying and I'll share those with you in future posts. My daughter, Megan chose her scripture from Psalms this month & here's the bookmark I made for her.

Meg & I both LOVE Elzybells so I surprised her by using this new stamp, Flower Girl, just released in January...you can see more new Elzybells stamps over at the Elzybells blog!

A few years ago, I came across a commentary on the Fruit of the Spirit, from the Max Lucado Devotional Bible. I thought you might enjoy it too:

For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day's demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I'm free to choose... I choose love. No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. Today I will love God and what God loves.I choose joy. I invite my God to be the God of circumstance.I choose peace. I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live. I choose patience. I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so.I choose kindness. I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me. I choose goodness. I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I choose faithfulness. Today I will keep my promises.I choose gentleness. Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. I choose self-control. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I will be drunk only by joy. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek His grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

Supplies for my card~

Stamps: none, I printed the scripture on my computer

Paper: Close to Cocoa, Bordering Blue, Very Vanilla, Le Jardin DP

Accessories: Pewter brads, HP ribbon pull, Vanilla taffeta ribbon, CB, Oval/Scallop Nestabilities, Paper piercing tool & Mat pack

Supplies for Meg's bookmark ~

Stamps: Flower Girl (Amuse/Elzybells), One of a Kind (flowers)

Paper: Lovely Lilac, Regal Rose, Whisper White, Flowers for You DP

Ink: Lovely Lilac, Stazon, Computer generated scripture

Accessories: Ticket Corner Punch, Paper piercing tool, Boho Blooms Punch, Rhinestone brad, Self-Adhesive rhinestones, Sakura clear stardust pen, SU & Copic Markers

Sending warm & sunny thoughts to you, as I post from the MS Oosterdam, at sea...300 miles from San Diego = ) !!!

Time to Celebrate!

So many reasons to CELEBRATE today! First, it's my friend's birthday ...and like each of us, she is a ONE of a kind (in a good way, lol!)! Happy Birthday Sandi, I hope you enjoy every single minute of your special day!! Next reason to CELEBRATE is SALE-A-BRATION, which begins today and runs through March 17th!! This is a great time to order a few extra items from your wish list because for every $50 you spend, you get a bonus...a FREE stamp set from the SAB catalog! I love free stuff. And SU just announced today another bonus:

New Demonsrators During Sale-A-Bration ~ anyone who joins as a demonstrator can choose any stamp set--a value of up to $47.95--from the Spring-Summer 2008 Collection! Plus, new demonstrator get 20 percent off the Demonstrator Starter Kit--over $350 of Stampin' Up! products and business supplies for only $159!

That Starter kit is a HUGE value! Click HERE to see what's included in the kit. That's one of the reasons a lot of people sign up to be a "hobby demo"....they may not be interested in hosting workshops and classes, they just want to take advantage of the great discounts and other little perks we receive as demos. Which leads me right up to my 3rd reason to CELEBRATE....This month marks my One Year Anniversary as a Stampin' Up demonstrator! I signed up last year, in February, during SAB. And let me tell you, it's one of the best decisions I ever made! SU is a great company to work with...top notch!! If you've ever considered becoming a demo, now would be a great time to check into it, ask a few questions. Contact your local demonstrator or email me for more details. My email is: youcanstamp@hotmail.com .

I appreciate my customers (times a million)! And they know how much I like to give away free stuff...so....as a bonus for my customers this month and as my way of thanking them for their support over this past year, I want to give something away!! During my anniversary month of February, for every $50 order (before shipping) that my customers place with me, I will put their name in a drawing. On March 1st, I will draw one name to be the grand prize winner! What's the prize...well, that's a surprize. I will reveal the prize a little later this month....but it will be a minimum $25 value and something any stamper would love! I think there just might be some blog candy coming up later this month too, so stay tuned for that! Wooooo-hoooo!!! So many reasons to Celebrate!

I'm always looking for inspiration for color combos...I am sooo color challenged, you wouldn't even believe it (but then again, if you've been to my blog before, maybe your would believe it, lol!). I found these napkins in Walmart and knew I had to do a card in these colors...so this napkin was the whole inspiration for my card...isn't that funny?

This will be my last post for about a week. I'll be out of town, but will be checking my emails periodically. So if you have questions or want to place an order...don't hesitate to email me! I'd love to hear from you = ) !!

Supplies for the card ~

Stamp set: One of a Kind

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery, Shimmery White, Berry Bliss DP

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Celery, Tempting Turquoise

Accessories: Boho Blossoms Punch, Ticket Corner PUnch, SU Markers, 5/8" Chocolate gg ribbon, 1/4" Celery gg ribbon, Turquoise rhinestone brad, dimentionals

Big Hugs...Have a great week = ) !!

Happy Valentine

Here's a sweet little card we made at my workshops & classes this month! It features the Happy Heart Day stamp set, Berry Bliss DP & the technique of paper piecing. For a quick tutorial, click HERE for a previous post on this technique.

And... the Little Birdie is back to remind you that it's only 2 more days till Sale-A-Bration (SAB) begins! She's showing off two of the stamps from the So Many Scallops set. I love my punches, so I knew I'd love this set. I've had a lot of fun mixing and matching the 4 scallop designs with the 4 sentiments and layering them up with my Circle Punches. Plus they all punch right out with the Scallop Circle Punch! Incase you haven't seen it yet, here's what the set looks like ~

It's a good one = ) ! And the price is right too...FREE...with any $50 Stampin Up order during SAB (Feb 1st-March 17th). Contact your local demonstrator or email me for the details or to place an order (youcanstamp@hotmail.com).

Supplies for the Valentine Card~

Stamps: Happy Heart Day

Paper: Pomegranate, Pretty in Pink,
Whisper White & Berry Bliss DP

Ink: Stazon Timber Brown

Accessories: Photo Corner Punch, SU
Markers, Zig Painty Pen, 1/4" pink gg ribbon

Supplies for Birdie Card~

Stamps: A little birdie told me & So
many Scallops

Paper: Regal Rose, Lavender Lace,
Whisper White, Flowers for You DP

Ink: Black Stazon

Accessories: SU Markers, Cosmo Fine
Glitter, 5/8" Regal Rose gg ribbon, Scallop Circle Punch, 1 and 1 1/4" Circle
Punches

Happy Stamping = ) !!!

Wild About You

I love, love, love this Wild About You set! It sat patiently on my wish list for months last year. It was so worth waiting for. We used this set at my workshops & classes this month for some bright, fun Valentine Treats (pictured below). So it was fun to pull out some soft colors today and try this set it in a whole new way. The designer paper is called Spring Fling and it's one of SU's new ones. It coordinates beautifully with a variety of colors including Certainly Celery, Sage, Saffron, Barely Banana & Pretty in Pink. This isn't actually a baby card, but rather a little hello to someone who's expecting a baby = ) !

Big news...(DRUM ROLL PLEASE) ... It's almost time....only 4 more days till SALE-A-BRATION begins! It's the biggest and best promotion Stampin' Up does each year. There's something for everyone. Free sets from the SAB catalog for every $50 you purchase (no limit)! Plus there are SAB sets available when you host a workshop or catalog party. And...this year, when you sign up to become a demonstrator during SAB, as a bonus....you get to select ANY set from the current Spring Summer Collection catalog for FREE...that's right....ANY set! I signed up last year during SAB = ) ... and I'm so glad I did! Talk to your local demonstrator or contact me for more details about placing an order, hosting a workshop or becoming a SU Demonstrator (youcanstamp@hotmail.com).

Supplies for my card~

Stamps: Wild About You, Amazing to Zany

Paper: Pretty in Pink, So Saffron, Whisper White, Spring Fling DP

Ink: Pretty in Pink, So Saffron,

Accessories: White Eyelets, Cropadile, Pink Gingham Ribbon, Saffron brad, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, 2-way glue pen, 1/2" circle punch, Boho Blossoms Punch

Supplies for the treat boxes~

Stamps: Wild About You

Paper: Turquoise, Pumpkin, Wasabi, Lovely Lilac, Pixie Pink, Real Red, Whisper White, Black

Ink: Turqoise, Pumpkin, Wasabi, Pixie Pink, Real Red

Accessories: 1 1/4 & 1 3/8 Circle & Square Punches, 1/2" Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Gingham Ribbons in Pink, Red & Black, Wasabi double stitched ribbon

Hope you're having a Marvelous Monday = ) !!!

Hershey Bar Pull Treats

These were the favors I made for guests at my class last night. It's always fun to have the girls over and we had a great time together...making Valentine projects = ) ! I haven't used my Posy Background stamp in a while, I'd forgotten how much I like it. I used it to stamp Real Red ink onto Real Red Cardstock and it gave the red cardstock this great depth and richness that you can't quite see in the photo, but IRL it's a great effect. If you double click on the photo, you should be able to get a close-up with better detail. Beate did a tutorial this week at Splitcoast for this Pull Out Treat Project...you just pull on the ribbon, and the candy bar pulls right out! You can see her complete instructions HERE. I especially love what Beate did with using the Brown Satin ribbon...such an elegant touch! And, it was just pointed out to me, thanks to the comment from Twila Mooneyham...that the Brown Satin ribbon is NOT actually retired as I'd thought...it's still available in the Ribbons Original Assortment as part of the Theatre assortment. That's great news...I love that ribbon and thanks Twila for the tip...much appreciated!! I also like the stamp set Beate used (Always) with her belly band...it was gorgeous (Always is now on my wish list)! After I took the photo, I ended up Crimping the bottom edge of the pouch a couple of times. I've made these in the past and have always crimped the bottom edge. I just like the look....but it's totally optional. One thing to keep in mind if you're going to make these is to use Sticky Strip or a similar adhesive for good hold. I also place my seam in the back rather than on the side, otherwise I have trouble with the seam wanting to pull apart. To place your seam on the back rather than the side, just follow Beate's instructions, but score at 1 1/2 & 4 1/4. I made a couple of Thank you Notes with the same image & colors. I used some DP from the Paper Pack Designer Series Papers that comes in a 6x6 pack...as a hostess level-1 gift. Great colors...Real Red, Pretty in Pinkk, Apricot Appeal, Bashful Blue & Wild Wasabi! I've also been enjoying the new Hostess Set, For A Friend. It's perfect for a quick image with a little splash of color! I can't believe it's only a level-1 set...what a deal!!!

Supplies for the Pouch & Card
Stamps: For A Friend (hostess, level-1), Posy background
Paper: Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Shimmery White, DP Prints Pack (hostess level-1 set)
Ink: Brown Stazon
Accessories: Red & Celery SU markers, Gold & Rhinestone brads, Brown Satin ribbon, Brown Taffeta ribbon, Ticket Corner punch, Horizontal punch, Brayer (to ink the background stamp)

Have A Great Weekend = )

Happy Birthday Kim!

This card is for today's SCS Sketch Challenge 160...AND I made it in honor of my friend Kim Miller's Birthday! Yep, today's her special day...be sure to hop over to her blog, InkedUpKim, and wish her a happy day = ) !!! She's awesome! It was almost one year ago that she signed me up to be a SU demonstrator, so I get to lovingly call her my stampin' mommy. Kim, I wish you all the joy your heart can hold...God bless you, my friend!

Supplies for this card~
Stamps: For A Friend (sentiment...new, hostess level-1), Bitty Birthday (balloons), So Many Scallops (scalloped edges)
Paper: Regal Rose, Lovely Lilac, Lavendar Lace, Whisper White, Flowers for You
Ink: Lovely Lilac
Accessories: Lovely Lilac SU marker, Lace Stickles, Silver cord (retired), Cuttlebug & Oval nestabilities

Happy Birthday Kim = )!

Valentine Tag Kisses

This little sweetie is one of the projects we're making at my workshops & classes this month and it's super quick & easy...gotta love that!! I found this last fall while doing a little blog hopping on Silke Ledlow's blog...MyLife. She used this for Halloween treats. I used the images from the Happy Heart Day Stamp set for mine and changed the dimensions just slightly so I could use both sizes of the tag punch. This holds one little Hershey's kiss and there's a little room inside to write or stamp a message. The dimensions for the Regal Rose is 1 1/2 x 4 1/2" scored at 1 3/4 & 2 3/4. That creates a little trifold. I then stamped my image and punched it with the Small Tag Punch, and colored it in with SU markers and added a bit of Dazzling Diamonds for sparkle (with my 2-way glue pen). I punched a layer of real red with the Large Tag Punch. Adhered those 3 layers together then took my Paper Snips and trimmed the top two edges of the Regal Rose to match the tag. I used my Cropadile to punch a hole in the top and added a Gold Eyelet and some Gingham Ribbon. As a variation, I used a few different ribbons...including the new SU Striped GG ribbon and for those I just punched a larger hole with the Cropadile and skipped the eyelet. A great thing about the tag punches, is you don't have to limit yourself to stamping and punching the "tag" images only (like in the first picture)...you stamp then punch partial images, like the mouse and heart...and it works just as well!

Thanks Silke for an awesome idea! Really fun and so easy = )

Supplies for this project~

Stamps: Happy Heart Day

Paper: Real Red, Regal Rose, Whisper White or Shimmery White

Ink: Basic Black

Accessories: Large & Small Tag Punches, SU makers in Regal Rose, Real Red & Certainly Celery, Zig Painty pen (gold/silver), Dazzling Diamonds glitter with 2-way glue pen, Red & Pink Gingham ribbon, Striped Real Red gg ribbon, White & Real Red 1/4" gg ribbons, Cropadile, Gold eyelets, Hershey's Kisses

Bye Bye Birdie

This is the last of the A Little Birdie Told Me cards I have to show you, at least for a while! I really have created more than just bird cards this week, but the other projects are things I can't show you quite yet. I love the colors in the Flowers for You DP...so many variations, but they're all bright & springy! I love the simplicity of the 2nd card. I could have added more, but decided I liked it just sweet & simple! Plus, it was quick...and sometimes, we just need a quick card!

Supplies for the cards:

Stamps: A little Birdie Told Me

Paper: Lolvely Lilac, Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery, Whisper White, Flowers for You DP

Ink: Black Stazon, Tempting Turquoise

Accessories: SU Markers in Regal Rose, Tempting Turquoise, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Sahara Sand, Lovely Lilac & Pumpin, and Copic Marker in BG01 Auqua Blue, White eyelets, Turquoise Rhinestone brad, Sm & Lg Oval punches, 1" & 1 1/4" circle punches,Cosmo Fine Glitter, 2-way glue pen, Cropadile, 1/4" gg ribbon in Turquoise & Celery

Only 2 more weeks till Sale-A-Bration begins!!!

Free Stamps...gotta love that = )

Have a great weekend!

More Little Birdies

I just can't get enough of this new, A Little Birdie Told Me, stamp set! So many fun pieces....so many fun combinations!! I did several cards with the color theme from the Flowers For You DP; Regal Rose, Lovely Lilac, Certainly Celery & Tempting Turquoise. I have two more cards to show you over the next couple of days. They all use a very similar image piece, but feature different card layouts and color combos. I used ALL SU products on this card. Yes, even the markers are all SU. I have Copics (and I love them), but I appreciate how quick & easy it is to use the SU markers and get a perfect color match. I did some shading with the markers, by just going over some of the areas more than once. I go over everything once, let it dry, then go back over the areas I'd like to shade. I've gotten good results by using the thicker tip and using small circular motions and a very gentle touch. I only use the small tip for tiny areas. I did some accents with the Fine Cosmo Glitter & my 2-way glue pen, and IRL, the shine & color are fan-stinkin-tastic = ) .... I'm a big fan of glitter, but I'm picky, it has to be good....and this stuff is GREAT!!!

Supplies for this card~
Stamps: A Little Birdie Told Me
Paper: Certainly Celery, Lovely Lilac, Regal Rose, Flowers For You DP, Whisper White
Ink: Black Stazon, Regal Rose, Lovely Lilac
Accessories: SU Markers (certainly celery, regal rose, pretty in pink, lovely lilac, sahara sand), 1 & 1 1/4" circle punches, Photo corner punch, Paper piercing tool, 5/8" regal rose gg ribbon, Fine Cosmo Glitter, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, 2-way glue pen

Have a Terrific Thursday = ) !!!