Check out the August Stamp-a-stack samples!

This past Friday evening, we had our famous Girls' Night Out - where you can come over with your own cards or scrapbooks to stamp and enjoy the camaraderie for free, use all my stash (ink, paper, ribbon, embellishments of ALL kinds) for $15, or for $20 complete a stamp-a-stack of 15 cards with envelopes - 3 different designs - 5 each (you just bring your snips and adhesive!!) SUCH A DEAL!! Just be prepared to laugh a lot!! So- if you hate having a good time, this evening is not for you! LOL Additionally - if you need dinner, just let me know - as we take a poll and for $5.00 we usually order in Pizza. Otherwise, drinks and snacks are on me. I hold this event every last Friday of the month....so you and I both remember!! LOL See what you missed????

PS **I believe Oct Friday is Halloween so it will be adjusted - stay tuned!)

Recipe for Kindness Card with Punch Flower

Stamps: stemming from, heard from the heart

Paper: apricot appeal, tangerine tango, whisper white, old olive

Ink: apricot appeal, barely banana, close to cocoa, tangerine tango, old olive (my card used craft white - and this one is Stephanie's - she already put mine up on my display board)

Access: crimper, 5 petal punch, ½” circle punch, dotto, scrap paper

Recipe for Happiness Card:
card cased from Jen Jacobsen convention swap

Stamps: heard from the heart, wow flowers

Paper: pacific point, confetti white

Ink: pacific point, kiwi kiss, tangerine tango, red riding hood red, baja blue

Access: 1” circle punch, 1 ¼ circle punch, ticket corner punch, 1/16 hand held punch, gold brad

Recipe for Birthday card:
card inspired by Carrie Cudney convention demo and by Patty Bennett card

Stamps: upsy daisy, itty bitty backgrounds

Paper: pink pirouette, red riding hood red, whisper white

Ink: pink pirouette, pretty in pink, ruby red

Access: sponge, snips, BIG SHOT & die, white taffeta and red riding hood red

taffeta ribbon

Blog Candy a'comin down the street!!!

Yeah, I know....another show tune!! LOL and yes - I was Mrs. Paroo in Music Man at the community college...it was a fun time...no pressure! (Except that the President of the College's son was Winthrop!) HOWEVER - BE THAT AS IT MAY!!! I am fast approaching 5,000 hits! YIPPEE! I never thought to see the day!!! Anywho...be on the lookout...as soon as we hit 5,000 - better come on over and check it out!! I'll post what I have in store in another 100 or so hits....UNTIL THEN.......
TTFN! (ta ta for now!)

Check out these conventin make and takes...

This card and the gift bag are more of our convention make and takes...I really LOVE this set they gave us for free...I need more time to play with it!! Why oh why is summer over!! {sniff sniff}...Enjoy!

I couldn't help myself!!!

OK - so this little book is very "pretty" for a toddler learning to write, but I couldn't help myself!! You know how much I LOVE making this out of our Bitty Board Book... and the only DSP I could pre-order was Bella Rose (you'll have to forgive me if I screw up and call it "Rosabella" - several years ago I had the pleasure of performing the role of Cleo in the musical Most Happy Fella at the local college - and I am having a brain misfire...every time I write or say it - it comes out "Rosabella" and not "Bella Rose"!! Argghh! Rosabella was the lead and I was her side kick! Eh - could be worse!! LOL) Anyhoo - back to the point at hand - my grand-daughters (6) all have and love "pretty" things - so they would all love this...my step-daughter and DIL's all have done the pretty route....while sticking to primary colors and sports and dinosaurs and such for the boys (5). Yeah....I know.....its fabulous to be a really young "Gram" ...ahhhhh, the blessings of a second marriage!! LOL OK OK OK -- so here's the book! We saw this demo'ed at convention in Denver in 2007...totally cool idea!! You write right on the page cover with the dry erase marker, wipe it off and give it a go again!! TA DA!!!! Enjoy!

It's that Ol' Black Magic...

..hmmm...I think I'm humming that post title to the song of "That ol' devil moon, in your eye...." from Finian's Rainbow....oh - you didn't know I was a theater freak? Just another of my endearing qualities...just ask my daughter! LOL Did you know there is a song for everything? And that I usually sing it and "someone we know" gets EMBARRASSED??? LOL Remind me to tell you the story of HOW I got Stef to not say out loud that she was embarrassed by me....LOL She laughs about it now, then not so much!!

OK - onto that Ol' Black Magic....

I demonstrated this at our workshop the other evening...it was too much to do in our time frame as a make and take. However, I had a great group of gals over at Eileen's house that were already versed in the card craft, and wanted to throw in a WOW they could do themselves....this card was inspired by the colors in a card by Leonie Schroder.....

Recipe:
Stamps: Canvas BG, Fabulous Flowers, All Holidays

Paper: Basic Black, Bashful Blue, Brilliant Blue, Whisper White

Ink: White Craft, Bashful Blue, Brilliant Blue

Access: SU Watercolor Pencils, White Gel Pen, Ticket Corner Punch, 1/16 circle hand held punch, silver brads, black gingham ribbon, dimensionals

EASY!!! Just stamp your image onto black paper with the white craft ink - LET DRY (key) - or help it along with your heat gun if you are impatient like me ;-) Then when dry color with your pencils...I used the light blue and medium blue watercolor pencils. I decided which way the sun was hitting my flower and put the dark at the bottom of the petals where I thought there should be shadow...I meant to only put the white gel pen around the top part - but I boo-booed and so the whole she-bang got white gel pen...still looks good though....REMEMBER.....THERE ARE NO MISTAKES IN STAMPING - ONLY CREATIVE DIFFERENCES! So I creatively made this one different than I wanted!! LOL Then - you just mount the piece however you want, and AWAY you go!!! ENJOY!

From my August Workshops

Here is a sample of two cards my customers made at a recent August Workshop. I will post the other card ( a lil' black magic) from the workshop tomorrow - so you have something to look forward to!! LOL The one made with Bella Rose paper was cased from Brenda Taylor (edited: found - thank you !) and the other is a gift card holder from my own lil' brain...The gift card holder folds were taught at the Philadelphia Regionals last year...Man I love being a demo!!! Enjoy the cards!!

Recipe:

Stamps: Dreams du Jour

Paper: Red Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Bella Rose DSP

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Red Riding Hood Red

Access: Chocolate Chip 5/8 grosgrain, 1 ¼ & 1 3/8 circle punches, scallop circle punch, white gel pen, dimensionals

Recipe:
Stamps: Inspired by Nature, Flight of the Butterfly

Paper: Tangerine Tango texture 12 x 12, So Saffron, Confetti White, Bella Rose DSP

Ink: Pads & Markers: Kiwi Kiss, Summer Sun, Old Olive, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Tangerine Tango, Basic Black

Access: Photo Corner Punch, Paper Snips

Ta dah!! A new CARD!!

Here is the new card I made on Friday night at Jacqui's Stamparama (my original stampin' sistah gal-pals!)....I brought this watercolor image to DO something with and I think I like the something!! LOL Hope you do too!

Recipe:

Stamps: Serene Spring (hostess L2), Heard from the Heart

Ink: Pacific Pointe, Really Rust, Almost Amethyst, Lovely Lilac, Basic Gray, Tangerine Tango, Bashful Blue, Kiwi Kiss, Glorious Green, Summer Sun, Real Red

Paper: Watercolor, Baja Breeze, Pacific Pointe

Access: Scallop edge punch, photo corner punch, Aqua Painter, white taffeta ribbon, poker from craft kit (here we go again!! I keep thinking “red hot” LOL), dimensionals

Be sorry - Be very very sorry!! LOL

ok - I know I love my own sick humor WAY more than anyone else does...BUT I wanted you to be soooo sad that you missed July's Stamp-a-stack!! See! Now the title of the post makes sense!! LOL These are the three cards we made at the last Friday of the month's GNO (Girl's Night Out). The first card on the left is a total case from my INKredible Impressions sistah, Jen Peel, the second came from my demented head, and the third one I cased from Beate but I changed the colors. So - two pretty ones and a masculine one. Only the one that I cased from Beate is still current, so I hope you got the stamps you wanted before they retired!!

Recipes- from left to right:

Stamps: Blossoms Abound (ret) (one of my personal favorites, sniff, sniff), Itty Bitty Backgrounds

Ink: Soft Sky (ret), Blue Bayou (ret), Basic Black, Going Gray, Basic Gray, Always Artichoke

Paper: Confetti White, Blue Bayou (ret), Soft Sky (ret), Always Artichoke

Access: Blue Bayou ribbon (ret), pewter hardware hodgepodge (ret)

========================================

Stamps: Noble Deer (ret), Canvas BG

Ink: Chocolate Chip craft, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa

Paper: Mellow Moss, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla

Access: linen thread, crop-o-dile, soft subtles eyelets (ret), clear EP, pastels

====================================

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Holiday Blitz, One of a Kind

Ink: Pretty In Pink, Chocolate Chip

Paper: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip

Access: 1 ¼ and 1 3/8 circle punches, Boho Blossoms punch, scallop circle punch, rhinestone brads, Theater Ribbon (ret), white gel pen, poker from craft kit (what the hell do you really call that thing???!!!??? Poker sounds funny!!), dimensionals, sponge, score-er

ok - while I reshoot some pics...

So - I have been looking everywhere for my camera.....and then I find it and the dang cord is NOT in the case....so then I am looking everywhere for THAT....unfortunately that takes DAYS....why? 'Cuz every dang time I go to a room looking for something, I see something that needs doing and think - "I'd better do that while I remember..." and of course - next thing ya know - I am doing all kinds of stuff and not finding the dang cord!! I used to laugh at that old joke - but it ain't funny no mo' ... it seems to be my life these days...I am seriously thinking I need a notepad to hang around my neck for goodness sakes!!!

So - anyway - I find the camera - take really dark pics - finally find the cord - upload - hate the way they look and decide to go reshoot....so here are a few more convention highlights for you while you wait!! LOL In no particular order...

Receiving our FREE set donated from UPS - The Mc-yD one at that!!

Us eating at the Hard Rock....this was the closest we got to the Osmonds...
I could DREAM about them being our entertainment, couldn't I???

Me and Stef at Make N Takes with our new 3 free sets!!

SU spoiling us yet again with cupcakes at lunch
(and YES that medallion IS chocolate! See what you get with a female CEO?!?!?!)

Shelli donating on behalf of SU! to Ronald McDonald Charities for the quarter

Our evening at Benihanna...four INKredible girls...we had 9 there all together

And lastly - me and the Queen, Shelli Gardner (long may she live!)
I just love her....and SU too....(did I ever mention that before?!?!? LOL)

Décor Elements…ooh, la la!!

OK - so I was supposed to put this in yesterday...forgive me, but we had family and friends coming over last night (all the females!!) and I underestimated how long it would take to sand blast clean the entire house, since several people (like my sister) had not seen the house before – so that meant top to bottom cleaning – and you KNOW how that is!! So, ok – on to the OOHH LA LA!!!

So feast your eyes on our demo of the new colors for the decor as Jill from SU! demonstrates for us...and then some of the wall pix (that were taken by the wonderful Patty Bennett) to show you size and scale (and beauty!!) and how the vignettes were set up to show how to use in all types of decor!! Just LOOK!

This lets you check out the actual size of the elements...

See....it DOES go with antiques too!

And these decor elements don't just need to be used on walls...they are like gigantic rub-ons!! How cool is that ?!?!?!?!

Hope you enjoyed your view of our new product line! I am sooooo excited!!

Sizzex and Stampin' Up! Perfect together!!!

so - for the next few days you are going to get some shots and ideas of what I saw at convention...now...first....picture 7,000 happy stampers......they look something like this (and I didn't put in the left and right shots of the room!!)....

Now you know WHY it was such a feat to find Alex!!! LOL Anyway...today's posting is about this new BIG SHOT!! HOLY COW!! What you can do with it....Check out some of these pics...

Now isn't that bag to "die" for?!?!?!? (heh heh, pun intended!!)
But that is the Big Shot with our SU! logo and the bag along with some of the other items that come in its starter kit...soon to be available!!! Thanks to Patty Bennett who let me use her picture since mine came out all blurry...

Now above, is a sample of a diaper cake that Shelli has made for her daughter's baby shower - and this will stay a decoration in the baby's room until they redecorate! The flowers are cloth and cut using the die cut for the Big Shot...and I believe that is the EXCLUSIVE SU! die cuts!!! You can cut any number of fabrics, paper, chipboard, vinyl, you name it baby!! It cuts it!! Can we have a Woo Hoo!?! Then there is a pic of the die cuts that we are offering...and look what else you can make using them!!!! Check it out!

This is Santa and Ruddy ...WAY too stinkin' cute!!

And this is our Queen CEO Shelli (long may she live) demonstrating one of the several masks that can be made using these exclusive die cuts from Stampin’ Up! and Sizzix!!

Now - how stinkin' cute is ALL OF THAT??? HUH???? I just LOVE Stampin' Up! Don't you?

Stay tuned 'cuz tomorrow is all about Decor Elements!!!! Yahoo!

I found my SBS9 sistah!! YIPPEE!!

OK - so there are like 7,000 demo's at convention and I needed to find my SBS9 sister Alex. Thank God Alex isn't the "miss-ish" type, cuz I was blatantly and shamelessly looking for her at convention....because you KNOW I forgot to get her contact information to bring with me to Salt Lake! Ugh! Anyway - Stephanie was pretty much mortified the whole day - "MOTHERRRRRR!!!" and "you're so weird" - she even hated me talking to strangers, just making everyday pleasantries....do you do that, or am I really weird? Anyway - back to the story at hand! I carried this sign all day long on Saturday, knowing it was our last day....and for the last 4 days I had been eye-ing EVERYONE!!!! I found four other people that I was looking for from pictures from the web - and I got to meet them , like the new advisory board member Patty Bennett, but no Alex anywhere for my sore eyes. Hence - "the sign". SO - now its mid afternoon and right before our last General Session at convention - so I knew this would be it....so I held that darn sign as high over my head as I could and walked the whole dang floor!!! Someone suggested that I go up front by the stage for the cameraman - and off I went....did I ever mention how shy I am.....NOT!!! LOL SO - I get myself in front of the cameraman and wallah!! I am on the big screen with my sign!! For like 15-20 seconds!! (ah fame!) People were coming up to me - "I saw her" "She was just on line at xyz with me" etc etc...but I didn't see her....So I was walking - with sign - in the middle section going towards the back - when I see a small, wee cyclone a'coming through the crowd!!!! YES IT WAS MY SBS9 SISTER ALEX!!!!! We hugged and hugged and laughed and laughed....I got to meet her!!!! I was so dang excited! She even wanted "the Sign"....my poor excuse for a sign...but a sister's gotta do what a sister's gotta do.....with what ya got on hand....and that poor sign was it! Found her, didn't I?!?!?! I just knew that I couldn't be out from PA and her out from CA in SLC without meeting because who KNOWS when we may have the chance again!!! She must think I'm nuts! There is actually more to the story (like me sneaking into the SU survey computer room and emailing her - and going on our yahoo database and getting her home # and calling her DH!!!) but you don't want to hear about that! Anyway - here are two happy sistahs!!!!

Still caught in the whirlwind of SU!

Stephanie and I just got back from the Stampin' Up! convention in Salt Lake City, Utah...and HOLY SMOKES MAN!! Just wait until you all see the new catalog! We are all in trouble! Its all good....And there are new additions to SU! We are now going into Phase 2 of our home decorating vinyl called Decor Elements...just check out my SU! website which is linked on the side there...We also are partnering with Sizzix to offer you an SU! BIG SHOT - a die cut and embossing machine...and it has a bangin' bag to go with it...which means that there will be some Stampin' Up! exclusive die cuts and embossing folders....AND there will be a new personal Shelli signature line (Shelli is our Queen....I mean our CEO and cofounder of SU!) I have so much more fun stuff to share and post that I am a little overwhelmed...just to choose what I should share first!!! I met friends from on-line and most importantly one of my SBS9 sisters! YIPPEE! That is its own whole story....oh - did I mention that this entire week long trip was a total adventure?!!?!?!? Yeah....only me!!! Wait til you hear it all!! LOL It was a total blast....if I weren't a demonstrator - I would totally just sign up to go to convention! Of course, our discount is mighty nice too...heh heh heh.....and of course we are going to have a demo sign up promotion for $99 - so come on and join the fun sister stampers!!! (and brothers too if you're out there!!!)

ok ok....so first thing is I am going to show you my swap card....it has components to it that I have used before and is a favorite color combo of mine....certainly celery and not quite navy...so tell me....would you have swapped with me?

Stamps: Boho Backgrounds, Pretty Petals BG, WOW Flowers (NEW)

Ink: Certainly Celery, Not Quite Navy, Versa Mark

Paper: Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Not Quite Navy

Access: punches; scallop, scallop edge (NEW), 1 1/4 circle, 1" circle, photo corner; white EP, poker, white grosgrain, spritzer