Cool 5 star punch technique

OK - a quickie before I leave work (finally!)....I will post the recipe later...however, I have used the small round punch for the center of this embellishment and the 5 star for all the other pieces...tooooooo cooooooolllllllll...........LOL ENJOY!!!

Masculine Card Swap

So here is my take on a masculine card swap that my wonderful up-line, Tracy Altemose, has organized for our demo group meeting tonight...I hope it looks masculine...I do truly have a difficult time NOT putting flowers on stuff or using a floral set, so masculine cards are truly a challenge for me. Whaddya think?

Recipe:
Stamps: With Gratitude, Sanded, Just B
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Taken with Teal, Basic Gray
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Taken with Teal, Very Vanilla
Access: Old Olive 5/8 grosgrain, tool kit, distressing tool, corner rounder punch

He's mad at me....boo hoo!

OK - now this has nothing to do with stamps, unless you count the fact that he is with me WHEN I stamp - always!!- but I promise I have more cards to post - but I just had to mention that Scruffy has been mad at me since Easter. Why? Cuz fuzzy wuzzy had no hair!! LOL He is FINALLY coming around and "talking" to me...he had even stopped having his evening ear scratch he was so peeved! Talk about tempremental!!!! But - he still loves me!! Isn't he dang cute anyway??!!?!?!?

A recent INKredible Impressions Swap

Just wanted to share with you a set of cards I received in a SWAP from my huge side-line of the INKredible Impressions group, with our lovely Tina Rosenkrans as our illustrious leader...I will put the names of the creators in for those who gave their names and recipes...

Clockwise starting from the upper left: Ginger Gould, Jo-Ann Winzer, Dawn Byers, ???, Donna Foster, ???

Inside of the baby card, MY SWAP, and the inside of the Sassy card...I did not open it all the way - if you open the bottom it says "happy birthday"....

Again, clockwise upper left: Louise DelVecchio (glitter in the silver buckle - cool), tart & tangy in the middle by Lyn Puliafico, Michele Lourenco, ???, Cyndy Ponczek.

Thank you my INKredible sisters!!

From my Dabbling Demo Secret Sister #10

Just wanted to share the card my DDSS#10 made for me and its stinkin' pretty! I am a lucky gal!

I don't even care if this isn't a real story...but I believe

OK - did you ever read something that just touched you inside....this was an email sent to me by my SIL, Romaine, and of course I blubbered like a baby (doesn't take much these days) - and I thought even if it is just a story - I LOVE it! So look at this lil pic and know I have decided that I will believe it it true.....enjoy!

E-mail entitled: "This will make you feel better about our postal service"


I have no way to know who sent this, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office of the US Postal Service.

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,

Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.

I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her, You will k now that she is my dog. I really miss her.

Love, Meredith.

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith,' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,

Abbey arrived safely in heaven.

Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.

Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.

Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.

I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.

By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love,
God

From the SU! Cruisers

Just one of the many fabulous and beautiful things about being an SU! demo - is the fact that every demo has the ability to EARN the yearly Incentive Trip. It is completely "doable" - my up-line Tracy has earned it for like 8 years or more....and many of my INKredible sisters have earned it as well...so its not like "yeah right - for 2 or 3 peeps only" - nope - for all who can do it...I believe they have all been Cruises - and this year's was to Bermuda....(last year was to Panama Canal) and this year demos are qualifying for a week stay at the Big Island of Hawaii.....Anywho....I have surfed around and found from several demos on the Cruise - SNEAK PEAK pics of sets and colors that are a'comin'!!!! So I thought that I would share them with y'all!! (have no idea where that twang came from other than inside my silly lil' head!!) so - without further ado....TA DAH!!!!!

a new scallop edged punch that did this banner...

new in colors...



new sets......



new papers....

what you can do with that craft ink!!!



more new sets...

Just love this set!!

I had been so busy making things for classes and the SAS - and then working on the calendar that I really didn't have time to actually just PLAY with some of my new things....And I just LOVE this set from the Occasions Mini...While I did not CASE the whole card, I saw a card on the SU! demo website showcase - and fell in love with the layout and the colors....And I thought it would be perfect for this set....this card was soooo quick and easy - and being pretty doesn't hurt either!! Whaddya think?

Paper: soft sky, creamy caramel
Ink: creamy caramel (marker, craft and dye inks)
Stamps: she’s all that, oh so lovely (RETIRED)
Access: slit punch, soft sky ribbon, tool kit, clear embossing powder, aqua painter

The last of the birthday cluster...for a bit...

So - I just realized that I did not show you my last of the boy's birthday cards from our February/March birthday cluster. Here is Collin's card:

I believe this is referred to as a filmstrip - however- I REALLY meant to leave enough room to use the spiral punch on both sides, but I didn't....still cute though, IMO. And he liked it so that's all that matters!! Here's the recipe:

Paper: only orange, gable green, black, whisper white
Ink: real red, gable green, tempting turquoise, versamark, basic gray
Stamps: bugs and kisses
Access: spiral punch, 1 3/8 and 1 ¼ square punches, hodgepodge hardware, tempting turquoise ribbon

3/28/08 Girl's Night Out

So...what is Girl's Night Out you ask? The last Friday of every month I host this event and it has evolved with time...and is now an evening of gal pals getting together for a fun night of stampin'! There are three options for you: 1) for $15 you can come to the studio with scissors and adhesive - and use all my stuff to work on scrap pages or cards (ink, embellishments, paper, Designer Paper, stamps, ribbon - you name it - I got it!) 2) $20 Do a Stamp-a-stack - 3 designs, 5 cards each for a total of 15 cards with envelopes 3) FREE - bring your things to work on with friends in a fun filled atmosphere!! You can even bring a set you are stuck on for ideas - I would love to help you find some new uses for it!! For all three of those options, if you did not have dinner, add $5 for salad and pizza...snacks and drinks on the house! And its easy to remember too - Last Friday of the Month!!!

This past Friday eve - Thank goodness Stef came up to run it for me since I was sick! I did pop in and out - but was far away from spreading germs!!! I did however, have 3 kick-ass cards to make if I do say so myself (and all three CASE-d and altered to fit my needs and my supplies....and here they are!!! Cute, eh??

This card is CASE-d from Joan Hajek, a talented SU! demo who is on a list serve I am on. I did not have all the supplies she did so I altered a few things, but it is basically the same card....Ladies I tell ya....you don't have to be an artistic genius and come up with all your own ideas...as long as you acknowledge the maker (like I did) people are pleased you loved their card so much you wanted to copy it! All you need to do is CASE (remember - copy and share everything!) After CASE-ing for a while - you start using the style and techniques you learned along the way and the next thing you know- you are making gems like these!!! Thank God for these talented stampers, as my poor brain was fried and foggy for creation - but I can CASE things in my sleep! LOL! OK - so here is the recipe for this cutie-pa-tootie...

Paper: brocade blue, creamy caramel, chocolate chip, whisper white
Ink: brocade blue, basic black, chocolate chip
Stamps: pun fun, paisley BG, itty bitty backgrounds
Access: 5 petal punch, word window punch, ¾ circle punch, brown 5/8 grosgrain ribbon, twill, cutter kit, blender pen, sponge, brad, eyelet, dimensionals

Next is a card CASE-d from my up-line's BFF Diana Gibbs (and those two gals are side-lines or something!! anyway - we're all INKredible Impression girls - a FABULOUS family!!) She made a long skinny card and I just made it normal size. I think this is a great masculine birthday card. Here is THAT recipe:

Paper: close to cocoa, sky blue, blue bayou, really rust, creamy caramel
Ink: close to cocoa, chocolate chip, really rust, creamy caramel
Stamps: wanted, its your birthday
Access: ticket corner punch, scallop punch, blue bayou ribbon, sponge, jumbo brass eyelet, crop-o-dile, white gel pen, ziggy painter, dimensionals, cutter kit,

And the third card in the stamp-a-stack is a CASE from Amy Sheffer, another talented stamper on my list-serve. She also made a smaller, skinny card and I made it normal sized... The recipe for this beauty is as follows:

Paper: river rock, groovy guava, apricot, so saffron DSP, vanilla
Ink: so saffron, cameo coral, river rock, versa mark
Stamps: canvas BG, 3 for you punch box, true friend
Access: SU tool kit, cutter kit, black gingham ribbon, slit punch

So ladies - I hope I have made a case for CASE-ing....pun intended!! LOL And remember, the next Girl's Night Out is on Friday, April 25th - the last Friday of the month!! See you there!

Workin' on the Calendar

My up-line Tracy Altemose (true genius creativity) showed us this calendar a couple of months ago and I never had time to work on it...it is created with 2 chipboard coasters, and then fashioned with good ol' card stock embellished with SU's fabu Designer Series Paper and "stuff". I CASE'ed many pages - although altering the DSP and colors to what I have on hand or for what is current (except for the Halloween paper - all other DSP can be purchased now) - and altering some pages for those I wanted to change....like my favorite - the Dog Days of Summer for August!! Anyway - I do want to do a class on this, but will need to see how many of my customers are interested and then find out WHEN they want to make it. The beautiful thing is - I can print whatever calendar pages they want to work on as the date portion of the sheet is generated from the computer.

Here is the front cover - and to hold the calendar together, punched holes with the crop-o-dile and used the jumbo brads - then used two rings like those in a 3 ring notebook. Cute, eh??

Then here are the pages that are inside (Feb, March, June, July, and August were my ideas)

These are so stinkin' cute - I NEED to make many more!

Yes - I am home again - only been in 1.5 days this week! OK -nap time now - yet again!! Can't believe how much this illness has whipped me...Will post more later!

Sorry I haven't been on in a bit...We had off last week for our Spring Break and of course, I got sick!! I have been so good about NOT getting what all the students have - being vigilant about my and the student's hand washing - and about cleaning my keyboard and phone at the beginning of the day...so I was totally bummed...I did periodically work on stuff in the studio, but have been in a fog or asleep for the most part....oh well....stuff happens! I have been to work Mon and off today...don;t know how the rest of the week will play out...I HATE BEING SICK!