Stamp with Rose

Stylin' Stampin' Up! Blog Hop

2012-02-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Stylin' SU! February Blog Hop! This month we are showcasing Valentine's and Sale-A-Bration products. I chose to make a couple of Valentine's projects. Whether this is your first stop on the blog hop or you just came from Anji Pearson-Clements blog, I hope you enjoy all the creations.

My first project is a simple Valentine's card using the P.S. I Love You stamp set from the Occasion's Mini Catalog. That cupid image is adorable and one of the images that made me want to purchase this stamp set. Being that I just had my second baby 4 weeks ago, I went for simple. It is a little hard at times to squeeze in crafting time when you have a 2 year old and a 4 week old. So if you need a simple Valentine card for your Valentine, this is the perfect card for you.

Products Used:
Stamp Set- P.S. I Love You
Card Stock- Blushing Bride, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla
Ink- Soft Suede
Accessories- Blushing Bride Pleated Satin Ribbon, Adorning Accents Embossing Folder, Labels Collection Framelit Dies, Big Shot

Since Valentine's Day is about giving cards and treats to your loved ones, I made a little treat for my lil Valentine.

Once again I used the P.S. I Love You stamp set but this time I made a bag topper for the small cello bag. I found the yummy cherry hearts at my local grocery store. Now just to keep them hidden from Malachi and I so they don't get all eaten up before I get a chance to make some more treat bags.

Product used:
Stamp Set- P.S. I Love You
Card Stock- Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White
Accessories- Riding Hood Red Pleated Satin Ribbon, Top Note Die, Big Shot, Modern Label Punch, Word Window Punch, Adorning Accents Embossing Folder

Now that you've seen my simple Valentine's projects make sure to hop on over to Tonya's blog to see her fabulous creations.

Stylin' Blog Hop Participants:

Shellie G. of Creative Electica
Annie L. of Love Me Cards
Pam S. of Stampin' in the Sun!
Nancy B. of Lady Stamps a Lot
Anji C. of Altered Scraps Blog
Rose C. of Stamp with Rose (You are here)
Tonya B. of Stampin' with Tonya
Amanda H. of Live Laugh Craft
Dawn S. of Dawn's Creative Chalet
Patricia T. of Sunnyone Stampin'
Heather W. of Heather's Stampin' Blog
Pamela W. of Stinky Tofu
Linda O. of Stamp at Linda's
Marla R. of Marla's Stampin' Spot
Michele M. of Michele's Stampin' Blog
Darcy J. of DJ's Stampin' Place
Pam S. of Sunny Girl Scraps
Kim R. of Stamping with Kim

Free!

2012-02-01T11:43:00.000-08:00

My Digital Studio Express Free Trial Now Available

Our FREE 30-day trial of My Digital Studio Express is now available. Make sure to get it, and let your friends in on it too! Remember, this is an ongoing offer.

How do you get it?
You can download the software and access the free trial through my business website, www.rosecastillo.stampinup.net or the Stampin' Up! Online Store.

What do you do once you try it and like it?
Once the 30-day free trial period is over, you can purchase the downloadable or disc version of the software to continue using it. You'll simply open up the trial version you already have on your computer, and will be prompted to enter the product registration key you received after purchasing the software. (You'll receive this key via e-mail if you purchase the downloadable version, and you'll find it along with your shipped software if you purchase the disc version.)

If you have any questions don't hesitate to contact me today!

All Things SU! Christmas Blog Hop

2011-12-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the The all things Stampin' Up! Christmas Blog Hop. I hope you enjoy everyone's creations today.

I made a 12x12 scrapbook page of my handsome little man and I from last year to share with all of you. As I mention in a previous post I am trying to catch up on the first year of Malachi's scrapbook before I have my second little baby boy in five weeks.

The page uses some of the DSP from the Christmas Lane Simply Scrapin' Kit from the Holiday Mini. I also used the Northern Frost Sizzlet Decorative Strip die with the Silver Glimmer paper. I just love the way it sparkles.

I am sorry to say that I just realized that I used a retired die on this page. I used the Join in the Cheer Sizzlet Decorative Strip. I apologize for my error. I also added some Mica Flakes along the bottom of the page. It looks like snow and adds that perfect touch.

My second project I wanted to use some of the pieces from the Simply Scrappin' Kit to make a card. These die cuts are so easy to use and apply to a Christmas card. I also used some bakers twine for the string of Christmas bulbs. Added a stamped Merry Christmas and wallah a Simply cute Christmas card.

I hope you enjoyed my simple Christmas projects. Make sure to hop on over to Tanya Ball's Blog to check out her Holiday creations.

BLOGS

1. Anastasia Radloff www.stampinblondie.blogspot.com

2. Shellie Hepner Grindy www.creativeeclectica.com

3. Annie Lee www.lovemecard.blogspot.com

4. Pam Steckman www.stampininthesun77.blogspot.com

5. Nancy Berg www.ladystampsalot.blogspot.com

6. Anji Pearson-Clements www.alteredscraps.com

7. Rose Castillo www.stampwithrose.blogspot.com (that's me)

8. Tonya L Ball www.stampinwithtonya.blogspot.com

9. Chelsea Malouf www.a-chelsea-morning.blogspot.com

10. Jenn Van Wart www.beachsidestampers.com

11. Dawn Snowangel www.dawnscreativechalet.blogspot.com

12. Erin Bradley-Hindman www.erinbh.typepad.com

All Things Stampin' Up! Blog Hop

2011-11-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my blog, I am so excited to be apart

of the All Things Stampin' Up! Blog Hop. This is the first time I've ever participated in a blog hop and I hope I don't disappoint anyone.

I intended to have at least two projects to share with you today but I just couldn't squeeze enough crafting time in the past couple of days. I promise to have more to show you next blog hop.

Anyway, I have had this idea in my head for over a month now. I bought a cheap 5x7 frame from the dollar store so that I could make a little home decor for Thanksgiving. It is officially Thanksgiving weekend and I finally made this cute little Give Thanks project. Good thing is I can store it away after this weekend and use it again year after year. Now if I can only get my other home decor project done that I wanted to share today but didn't get a chance to make.

Now that you have seen my blog hop project make sure to hop on over to Tonya Ball's blog to check out her stuff, www.stampinwithtonya.blogspot.com

Stamp Set: Gently Falling

Paper: Spice Cake DSP, Pool Party, Early Espresso, and More Mustard, Very Vanilla

Big Shot Dies: Naturally Serif Sizzlit Decorative Strip Die and Alphabet Simple Letters

Ink: Pool Party, Early Espresso, and More Mustard

Tools: Scallop Trim Boarder, Big Shot, Soft Suede Taffeta Ribbon

BLOGS

1. Anastasia Radloff www.stampinblondie.blogspot.com

2. Shellie Hepner Grindy www.creativeeclectica.com

3. Annie Lee www.lovemecard.blogspot.com

4. Pam Steckman www.stampininthesun77.blogspot.com

5. Nancy Berg www.ladystampsalot.blogspot.com

6. Anji Pearson-Clements www.alteredscraps.com

7. Rose Castillo www.stampwithrose.blogspot.com (that's me)

8. Tonya L Ball www.stampinwithtonya.blogspot.com

9. Chelsea Malouf www.a-chelsea-morning.blogspot.com

10. Jenn Van Wart www.beachsidestampers.com

11. Dawn Snowangel www.dawnscreativechalet.blogspot.com

12. Erin Bradley-Hindman www.erinbh.typepad.com

Online Extravaganza

2011-11-20T23:20:00.001-08:00

Start your shopping now! No need to wait for Black Friday.

Head on over to my website http://rosecastillo.stampinup.net and click on the shop now button.

Feel free to contact me with an order or any questions.

Candy Canes

2011-11-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

Here is the second project from my November stamp club. I used Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Very Vanilla, and Whisper White for the colors. I also use the embossing folder and the Stocking Accents die from the Holiday Mini. I love the Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding ribbon, it is beautiful! What a simple Christmas card and the great thing is you could easily use one of the other die cut shapes on this very same layout and it would look just as great. Which is perfect for making some quick cards in a time crunch.

Speaking of time, I was looking at my blog history for the past couple of months and I have done a horrible job of updating. I guess time has gotten away from me. I will apologize but unfortunately I don't think it will get any better. I will do my best to keep up with my blog and sharing ideas but life is getting crazy. I did sign up for a blog hop so I will keep my commitment to that but with the baby due soon my energy level is way down, the holiday's are approaching rather quickly, and we just got the call that our offer on a short sale home was accepted and we should be closing escrow on December 30th. Closing escrow only 9 days before my due date. Just thinking about this makes me excited and stressed at the same time.

My plan is to set a time aside to just create so I can have pictures of projects ready to share over the next couple of months in advance but we shall see how that goes.

Simply Scrappin' Kit

2011-11-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

I am getting down to the last 7.5 weeks of my pregnancy and it is making me a little crazy. It feels so far away but yet so close. It feels like yesterday I was preparing for the arrival of Malachi but it has been almost 2 years.

This weekend I was mentally going down memory lane, thinking about my sweet baby boy and the sweet adorable monster he has become. I ended up pulling out all his monthly pictures. Boy do we have pictures. I only pulled out the professional ones, we have thousand of snapshots but that would require us to get them printed. I laid out one picture from each month and marveled at how they change so quickly. This did two things to me, one it made me sad that my baby wasn't a baby anymore and secondly it made me feel guilty that I hadn't even scrapbooked his pictures like I had planned.

How sad is it that I have taught many scrapbook classes and have many scrapbook pages done with no pictures on them. This put me on a mission, I have been working diligently this week on Malachi's baby scrapbook. I think I have gotten about 8 pages done so far. Most of them are pretty simple because an 8x10 picture takes up a lot of room on a 12x12. I am determined to get the 12 months of professional pictures of Malachi scrapbooked asap because I plan to do the same for Kaiden when he is born and I don't want twice as many pictures sitting on a shelf. Hopefully I will do better this coming year, hopefully. I know that once these pages are completed I will love to sit and just flip through the book and stare at my baby.

I forgot to mention in my long story that I used the Simply Scrappin' Kit from the Holiday Mini for this scrapbook layout of some of last years Christmas photos.

Christmas Stocking

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love Christmas Stockings? They are always filled with yummy treats and gifts.

This adorable Big Shot Stocking die is a must have, not only can you make paper stockings but you can make felt or fabric stockings too. I've even seen some Christmas ornaments made with the stocking die and fabric and they were beautiful. If only I could sew. Maybe one of these days.

This stocking project is one of the projects my stamp club made at our November club. I added a pocket inside of the card just a tad bit bigger than a gift card so that this card can be used as a gift card holder. It was so simple to do, with die cut cuts everything for the stocking and creating the gift card slot was simple. I decorated the outside of the Stocking with the holly from the Stocking Accents die, I embossed the front of the stocking, and used a little Designer Series Paper.

What a simple gift card idea. I can't wait to make more.

Stitched Stockings Redo

2011-11-08T18:57:00.000-08:00

Last month I showed you a card that I made with the Stitched Stockings Stamp set and I wasn't completely happy with it. This is my redo. It looks nothing like the first card.

This card was super simple and I was able to use the silver glimmer paper. So pretty! This card will be easy to remake if I need some quick Christmas cards.

I am working on some more Christmas projects tonight for my stamp club this Thursday. It makes me want to put up the Christmas tree and play Christmas music.

Fa La La La!

Thankful Treat

2011-11-05T23:30:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I showed you a Fall card that my stamp club made in at club in October and here I am trying to plan for my stamp club in November. Where did the time go? I had very good intentions of showing you this cute little box many many days ago but I have been so lazy.

Laziness and major crafting block has kept me away from my craft desk. The bad thing is that I've had this picture ready to share for days and I just didn't get around to it. So I finally am sitting here and typing and sharing.

The box was created with the Milk Carton die just like I did when I made the Halloween Bat. So cute. I just love it! Well since I have a SU! party, Stamp Club, and I am participating in a Blog Hop I should get to work, even if it is 11:30pm.

Gratitude

2011-10-22T08:30:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Who doesn't love getting together with the family, eating, laughing, and eating again?

The nest thing about Fall and Thanksgiving is that it reminds you to be thankful. This is something that we all forget to be at times in our lives and I am thankful for the little reminder that the season brings.

I instantly fell in love with the Gently Falling stamp set in the mini catalog when I saw it. I knew it would be on my first order and it was. I haven't played with it all that much but when I started working on October projects for Stamp Club, I knew I would be using it for sure. Unfortunately since I procrastinate and time was running out, I cheated and used someone's idea. Now I need to go back and see who that was because I can't remember in my old age. Ok, I'm not that old but I did turn 32 today and I have pregnancy brain so for the life of me I can't remember.

Anyway, don't forget to be grateful this season and send someone a card letting them know you appreciate them.

Halloween Treats for Malachi's Friends

2011-10-21T18:51:00.000-07:00

Malachi is only 21 months old and I love getting him dressed up for Halloween but really don't want him getting candy. I will still take him out with the family but will give most all the candy away. Anyway, I wanted to do a little treat for his nursery class at church but you can't really give a bunch of under 3 year olds candy, so I bought a box of the Teddy Grahams pouches and this is how I will be decorating them.

I decided I can part with some retired DSP for the treats. I am such a paper hoarder. I embossed the DSP with the Spider Web embossing folder and then I sanded it with a sanding block. The Build a Bear and retired pumpkin costume die is perfect for this project.

With a Cherry on Top

2011-10-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

After I created my first sample with the Button Buddies stamp set and Sweet Buttons Embosslit, I looked at my cute card with the cute pig on it and admired it. I reread the statment "Happy Birthday with a Cherry on Top" and I thought why didn't I use the cherry stamp? That saying and that stamp are perfect for one another.

So when I had some time I sat down with the intention of using both of those stamps together. So cute, so simple, I love it!

Baby Button Buddies

2011-10-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

My last few blog post have been Halloween, Fall, or Christmas related but this one is Baby related. Since babies come all year long it is great to have baby cards on hand.

This is one of the samples I made for the Die Club of the Month. I once again used the Button Buddies Stamp Set with the Sweet Buttons Embosslit. There is only one thing I wish I would have done differently and that is reverse the colors on the rattle. The Night of Navy is a little dark and I think it would have been better used as the handle of the rattle but what's done is done. Next time I'll play a little more before gluing everything down.

I should use this card to send to my Sister in Law Belinda and our newest nephew, Logan. I must make it to the post office tomorrow to get the gifts in the mail. I can't wait to meet lil Logan but unfortunately it will have to wait Spring, we just can't make the trip to Texas right now with me being pregnant and us in the process of looking for a house to buy. On the bright side, when we go next year the family will get to meet Kaiden.

Pumpkin Button Buddies

2011-09-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

Thursday night was my Die of the Month class and this month everyone recieved the Sweet Buttons Embosslet. During the class everyone receives their die and creates a project with their new product.

This isn't the project we created but I do like to show a few more samples using the die they received. Since it is officially Fall I wanted to make sure and use the cute little pumpkin stamp from Button Buddies. I layered a button die cut on each pumpkin and it gave it that little extra touch. I paired up the pumpkins with the Scallop Square punch, some Pumpkin Spice DSP, card stock, ribbon and whaala, I have a cute fall card.

Advent Calendar

2011-09-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday I spent most of my day working on this Advent Calendar. Yes, I said most of my day, have I ever mentioned that I live with a 20 month old monster? Since my husband was at work, it was just Malachi and I at home so in between feeding, changing, distracting, entertaining, and playing with him I completed my calendar.

I would really like to do this as a class if anyone is interested. I promise you won't have to do all of the above mentioned activities with Malachi during the class. LOL!

In the current Holiday Mini Catalog they have an awesome sample with the 25 & Counting Stamp Set and the Peek-A-Boo Bigz die. So of course I purchase the stamp set, die, and some Christmas DSP and mostly copied the sample. I did make some changes because I don't own every little thing they used. Gasp! I know, how can that be? I have been trying to cut back on my SU! product obsession since we are looking for a house to buy and we have another little bundle of joy on the way. I guess this just shows how versatile the products are and it helps me with my hoarding.

Anyway if you are interested in attending a class to make the calendar, let me know and I will set a date.

Come Let Us Adore Him

2011-09-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

The really bad thing about making Christmas cards so early is getting the Christmas songs stuck in your head.

I love Christmas and all the festivities that come along with it but when you are singing Christmas songs while trying to work on some fall stuff, it just gets to confusing.

Anyway here is another Christmas card I made. I used the Come to Bethlehem Stamp Set along with the Music Notes wheel. So I must admit that I am not the greatest at using the wheels in a straight line even when I use the wheel guide so I unmounted my Music Notes wheel. After I peeled it off the wheel I attached it to the Clear Mount Cling Foam and mounted it on one of my large clear blocks and stamped away. I now store this stamp in one of the Clear Mount Stamp cases. It looks as if I could store about 3 wheel stamps in one case, how awesome it that?

Over this past weekend I worked on my Christmas Advent Calendar and I can't wait to show it to you so check back soon.

The Stockings Were Hung

2011-09-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Just another card I made this week when I was working on my WCMD class cards. Although I don't think I am completely satisfied with it. I think I may just keep working on this card.

I love the stamp set, Stitched Stockings and the coordinating Stocking Punch and I'm sure my class participants would love to use the coordinating products but I will have to keep working on the right card. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think the card is horrible but I'm just not satisfied.

I'll be back to share whatever I come up with.

Vintage Postcard

2011-09-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

I was working on Christmas Card for my upcoming World Card Making Day Class and I was in a little bit of a vintage mood so I decided to make this card look like a post card.

I've had this set for a few years now and I don't think I have ever used the post card stamp. I'm glad that I was able to finally ink it up. I am most definite that this will be a card we make in the WCMD class. Not everything I make always makes it in the final cut for my classes because sometimes I get better ideas as the time gets closer. Well I hope everyone else likes this one as much as I do.

World Card Making Day Class

2011-09-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

This is the perfect class to get a head start on your Christmas cards.

Saturday, October 1st at 10:30 AM
Class Fee $24.00

Create 10 Christmas Cards (5 designs, 2 of each design)
Class fee includes all materials needed to create your 10 Christmas Cards.

RSVP by Thursday, September 29th.

Spooky Bingo Bits

2011-09-20T22:30:00.000-07:00

So it is 11:30 PM and I was uploading some pictures of some Christmas Cards that I created this week when I realized I never shared my second Stamp Club project.

These cute Halloween treats are so simple to make. I used the Spooky Bingo Bits stamp set along with a couple of punches for the cello bag toppers. These awesome cello bags are sold in the Holiday Mini, you get 50 bags for $2.50, now that is a great deal.

I am looking forward to making more of these to give away this Halloween.

Batty

2011-09-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

In all seriousness I never had the intention of buying the Milk Carton die until I went to the SU! Convention in July and they showed some really cute projects where they used two milk carton dies to create a hexagon box. I got the die last month and like always I had good intentions of making one of those hexagon boxes, I even have a beautiful idea in my head but there it still lies.

Anyway yesterday while I was searching around for stamping ideas I cam across this idea for the bat hexagon box by Monika Davis. Way to cute! You can visit her blog for complete instructions at Stampin' Together at Monika's Place, she created a great PDF for everyone to see and use.

I was missing one of the items that she used and it was the perfect pennants die but I knew Grandma had one so what did I do, I drove to her house to pick it up. I was pretty determined to make this cute little bat. What a paper crafter won't do for a project.

Halloween Treats

2011-09-14T07:46:00.000-07:00

This year at the Stampin' Up! Convention one of the demonstrators showed us how to make the cute little Candy Wrapper die long enough to put a full sized candy bar. I was super excited about this and couldn't wait to try it out.

Well it took me a couple of months but I finally made one. When planning for Stamp Club this month I knew I wanted to do Halloween stuff and what is better than a cute way to give candy. Last Tuesday I waited for the UPS man to deliver my SU! order and when I heard him pull up I was so excited, I waited and waited for him to knock but he never did and then I heard him drive off. What in the world! I grabbed Malachi and put him in his car seat and chased after the UPS man. I know, crazy huh? When he finally stopped and I asked about my package he told me he didn't have my package and it must have ended up on the wrong truck. I was so bummed. My Halloween DSP was in that package and I knew that I wasn't going to have time with in the next couple of days before club to work on projects.

I had no choice other than be creative, so I made my own Halloween paper by stamping images from the Spooky Bingo Bits Stamp Set. I made two candy wrapper boxes because I wanted everyone to see the difference in size. I ran by the store and the butterfingers just looked so yummy so I bought a couple of them to fit in my boxes. Now only one of them made it in the samples and the other one lets just say, it was delicious!

Gently Falling

2011-09-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Lately it has been so hard to find the time to create. Malachi wants to get into all my stuff and when he sees me at my desk stamping he wants to sit on my lap and help. I either have to wait until he is sleeping or Eric has him distracted. It doesn't help that I currently share my stamping space with our computer desk, so even when Eric or I are just on the computer we have to constantly take my stamping supplies away from Malachi.

We are currently looking for a bigger house and I am so looking forward to having a room all to myself for my Stampin' Up! business. This will help because I will be able to shut the door or send Malachi to the other room with his daddy since the computer will be set up in a different room. Although I am sure I will miss having a computer in my stampin' space since I like to look at other peoples creations for inspiration. I guess I'll need to save up to buy me a laptop.

Anyway, on Tuesday night I was finally able to play with my neglected stuff. I had gotten a couple of new stamp sets out of the Holiday Mini during the pre-order in August but just hadn't been able to do anything with them. I am a lover of Fall so when I saw the Gently Falling stamp set, I just knew I wanted it. These leaves just scream fall to me. So of course I ordered it along with the Spice Cake paper. I will probably want to hoard the paper because it is so beautiful and I am a paper hoarder. Anyway I did use a little bit for this card. I love these colors. I hope you enjoy the card and hopefully it will start feeling like Fall soon because I am so over Summer!

Big Shot Die of the Month Class

2011-09-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Join this months Big Shot Die of the Month Class and you will receive the Sweet Buttons Embosslet Die and will make the card pictured.

Class Date: September 29th at 7:00 PM

Club Fee $16.00

RSVP with Payment by September 22nd.

The Sweet Buttons embosslet is a perfect pair with the Button Buddies Stamp Set, you won't want to miss this class!

A Little Birdie

2011-08-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Aviary is an adorable stamp set but I've only used it a couple of times. I guess I am rather fond of birds too because I tend to purchase sets that have them in it. My husband is always teasing me about my bird stamps but luckily I didn't get to much teasing because he actually liked this set. He says that it is because it is cartoony. What-ever!

Anyway I was determined to use this stamp set so I searched the web to see others creations. Sometimes that helps to inspire me to copy or just sparks an idea in my head. Well I was looking around I had seen several cards that people had used the birdcages to create a background and I loved the idea. So I mounted all the cages on my large clear block and stamped a couple of times. It was fast and simple and just the look I wanted. I stamped the bird cage one more time, added a bird, put a little bow on and mounted this on a couple of pieces of color card stock. Cute, Quick, and Simple.

My Friend

2011-08-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

This card is simple but very pretty. I cased this card from a fellow demonstrator, Sherri Barron. All I did was change the color from Baja Breeze to Pink Pirouette.

Like I mentioned before I have a tenancy to lean on the blues so I didn't want to use Baja Breeze again. Although I love Baja Breeze. So anyway I thought, Black and pink look great together so I pulled out the Pink Pirouette.

I have one more card I want to share this weekend, so I better get it photographed and scheduled before I head up to the mountains for the weekend. Off I go...

It's a Wrap

2011-08-24T13:30:00.000-07:00

Even though I haven't posted to my blog in a week, I still feel good because I have blogged more this month than I have in the past couple of months.

This project is from my August Stamp Club. We used the It's a Wrap Occasions Stamp Set, Matchbox die, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, Pretty Postage Stamp Set, Pool Party Ruffled Ribbon, Scallop Square Punch, and the 1" Square Punch.

I tend to favor blues so I used two of the In Colors, Island Indigo and Pool Party. These colors are just beautiful! We stamped the Thanks So Much in Pool Party and wrapped them around the candies. Four fit in a box and they make cute little thank you gifts. They are also perfect for party favors. Who wouldn't love to get some yummy chocolate.

I don't know if you've seen the new ruffled ribbon but it is very pretty. When I originally saw it in the catalog, I didn't really have an opinion about it. I guess it didn't stand out to me but once I saw it in person, I had to order it. Now I just need to order all available colors. Boy is my SU wish list long and its like a plant, it is always growing.

Cards, Cards, & More Cards Class

2011-08-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to RSVP for the card class this weekend.

Class Date: Saturday, August 20th at 10:30 AM

Class Fee $24.00

Create 10 Cards (5 designs, 2 of each design)

RSVP by Thursday, August 18th

If you have any questions please call or email me.

Bookmark It

2011-08-16T08:42:00.000-07:00

I had seen these cute bookmarks on Dawn Raspas' blog a while back and thought they were adorable and wanted to make one but just never got around to it. So last Tuesday as I was looking around on Stampin' Connection I saw another bookmark that someone else had made and it reminded me that I wanted to make one too. I immediately got up and pulled out my Fun Flowers die, some card stock and some ribbon and within a few minutes I had this cute bookmark.

You can use it to hold your spot in that book you are reading or you can use it save your spot in the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog. Since I have two of these bookmarks (I made the second one with my stamp club ladies) I have one in my IB&C and I have another one waiting to be used on that book grandma just got. I'm waiting for her to finish reading it so I can read it.

Fall Wreath

2011-08-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

So today I have a little sneak peek. If you haven't received your Holiday Mini Catalog, you will be soon. It is loaded with awesome products. Being a demonstrator has some perks, like being able to see these items sooner than the rest of the public and being able to order a month earlier.

Since I didn't have to work yesterday I thought I would play with my stuff but then remembered I needed to prepare for my Stamp Club this Thursday. So I worked on those items while taking care of my little man. Before I knew it, it was evening and time for dinner. So finally after dinner I started working on a project using my mini catalog items.

One of the most exciting items was the Simply Scored Scoring Tool. I have been wanting a scoring tool for a while but never would put out the money for it. I kept waiting to see if SU! would come out with one of their own. Well the time has finally come. I can't show it to you just yet but I am showing you a project that I used my scoring tool on. I have seen these accordion flowers/rosettes for quite some time but never tried them before. I watched a YouTube video first just to make sure I knew what I was doing. I cut strips of paper in 1 inches and 1 1/2 inched and scored with my Simply Scored. It went rather fast. I made about 17 or 18 of these flowers but only used 14 of them. I wasn't to sure how many I would use.

I used both regular card stock and some DSP that is also from the Holiday Mini called Spice Cake. I love this paper. I am a lover of fall so this line is right up my alley. After all my flowers were made, I tied the ribbon on the top of the 8 inch foam wreath. Then I began hot gluing all the rosettes on. I love the end result and I can't wait to try another wreath.

I am thinking about making this into a class. Let me know what you think.

Summer Page

2011-08-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

Today I thought I would share another scrapbook page I created back in May or June. This page is for those pictures of the kids when they turn into little fishes in the summer time.

My little monster hasn't gotten to that stage in life but I'm sure it won't be to long before I have pictures for this page.

I used the Summer Splash stamp set from the Summer Mini Catalog. This catalog ends August 31st so don't delay in purchasing any of those cute stamp sets or accessories! The colors from the photograph are a little off so here they are; Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Daffodil Delight, and Rich Razzleberry.

Things I Love

2011-08-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last year I had seen a scrapbook page done by Kristyne Brandt and I just loved it so I saved it in my favorites.

This past Saturday I had a scrapbook class and like so many other times in my life I procrastinated in making the pages for the class. Friday as I sat down to create I didn't really know what I wanted to do so I searched through Stampin' Connection and Splitcoast for some inspiration. I went through my favorites file too and found the page done by Kristyne and thought I can remake that page with a few changes and a a differnt stamp set.

Off to work I went and this is the page I created using Kristyne's page as my guide. I used the Creative Elements stamp set for this page. I also used one retired project and that was the hearts and brackets die. If you truly wanted to remake this page I am sure you could do without the brackets and large heart. I love the vintage feel to this page. Now all I need to do is snap some pictures of the things I love and get them printed so I have a complete scrapbook page.

August Big Shot Club

2011-08-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Join this months Big Shot Club and receive the Strips Embossing Folder.

Club Fee is $13.00
Club Date: August 18th

At this months club we will be making this adorable card using your new embossing folder.

Make sure to RSVP by Aug. 11 with your payment.

Just a little more about this card and its details, I used a new stamp set called Creative Elements. I stamped the flower three times and then cut out different layers and stacked them on top of each other using dimensionals to give it depth. I also did something I had never done before and that was brayering on my embossing folder. I inked up my brayer with Island Indigo and then applied it directly onto the embossing folder. I then put my card stock in the folder and ran it through my Big Shot.

I love the way the colors Island Indigo, Baja Breeze, and Rich Razzleberry look together.

I mentioned yesterday that I hadn't been creating lately and I had been in a rut. When I first sat down I had no idea what I was going to make so I chose a stamp set and stared at it for a little while then I pulled out my color coach so that I could stare at all the beautiful colors and see if any of them popped out at me. I ended up using this suggested color combo from the color coach. I just love that tool!

I am pretty pleased with my card and hopefully this has jump started my creativity.

Travel Scapbook page

2011-08-02T16:30:00.000-07:00

So I have been in a funk lately. I haven't been in a creating mood. I really need to get to work because I need to create some scrapbook pages for my class this coming weekend. I've also had this nagging voice in the back of my head that was telling me I needed to update my blog.

So I pulled out this scrapbook page that I made in May for a class. I used the Travel Log stamp set that is in the summer mini catalog. This is a perfect set for scrapbooking all your summer travels.

The good thing is that after I photographed these pages I sat down and created a cute card with one of my new stamp sets from the new catalog. I had been wanting to do that for a while but then I would look at my huge mess on my desk and the kitchen table and I would chose to do something else like lay around. I hate feeling so tired all the time but like someone told me "you have kids now, you'll be tired for the next 18-20 years." Between chasing Malachi around and this pregnancy sucking all my energy out of me, sometimes all I can do is lay on the couch.

So now that I can actually say that I used one of my new stamp sets I don't feel that bad about ordering a few things from the upcoming Holiday Mini. I can't wait to share that mini with you. It has so many cute things in it!

Come back tomorrow to see my card.

August Promotion

2011-08-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

August is here and, with it, an exciting promotion and amazing new products!

Buy 3, Get 1 Free Promotion
During August, you can get a FREE package of Designer Series Paper when you buy three! Let all of your friends know about this exciting promotion; with all the fun new Designer Series Papers in the Idea Book & Catalog, it's the perfect time to stock up!

Learn more on the Buy 3, Get 1 Free web page.

Black Magic

2011-07-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

Black Magic, it sounds spooky doesn't it? Well this Black Magic is not to be feared because it is a technique you can use in your paper crafting!

I decided to participate in a Technique Swap at the SU! convention this year but I wasn't sure which technique to do. I went over to www.splitcoaststampers.com and looked through their resources and found the Black Magic Technique. I watched the little video and looked through the gallery for examples and decided that I would give it a try.

My first attempt wasn't to bad but I wasn't satisfied so I ended remaking my sample. I ended up using the Just Believe stamp set. I chose to use Night of Navy, Marina Mist, and Basic Black card stock. I stamped the image in Whisper White Craft Ink and then used my heat tool to speed up the drying time, I then used my water color pencils to color the image. After I colored and stamped my background piece I assembled my card. I was pretty please with the card. So I repeated this step 10 times for the swap. Wow, that was a lot of coloring. After I colored and assembled all the cards, (the night before I left for convention at 11:00 PM) I looked at the cards and wasn't pleased with the way the coloring looked. It was too late to try something else so I grabbed a blender pen and used that on the colored image but it wasn't working to well. I realized that my blender pens are drying out. I've only had them for 4 years and have only used them for a million projects! Good thing I had a new package. After getting a new blender pen and going over my colored images, I was happy with my cards.

Note: the original instructions on SCS does not tell you to use a blender pen but I actually like the technique much better after using a blender pen on the colored image.

I finally went to bed after 1:00 AM and managed to get a few hours of sleep, but it didn't matter. I was just excited to be able to go to convention.

July Club Project

2011-07-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

I really wanted to use my new stamp set My Friend when I started working on July Stamp Club projects. I pulled out some beautiful card stock, Pool Party, Island Indigo, and Poppy Parade to start out. After a few short minutes I had this card. I just kept staring at it and thinking, hmmm... what can I change? I wasn't completely satisfied with the card and wanted to do something a little different.

I looked around my desk and saw one of my new items. The Color Spritzer tool, now this isn't a new item in the catalog but I just recently purchased it. I thought to my self what can I do to use this on my card? I got this bright idea to ink up the floral image in Pool Party and then spritz it with the Island Indigo. In all honesty I sprayed a few times with no luck of any ink coming out. So I kept spritzing and finally I saw the ink land on my stamp. After I was finally finished I stamped the image again and to my surprise I got a water color look. I don't know if anyone has already done this technique or if it has some fancy name for it but I loved the results.

So here is my card. I did change up the design a little bit from the original card but it is all the same pieces and colors as the first card. I displayed both cards at club and let the ladies chose which card they wanted to make. I will have to try my new technique again with some other colors and see what I come up with.

I hope to have inspired someone today to try this.

Finally Blogging

2011-07-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

I got back on Sunday from the 2011 SU! Convention in Salt Lake City. What an inspiring event! There are so many ideas running through my head, now I hope I can remember everything.

Leading up to the convention I had been sick and exhausted. I am adjusting to taking care of an active 18 month old little boy and being pregnant. That is why I had been ignoring my blog lately, it just seemed like to much work. My energy level has been zapped. I have created a few things over the past month, I just hadn't taken the time to take pictures and post them. I did get a little bit of an ego booster at convention when a few people mentioned that they like my blog and my projects. I was excited to know that people actually look at my blog besides Erin and the few people that I force to read my blog. I'm just glad that I am not just talking to cyberspace. So ladies thank you for making me feel good about my blog.

Enough blabbering about that, let me tell you a little about the card I made. This card is a complete and utter case of someone else's card. I just wish I could remember whose card I copied. I thought I had it saved to my favorites on Stampin' Connection but I guess I didn't. Anyway I just love the bright colors, the new stamp set, and the punch to go along with it. The colors actually used are Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, and Wild Wasabi. Hope you enjoy today's card and I will be back with another card tomorrow.

Create Gifts

2011-06-29T11:05:00.000-07:00

Create Gifts Class Includes:
Coasters (set of 4)
A Journal/Notebook
Two Refrigerator Magnets/Picture Holder.

Class Fee is $25.00

Date & Time: July 9th at 10:30AM

The tile coaster are perfect for gift giving or to add to your home. I have created many different styles for you to chose from. To see other styles please email you and I will be happy to send you a picture of other coasters.

Create this beautiful Journal/or Notebook for yourself or someone special. This is great to carry in your purse with shopping notes or to have with you to write down your thoughts. The note pad is protected inside the plastic case.

These stylish refrigerator magnets are great for holding a picture or note. If you don't want to add these to the refrigerator you can stand them on a shelf or desk to display pictures of your loved ones.

Make sure to RSVp your spot by Thursday, July 7th.

Plum Butterfly

2011-06-11T16:29:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to share this card on my blog for a week. The picture was even uploaded I just never got around to blogging. I do have good excuse, I am 10 weeks pregnant and this pregnancy is kicking me in the rear! I am nauseated most the time, doesn't matter what I eat and I am exhausted every evening.

There it is, my excuse. I think its a pretty good one. Well I hope you enjoy this card made with the Strength & Hope set.

Strength & Hope Card

2011-06-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

I held my Strength & Hope Class last weekend and this is one of the cards I designed for the class.

Even though this stamp set was created with the idea of strengthening and encouraging those that my be affected by cancer in one way or another, I love that it also can be used to strengthen and encourage all, no matter the situation. We all need that at times in our lives.

If you haven't purchased this set yet, I encourage you to do so before the end of August. You'll get a great stamp set and a donation will be made to the Breast Cancer Research Center.

Another Flower Garden Sample

2011-05-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here is the final Flower Garden sample I made for club last week. I wanted to do simple so I embossed the Pear Pizzazz piece attached it to the Rich Razzleberry card base, tied a ribbon at the top, found a sentiment and added that to the card but it just looked to plain. So I outlined the the embossed image with a glue pen and applied Dazzling Diamonds, perfect! I wish you could see the sparkle.

This would be a great card for my next card class, I need to start planning for that. Off I go...

Flower Bookmark

2011-05-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

I love to read so when I got a new book in April, I dug right into the book but after reading 6 chapters I thought I should save this for my vacation. I did great, I stayed away from my book but then I forgot about it on my vacation and never read it. Finally last week I got back into reading my book but someone named Malachi stole my bookmark. I looked all over for it but still never found it so when I started on making samples for the Big Shot club, I made a bookmark.

I again used the Flower Garden Embossing Folder. I used Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight, & Baja Breeze card stock, Poppy Parade ribbon, Beautiful Wings embosslit, and Smooch Spritz. Although you can't see the sparkle in this picture. Now I have a bookmark again, now all I need is a book to read since I have already finished my other book.

Flower Garden Scrapbook Page

2011-05-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty lazy about creating this month but when I have a class or a club meeting I am forced to get out of my rut and get to work.

This week I had Big Shot Club, each month the club members receive a die or embossing folder and they create a project using their new item. This isn't the project we made this month I already showed you what we created earlier this month. I however do make several other samples of things you can make with the product.

This sample I had started with another idea in mind but soon realized it just wouldn't work so I thought what can I do? Within minutes my creativity went to work and within 10 minutes my ended in this finished scrapbook page. I love it when that happens. Believe me, sometimes I sit and stare and my projects waiting for that moment when the light turns on. Well I just love the elegance of this page, I think we will make it at my next scrapbook class. If you are asking when that class is, the date is June 11th. Contact me if you are interested in signing up.

Hope

2011-05-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

There is hope for me, I am blogging again. Although now I need to get to creating. I haven't been stamping much lately. I do have a Strength and Hope Card Class next weekend, so I do need to design a couple more cards.

Don't forget to register for the class today.

This card is one that I cased from Ilina Crouse. I only changed a few minor things. It is a simple but lovely card. I used Craft, Marina Mist, Bashful Blue, and Whisper White card stock. I did use some retired craft ribbon but you could always substitute the ribbon for a current color. Cutting those antennas is a little tough but it is worth it.

If you like the Strength and Hope Stamp set don't hesitate to purchase it, $2.00 from each purchase of this stamp set goes toward Breast Cancer Research. Contact me today if you have any questions.

The Open Sea

2011-05-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

So it might seem like I went on vacation and never came back but I have been home for the past week and a half. Honestly I have been lazy. I keep thinking, I need to update my blog but then I think, I'll do it later. So later has finally arrived.

I created this 12x12 scrapbook page with The Open Sea Stamp Set. I used Not Quite Navy, Cherry Cobbler, and Early Espresso card stock. I can't decide on a title for the page but there is plenty of space for it on the bottom of the page.

I guess I should get to work on designing some scrapbook pages so I can hold a class in June. I hope to be back to my normal blogging although I have a busy weekend ahead of me. We shall see.

My Stampin' Space

2011-05-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

There was a recent discussion on Stampin' Connection about people's stampin' spaces. So I decided to take some pictures and show mine. I am so jealous of some of the other stamp rooms I saw on there. Part of me wishes we lived in an area where we needed to have a basement. I know that is a horrible reason to want a basement but then I could have a basement full of craft stuff. Maybe God will give me a great big craft room in heaven.

Believe me when I say it took me a couple of years to get my space to look even remotely decent. It is still always a mess but at least I have a place to store all my stuff. I only get half of the room because we use the other half for our computer, Eric's play station, our photo equipment, and a book shelf with all our books.

I purchased the white cubes from JoAnn's fabrics when they still sold them. Eric says I am famous for buying stuff right before they decide to retire them. I bought about half of the white cubes when all of a sudden they were no longer restocking them, thank God I found what I needed at my local scrapbook store and they were 50% off. SCORE! I then found the two white cabinets at Walmart. They are deeps so they are great for storing scrapbooks and much much much more craft stuff! It is amazing what I can fit in there.

I hung a couple of decorative scrapbook frames with scrapbook pages with my baby boy, my puppy, and Eric and I. I got the ribbon wall thing at Micheal's. I wish it held more ribbon because I love ribbon. I have more ribbon in my cabinets.

Well that is about it for my craft space. Hope you enjoyed seeing area where I create, although sometimes I have to move out to the kitchen table because I need more space.

Strength and Hope Class

2011-05-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

I know many people that have been affected by cancer. Some have been friends, while others have been family so when I found out that SU! was releasing a stamp set that would benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation I knew the stamp set was going on my order.

After reading about the stamp set and seeing the images I decided to have a class around this stamp set.

The class will be held May 28th at 10:30 AM, you will create 6 cards (3 designs, 2 of each design) and receive the stamp set to take home.

Class Fee:
Wood Mount $30.00
Clear Mount $26.00 (you will need to bring your clear blocks or place an order to purchase them)

Make sure to RSVP your spot by paying for the class on or before May 19th.

May Big Shot Club

2011-05-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Big Shot club meets once a month. At Big Shot Club you will make a project using a Big Shot die or embossing folder. You will also get to take home either a die or embossing folder. Each month will be a new die or embossing folder.

This month you will receive the Flower Garden Embossing Folder.

This month club will be held on May 26th at 7:00 PM. Club fee is $12.00, payment must be received one week prior to the club date.

Side note: The Summer Mini Catalog is now live and you can purchase any of the new great stamp sets, embossing powders, scrapbook kit, or bakers twine. You can place an order by visiting my website, emailing me, or calling me.

Floral Fusion Scrapbook Page

2011-04-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

I only have a few minutes, I have to leave to the airport within an hour. Texas here we come! It will be good to see in the in-laws but the only thing that stinks is that we are traveling on our anniversary.

A couple of weeks ago my sister asked me what Eric and I were going to do for our 5 year anniversary but what she didn't realize is our 5th anniversary was 2 years ago. 7 years. I am blessed to have my husband. He is a great man that is loving and supporting.

Good thing neither of us have the 7 year itch! In this day and age I am glad to have a good marriage.

So the scrapbook page has nothing to do with my anniversary but it is one of the samples I made with the floral fusion die and the little leaves die. Ok, I am off....

Floral Fusion

2011-04-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

This is one of the samples that I made for my Big Shot Club. This month each person received the Floral Fusion die and the Little Leaves die.

I had real good intentions of making more samples but I actually only made one more. I will share that another day. Tonight I am actually trying to pack for our vacation and squeeze in a little stamping time. I don't want my blog to go barren for the next 9 or more days.

If you haven't signed up for a Big Shot club yet, you won't want to miss May. You'll receive a beautiful new embossing folder plus you'll get to make a couple of projects. How awes0me is that? I will be posting the embossing folder and one of the projects on May1st. Come back soon.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

Let me begin by saying Happy Easter! Hope you are enjoying this beautiful Sunday.

I have a new obsession, cake pops. They are so delicious. Wednesday night after church the children's department had a bake sale and they sold some cake pops along with other yummy baked goods. Anyway I bought like 10 of them. They are so good! So anyway on Friday I decided to make some. We actually decided that we want to make them for my sister's upcoming graduation party so I figured this would be a great time to try a sample batch. I did decide to add a little Stampin' Up! to this cake pop by tying some ribbon around the cello bag and adding a tag. These can be used for any occasion. How awesome is that.

Anyway the other thing I worked on this weekend was these cute Easter gifts for the kids in the nursery at church. I bought individual boxes of Gold Fish Crackers for each kid. They look like little milk cartons. I tried a couple of ways to decorate them but decided on using a 12" x 2 3/4" piece of card stock and wrapping it around the whole box (the sides are still exposed), added some ribbon, and then I added some die cuts to the front. The dies are not SU!, I normally wouldn't showcase any non-SU! items but I had to share what I made. All the paper and ribbon is SU! I did see a cute peep made with punch art but it just would have taken me to long to create them with 15 boxes to decorate and since I procrastinated and waited until Saturday night to do these, well this works for me.

Ok, I am off to get ready for church. Time to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ!

Almost Easter

2011-04-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Since Easter is this Sunday, I am working on a couple of projects. One is for the kids in the Nursery and the other is for one of the Nursery workers at church.

I really do appreciate the people that volunteer in our church nursery. It allows me to stay in a whole service. Malachi is just to noisy or rambunctious on most Sundays and I teach on Wednesday nights. Without these loyal ladies I wouldn't be able to teach the College age class for our midweek service. Anyway, I know it is always tougher to miss out on special occasion services so I thought I'd make the person that is scheduled this Sunday a special little gift.

I started out with the BItty Box because I knew a couple of pieces of Ghirardelli chocolates would fit in there. I used the Easter Blossoms stamp set to decorate the box. I don't know why I didn't use a pink or the So Saffron color as my main color since this is for a lady but I oh well, Marina Mist is a beautiful blue color. I did pop up the center egg to add a little extra dimension to the box. I guess I need to run to the store tomorrow to pick up that chocolate. I might just need to buy some for myself too.

After I made the box I decided that a thank you card needed to be made and it needed to match so here is my card. Only thing I did different is use a different ribbon. So simple.

The kids in the nursery are under 2 & under so an Easter egg hunt really won't work so I am making them a little gift that will include some cracker gold fish but I haven't even started those. That project will take a little more work since there is several kids. I hope to share that project with you before the weekend, I shall return....

Scrapbooking

2011-04-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

I started out paper crafting because I wanted to create a scrapbook of my wedding. That was 7 years ago. Ultimately scrapbooking lead me to making cards and that lead me to Stampin' Up! So now I do all of the above.

One of my club members asked me when my next scrapbook class would be so that made me get to work on a class. The class was last weekend. This is one of the layouts we created. The great thing about me creating for classes is that is gives me pages to add to my own scrapbook.

I am currently trying to work on another class but this one isn't for scrapbooking. It will be a gift class where we will make coasters, a journal, and a couple other items. I am hoping to finish up my samples this weekend but the flu bug has hit my house. Malachi is feeling much better and I am getting there. So here is to hoping for a productive weekend.

Baby Girl

2011-04-13T19:00:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I made a couple of baby shower cards for a baby shower, well when I was looking for inspiration online I came across a card by Sharri Barron that was just adorable. I thought I need to remake that, I ended up doing mine a little different.

I should have made this card in boy colors since everyone I know having a baby is having a boy. I think I have only known one person in the past year to have a girl. Well here is to hoping someone has a girl soon.

Birthday Case

2011-04-10T15:15:00.000-07:00

I have been neglecting my blog again. It is really bad when I have pictures uploaded and ready but don't actually blog and show you the projects. Let's see if I can do better this week.

This is one of the cards we made last week at Stamp Club. I cased this card from Erica Cerwin. I just loved the big bow and bright colors. I think I am ready for Spring. I can do without Summer but I love the early Spring weather, cool mornings, beautiful days, and cool evenings.

The stamp is from Build a Cupcakes stamp set from the Occasions Mini. Don't forget to order whatever you want out of the Occasions Mini before April 30th because after that date most all the items will never be available again.

April Big Shot Die Club

2011-04-05T23:42:00.000-07:00

If you love your Big Shot you will want to be apart of the Big Shot Club.

This club meets once a month. At Big Shot Club you will make a project using a Big Shot die or embossing folder. You will also get to take home either a die or embossing folder. Each month will be a new die or embossing folder.

This month you will receive the Floral Fusion die and the Little Leaves die.

This month club will be held on April 28th at 7:00 PM. Club fee is $15.00, payment must be received one week prior to the club date.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Build a Blossom

2011-04-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

I am finally sitting down to blog and share a new card. I have been busy this week so I haven't even contemplated blogging or stamping for that matter. I finally sat down a little while ago and did a couple of projects, one is the Build a Blossom card and the other one is for my cousin's bridal shower.

I thought about giving my cousin this card but ended up making a card that looks like corset. So cute. I would share but I have to get going soon. I have a couple of places to be tonight. My calendar has been full this week. I can't wait for our vacation at the end of the month.

Anyway, I used the Build a Blossom stamp set along with the coordinating punch from the Occasions Mini. Actually I ordered the stamp set on an order in January and completely forgot to order the punch so I kept on putting off using the set because I didn't want to cut out all the petals if I didn't have to. Long story short, Grandma let me use her punch and I have finally ordered mine. These coordinating stamp and punch items are awesome! If you don't have them, you should buy them, you'd love them.

Well I got to get going, I hope to be back sooner than later.....

Strength & Hope

2011-03-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

As part of the Making a Difference program, Stampin' Up! is proud to partner with The Breast Cancer Research Foundation in the Strength & Hope Campaign.

Throughout the 2011 Summer Mini Catalog sales period, Stampin' Up! will donate $2* from the sale of each Strength & Hope set and Strength & Hope digital kit to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).

Being a demonstrator has some great perks, like being able to see and order new products before the merchandise is available to everyone else. It is a beautiful stamp set and it helps raise funds for Cancer Research that is just awesome!

In May I am planning a class around this stamp set so that I can do my part in helping sell and raise funds for the cancer research.

I am looking forward to creating more cards with this set.

Non-Blue Project

2011-03-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

I said I would be back a couple of days ago but Friday was gloomy and cold so most of the day I was a bum. I did need to make a couple of cards for a baby shower so I eventually got around to creating and I was determined to make a project that didn't have any of my favorite blues in it. That ended up being harder than I had originally anticipated because the shower was for a baby boy. Saturday and Sunday passed in a blurr and here we are, it is Monday.

I decided on So Saffron and Chocolate Chip for the colors and I used two stamps that I got for free during Sale-A-Bration, Baby Steps & A-Z. These stamps are single stamps sold in the Main Idea Book & Catalog. I just adore those elephants! There is only a few days left to earn Sale-A-Bration sets, let me know if you want to place an order.

I had to make a second card for my mom. I decided to go ahead and use blue on this card, I was trying to match the gift bag. HeeHeeHee! I guess I just couldn't do it! Well the bag had an adorable little puppy on it so I got out a retired stamp set for this one. My love for polka-dots came through on this card. I punched several 1" circles and attached them to the card front. Punched more circles for the main image and here we are. Oh, besides the sentiment. I used the Word Window and the Modern Label punches. The colors are Marina Mist, So Saffron, Riding Hood Red, Early Espresso.

Big Shot Die Club

2011-03-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last night was my Big Shot Die Club and the die of the month was the Simple Flower Embosslit.

I had real good intentions of making lots of samples with the die but life got the better part of me. So some of those half finished projects are still on my messy desk. I was able to finish two projects before work on Thursday and one right before people showed up at my house. I will show you a couple of them.

My first sample is a See's Candy Bar wrapped in a piece of Bashful Blue card stock that I stamped with an image from the Just Believe stamp set in Marina Mist ink. I then tied a ribbon around the candy bar and tied a knot. I cut the die with Bashful Blue paper then brayered it with Marina Mist ink, added a rhinestone and glued it right on top of the knot. So simple and it used one of the many See's Candy Bars that are sitting on my kitchen counter.

Our church was selling them for a fundraiser and I took a couple of boxes to sell. One of those boxes made it to my kitchen counter and there it stayed. So I just paid for the box of candies because I felt bad that I never even tried to sell them. I figured I should start using them for SU! samples, projects, and gifts. I can't waste such delicious chocolate.

The second sample is the one that I created right before people arrived at my house. I guess I am in a blue mood because it is another shade of blue. This one is Baja Breeze and Basic Black. I used the Fancy Favor Box, First Edition DSP, and Basic Black Satin Ribbon. The rhinestones and the pearls are perfect for the center of these flowers.

Well I promise to be back with something that isn't in the shade of blue tomorrow.

One of many...

2011-03-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

I've neglected my blog for the past week. I did do some creating for a friend of my grandma's. She wanted some scrapbook pages done. She actually asked me to do them a while ago but I kept putting them off, well I finally got around to making them. So between getting those pages done, Disneyland, San Diego, and taking care of my little family, I just didn't have time to create for my blog.

Yesterday I was determined to make some projects but I wasn't getting very far. I think I had too many ideas floating around in my head because I would be working on a project and then remember another project I wanted to work on so I would pull out the stuff for that idea. That happened several times before I realized I was never going to get anything done. I did manage to finish this card, after I stopped starting new projects before finishing the last one.

I saw a card by Ann Schach on her blog that inspired me, only problem was I didn't have the texturez plate she used or anything similar. So on my last order I added the Texture Plate Kit #4. My card is different than her card but yet has some similarity. After I textured the More Mustard piece I brayered it with Early Espresso. The Plane and Simple Stamp set was perfect for this card.

I hope to finish one of my other half done projects tonight but we shall see.

The Petal Cone Again

2011-03-16T13:15:00.000-07:00

It's the Petal Cone die again. I've said it before, I really love this die. I've just found so many great things to do with it. It's always great to realize that I didn't just buy a product that I will rarely use. Believe me when I say I have plenty of those items.

I began paper crafting in 2004 after I got married. At that point I bought so much stuff, some of the stuff I really didn't even know what to do with it. I guess I have a problem, an obsessive compulsive need to have, buying problem. In March of 2007 I became a SU! demo and since I love the fact that all their paper and ink coordinate, I just had to have it all. So when you add up the past 7 years of purchasing craft stuff, you can imagine that there has been numerous items that I bought and then realized that I could have lived without them.

Just before Malachi was born I had to get things cleaned out and I donated a lot of stuff to my sister's school. Some stuff I'd never even opened the packages. The other thing that happened with the arrival of Malachi was I realized I didn't want to work full time anymore. That sure did cut into my crafting budget, although it is well worth it! So over the past year I have definitely made my purchases more wisely.

So I said all that to say this, the petal cone has been a good investment for me.

Now to actually tell you about the project, This time I cut part of the bottom of the cone, this shape looks more like a take out box. I used the Sale-A-Bration Bliss Stamp Set, Fun Flowers die, First Edition DSP, and Baja Breeze Seem Binding Ribbon. I filled the box with some chocolate and now all I have to do is deliver it to someone special.

Real Fun Flowers

2011-03-15T11:00:00.000-07:00

I was inspired to make this card when I saw Mary Brown's card that she made for the Mary and Connie's Color Challenge. This is a great color combination. This was the first time I had seen Mary & Connie's blog and I am so happy that I found it. They have some great color challenges and layout challenges. I will definitely be visiting their blog again.

I hadn't used the Elegant Lines Embossing Folder in a long time, so it was good to get it out and use it. The fun flowers die is becoming one of my favorite dies. The flowers are so fun, I love the different shapes each flower has.

Plane & Simple

2011-03-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

I always look for manly craft items because they are just so much harder to come by. So when I saw the Plane & Simple stamp set in the Occasion's Mini Catalog, it immediately went on my must have list. Not that I don't love all the girly, frilly stuff but you can't give that stuff to a man.

I used one of the stamps for the background, I had to stamp it 6 times to cover the background. I love those clear mount stamps and blocks! It was so easy for me to line them up and stamp them straight without having to use the stamp-a-ma-jig.

For this card I used Chocolate Chip, River Rock, and Very Vanilla.

The Alternative Card

2011-03-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

I'm back with the alternative card for my class participants. It took me a little while to get back to my blog because I had to leave for a couple of hours but I eventually got back to stamping. I decided to save the blog post for the morning because it got to late.

So this is the card I made just in case my class participants didn't have a need for St. Patty's day cards. Same layout and colors, just a different stamp set. My sentiment is a little slanted but I was too tired to redo it. This one will have to do for my sample.

St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-11T18:26:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's because I'm not Irish but I never give any St. Patrick's day cards out. I do pinch people if they aren't wearing green and I always make sure to wear green on St. Patrick's Day. I would love to have corn beef and cabbage but Eric hates corn beef.

Maybe I should read up on the holiday so that I can have better understanding. Well even though I don't usually give out cards for this holiday I decided to make a card anyway, here it is. I am using this card at my card class but I am also including an alternative for those that don't need St. Patrick's day cards. I will have to share that card but first I have to go and make it, be right back....

Stylish Blogger Award

2011-03-11T18:06:00.000-08:00

Wow, I am completely honored that people thought to give me this Stylish Blogger Award. Over the past couple of weeks I received this award from Brenda Keenan, Nikki, Leena Girsa, Nicole Watt. You can see their blogs by clicking on their name.

When you receive the award you are to:
1) Thank the person who gave this award to me and link it back to their blog
2) Share 8 things about myself
3) Pass this award to 8 other individuals that I have recently discovered
4) Leave a comment on their blogs so that they can pass along the recognition!

So here goes!

Thank you Brenda Keenan, Nikki, Leena Girsa, Nicole Watt for reconizing my blog with this award - you made me feel special.

Eight things about myself:

1) I know Sign Language. I wouldn't say I am completely fluent but I could help communicate if needed. I have helped interpret in my church services. I might not have said it just like the preacher but I got the message to the deaf that were there.

2) I come from a large family, I have 6 sisters and 1 brother. I am the oldest.

3) I love missions work and would travel just about anywhere to do missions work. Some of the places I have been are Liberia, Papua New Guinea, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Since I have a little one, my travels will stay closer to home for a while but I help a non-profit organization called Reach Worldwide that helps raise support for Missionaries and native pastors/ministers.

4) I love to read. The imagination is a wonderful tool. I also listen to audio dramas on a regular basis.

5) I am a LA Dodger's fan. Mostly because my dad was a fan but I also love the sport. I was a pitcher on my High School softball team. I even named my dog Dodger.

6) I love Disneyland. We have season passes and visit Disneyland at least once a month.

7) I have been married to Eric for almost 7 years. We have a 1 year old little boy named Malachi and we have a cockapoo named Dodger.

8) I've lived in So Cal all my life. I love being so close to the ocean, mountains, and Disneyland.

Now I get to pass this award on to 8 other bloggers:

1) Kelly Green http://www.creativelyinked.blogspot.com/

2) Naomi Ball http://astampersparadise.blogspot.com/

3) Malanie Diaz http://stampingcreationsbymel.blogspot.com/

4) Nikki http://www.inkpaperstamp.com/

5) Heather Dean http://alwaysthinkingaboutinking.blogspot.com/

6) Diane Oliver http://dianeoliver.blogspot.com/

7) Melissa http://inspirationfrommelissa.blogspot.com/

8) Alicia Ring http://glitteringstamps.blogspot.com/

Please take time to visit all the blogs listed here - you won't be sorry!

Springtime Smiles

2011-03-10T21:28:00.000-08:00

Tonight was my monthly Stamp Club night. It's always great to get together with the ladies in my club and chat while creating.

This is one of the projects we created. I cased this card from Mary Ellen Byler, I just changed the stamp set and used Pink Pirouette for the card base and layered the Sahara Sand Tulip Frame Embossed piece to the card front. I used the Pink Pirouette marker to color most of the flowers. The ones I didn't color I used a white gel pen to color them in. It makes them stand out on the very vanilla background.

I should have made this week, Spotlight on Easter Blossoms stamp set since that is all I have been creating and showcasing on my blog. I'll make a note to post something else this weekend. Maybe something for St.Patty's day since that is less than a week away.

Easter Eggs

2011-03-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

I remember several years ago we had an Easter Egg hunt for two of my friends kids. They each only had one child at the time and we must have had 10 dozen eggs (colored eggs and plastic combined), needless to say the kids baskets were overflowing with eggs. As I created this card that memory came flooding back to me.

I am a little excited thinking about Malachi having an Easter egg hunt although he won't even understand. He'll probably do one of two things, put them in his mouth or throw them. It will be a fun day when he actually knows what he is doing but I don't want to rush it, he is already growing to fast.

I used the Easter Blossoms Stamp set from the Occasions Mini Catalog. I stamped the eggs in Daffodil Delight, Pretty in Pink, Wild Wasabi, and Marina Mist. I don't know if you can tell but I did stamp one of the images from the set on the Daffodil Delight card base with Versamark. I punched the Happy Easter with the Wide Oval Punch and layered it on a oval from the ovals die. I also tied a bow again, this may become a habit. Although I'm sure I will revert back to knots because they are quicker to make.

Cherry Blossoms

2011-03-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday I traveled up to Sacramento, CA with my husband, Malachi, and two of my sisters. It was night time so there wasn't much to see but on Saturday when we traveled home it was day time and the view was beautiful! It didn't always smell very good but the green hills, the grape vines, and the cherry blossoms were amazing!

As we drove and I stared out my window and I kept seeing the cherry blossoms I kept thinking about this stamp set. I couldn't wait to get home and play with this set some more. Although my tiredness got the best of me and I started this card but didn't like where it was going so I went to bed. I finally picked it up, changed the orientation, re-stamped the little girl in soft suede, trimmed some paper, and added some ribbon and this is the card I ended up with.

I have to plan for Stamp Club this Thursday so I better get to creating.

Big Shot Club

2011-03-02T08:02:00.000-08:00

If you love your Big Shot you will want to be apart of the Big Shot Club.

This club meets once a month. At Big Shot Club you will make a project using a Big Shot die or embossing folder. You will also get to take home either a die or embossing folder. Each month will be a new die or embossing folder.

This month you will receive the Simple Flower Embosslit.

This month club will be held on March 24th at 7:00 PM. Club fee is $15.00, payment must be received one week prior to the club date.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Black Very Vanilla

2011-02-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

This is the final card that I made on Friday night. On this card I brayered the embossed side of the Very Vanilla. I can't decide which I like more the brayered embossed side or the brayered debossed side. I guess they each have there own beauty.

I was in a Basic Black and Very Vanilla kind of mood so that is why I kept creating with these colors. I also decided to tie another bow for this card. Wow, two bows this weekend.

Friends 24-7 is one of my all time favorites so it was nice to pull it out of my cabinet and create with it this weekend. Although I do have some new stamp sets that haven't been inked up yet so maybe I should go and get to creating.

Friends 24-7

2011-02-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

One thing you will notice about yesterday's, today's, and tomorrow's post is that they all have Basic Black & Very Vanilla. They also all have the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing folder for a background.

For this particular card I ended up adding Cherry Cobbler. I even used my blender pens to color the leaves and stem Basic Black. I hope that isn't to morbid.

When I was making yesterday's card, I thought I wonder if it would look better if I use some ink on the embossed image. Well I got ink all over the wrong areas and it looked horrible so I tossed this piece aside and finished my card with another embossed piece. I almost threw this piece in the trash but then I got out my brayer and I turned the piece over to the debossed side and I added the Basic Black ink. I really like it, it looks so elegant. I guess I was in a recycle mood because I had originally tied the bow for another card that I changed my mind on. So it was sitting on my desk so I grabbed it and added it to this card.

I rarely take the time to tie bows, I usually just tie a knot but I love the bow. Well I have one more card from my Friday night stamping so I'll be back tomorrow to share.

Fun Flowers

2011-02-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

I got inspired to make this card when I visited Dianne Sisneros's blog, she created a cute 8x8 scrapbook page. I had purchased the DSP from the occasions mini but hadn't even opened the package and this gave me the perfect reason to open it. I also used the Fun Flowers die to cut out the flowers. When I first seen this flower die, I thought I don't need another flower die cut but after seeing all the samples, I realized that I needed it. Really it was a need, not a want! Who am I kidding, I wanted it.

Once again I did the scrunched ribbon. The other night I tried to show some fellow demonstrators how to do the scrunched ribbon and for the life of me I couldn't get the ribbon to scrunch but as soon as they left I did it within seconds. I hope I didn't scare them away from trying it at home.

All day Friday, I kept thinking I should work on some cards or a scrapbook layout but the laziness in me won. Finally in the evening I got to work on this card. In the process I made a few mistakes and set some stuff aside but in the end I used those other pieces for other cards. So I ended up making three cards. I will share the other two over the next couple of days. Enjoy your weekend.

No Stamping

2011-02-22T20:28:00.000-08:00

I created this beautiful card and there isn't any stamping on it. I can't believe it. I thought about adding a sentiment but then I wasn't sure what I wanted to put on it so I left it alone. Plus I didn't want to ruin the card, I really like the simplicity of it.

The card is Rich Razzleberry and Soft Suede. I love these two colors together. I was trying to stay away from the blues because it seems like I have been using them way to much. I guess I should pull out my color coach or try a color combo challenge to get out of the rut I have been in lately.

I really wanted to make a tutorial for the flower but I need a stand to hold the camera. I will try and get one soon. I don't even know what the technique is called for these flowers. Hmmmm.... maybe I should Google them and see if I can come up with some results. Hopefully I will return soon with some instructions.

Medallion Medley

2011-02-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

When I saw the Medallion Medley Simply Sent Kit, I fell in love. These printed and embossed cards are gorgeous. The colors are beautiful and the quality is great! The other thing I love about these is that fact that I can order them separately from the suggested stamp set.

When I first started with Stampin' Up almost 4 years ago they had Simply Sent Kits that were in the $40 range. They came with cards, some embellishments, a ink spot, and a small stamp set. The only problem was there was no way of just purchasing more cards to refill your set. When the IB&C came out back in July, SU! had changed the way the Simply Sent Kits are sold. Now you can buy the cards with envelopes and embellishments separately from the stamp set. Which gives you more options.

This Simply Sent kit is only $11.95 and includes 8 Printed and embossed cards, 1 sheet of 16 Vanilla self adhesive die cut ticket corner labels, and 8 Vanilla Envelopes. You can purchase the suggested stamp set Say It Simply for $7.95 or you can choose any set you'd like to to accompany these beautiful cards.

For my sample I added some Rich Razzleberry Satin Ribbon and I also layered the label on a scrap piece of Soft Suede card stock and popped it up. I love these and they make for a quick card when I am in a rush.

Happy "I Do" Day

2011-02-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Letterpress plates originally came out in the Holiday Mini Catalog back in September and they also carried over into the Occasions Mini Catalog. I wasn't to sure if I wanted to buy them so I thought I'd wait and see what others would do with them before I decided to make the purchase. Shortly after I began seeing samples with them and thought I would give them a try but since Valentine's was so far off, I kept moving them down the on the list of what to purchase next.

Finally after Christmas had come and gone, I added them to my order. By this time it was the end of January and I didn't have much time to play with them before Valentine's came around. I think I actually only made one card that used the Lots of Love Letterpress plate. I never even used the hearts plate. So it got me thinking, what can I make with the plates that isn't Valentine's related? Then it hit me, I can use them for wedding or anniversary cards. So I grabbed some Marina Mist card stock and went to work on a couple of cards.

I inked up the plate with Versamark ink so that the words would stand out better. I had in my mind to use the Happy I Do Day stamp from the Word Play Stamp set but I wasn't to sure how or where I was going to put it, I also couldn't decide if I wanted to make a portrait or landscape card, so I decided to make both. The other thing I had been wanting to do was try the scrunched ribbon. I tried it first in Marina Mist but then thought, "is that to much blue?" So I redid my ribbon in Whisper White, I ended up using both. I like the whisper white against the Bashful Blue but my husband likes the Marina Mist better. I also added a little bling to the "I Do", it doesn't sparkle in the picture but it does in real life. I kept these cards simple because I wanted letterpress to stand out.

I hope you enjoyed these cards. Now I just need a wedding to go to so I can use one of these.

Pure Bliss

2011-02-15T20:00:00.000-08:00

It is pure bliss to know that the sale of 200 Valentine cookies is behind me. Even though I was not here over the weekend working on the last of those cookies, I was stressed we wouldn't sell all the extras we had.

For the past 8 years I have been in charge of this fundraiser, the first year I ended up in tears from the stress of it all. The first year I think we made 128 cookies, several years ago we were making over 400 cookies, so 200 wasn't that bad. The stress came from the factor that I had over guesstimated how many orders we would have. I had already purchased the material to make a little more than 200 cookies and then I added up the orders and we only had 110, you could imagine my state of panic. How were we going to sell 80 something cookies and to who? I did as much as I could before Eric and I left for the marrieds retreat in Costa Mesa and left the rest to my team of wonderful ladies and some supportive sellers. When I got home on Sunday there was still 30 something extra cookies which was better than 80 but what was I going to do? Well thankfully people kept calling because someone else wanted a cookie. By lunch time on Monday all the cookies were gone and people were still calling for more.

Needless to say I am so thankful for all of my friends, sisters, and my grandma for helping me bake, decorate, and sell these cookies. I could never do it without them and I won't bother them for help with cookies again, well until next year. Except for maybe Stacey because I love her peanut butter kiss cookies.

So I guess I should start writing some thank you cards. Maybe this will be the card I send to all of them.

Cupcakes

2011-02-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

Here it is, my bright birthday card. I really wanted to use the Melon Mambo Pompom Trim, so I started my color choice with Melon Mambo then I pulled out my color coach and used one of the color combo suggestions. Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, and Tempting Turquoise.

I used my new stamp set, Create a Cupcake along with the Build a Cupcake punch. I love it when a punch fits the stamped image, it saves so much time. I know my customers love it too because they love my cards but they always tease me about having to cut out those crab legs from Crab & Company or those little bees from Just Buzzin' By. So I love when I can tell them this is going to be an easy one because the is a punch for this stamp and you don't have to cut it out.

Today is my sister Selena's birthday so maybe I'll give her this card. (When I get back from my weekend retreat.) I am actually blogging ahead of time so that my blog won't sit untouched all weekend. Eric and I are in Costa Mesa enjoying the beach and our time together. Hopefully we aren't going nuts worrying about Malachi (first time parents, first time away from our little bundle of joy) or hopefully we aren't driving my sister nuts with all our phone calls and text messages checking up on the baby.

I shall return...

Lots of Love

2011-02-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

Since I am decorating Valentine Cookies today, I figured I should show another Valentine card. I used the Lots of Love Letterpress plate that is in the mini catalog along with the Valentine Defined stamp set.

These letterpress plates are great for Valentine's cards. Maybe I should have planned to show the ladies at club club tonight how to use them. I guess I could show them later because I think they would be great to use for a wedding card.

In my last post I said that I use shades of blue in a lot of my projects, well I also use Cherry Cobbler and Early Espresso all the time too. Maybe as spring approaches I will lean towards other colors more often, maybe. I guess I should work on expanding my color palette. Its not that I don't have other color paper or ink, because believe me I have all the colors in paper and ink. I guess I just favor these colors so I naturally reach for them when creating. Although I do have a birthday card to share with you that is bright and doesn't include Baja Breeze, Cherry Cobbler, or Early Espresso. I guess I stepped out of my little box. So check back soon to see the card.

Bliss

2011-02-08T23:10:00.001-08:00

I spent all day baking cookies for our church fundraiser. I will spend all of tomorrow decorating these nine inch sugar cookies with butter cream frosting and special messages. I was so thankful that Barbara came over and helped me with the baking. Rolling out 89 cookies is a lot of work especially with a 1 year old. The baking is what took the longest because I can only cook two cookies at a time. I did learn that you can accomplish quite a bit in 9 minute intervals. I was able to create several cards to share with you, clean the bathroom, and eat my favorite ice cream. Eric was such a sweetheart tonight he brought me home a pint of Love Potion 31 from Baskin Robins. They only carry the ice cream at Valentines time so I am especially glad I got a whole pint.

Anyway I noticed that I like to use blues when creating. Baja Breeze is my all time favorite. Here I am using it again with Craft and the Sale-A-Bration Stamp set Bliss. This stamp set is free with a $50.00 purchase. The set comes with 5 stamps, you can see three of the images on this card, well actually you can't see the flourish all that well because I put the Baja Breeze tag over it but anyway it also comes with a bird and a flower. To see all the images visit my website and click on the Sale-A-Bration catalog.

Oh, and if you want to get this stamp set for free, let me know.

Carrots

2011-02-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

I was doing so good with creating and sharing on my blog but this past week was just to busy and this week is only busier. This week I have to prep for the Valentine Cookie fundraiser at my church. I will be helping make approximately 200 9 inch heart shaped sugar cookies that are decorated with butter cream frosting and a special personalized message. Do they sound yummy? Everyone says that they are, I never actually eat one because after two days of baking and decorating I just can't get myself to eat them. By that time I have had enough sugar and just want salty foods.

Although this year I won't be doing as much as I normally do because on Friday Eric and I will be going on a marrieds retreat with our church. We will be heading out to Costa Mesa, with out Malachi. I think I might cry because this will be the first time we are away from the baby. I'm trying to not think about it until Friday so I don't get to worked up.

None of that has to do with the picture of the carrot but it does give me an excuse about not blogging very much this week. So anyway I made the carrot with the Petal Cone die. I wonder if I have convinced anyone to purchase the die yet? I have been posting lots of ideas on how to use it. Obviously I really am enjoying this new die. The carrot is simple, not a whole lot to it. I'm sure anyone would love it even those that don't like to eat their carrots.

I am going to try and be back this week with at least my stamp club projects. We shall see. Have a great week.

Ice Cream

2011-02-03T08:40:00.000-08:00

Today I am showing you another Petal Cone creation that I copied from Holly at http://inkpaperstamps.com is the Ice Cream Cone card.

Like I said before, I am loving this die and I am just showing my love by creating and sharing.

This card is so simple to make. You only have to cut out the shape once and cut off the tab. Run it through a Texture Impression plate and sponge the edges for dimension. I did use the Tasteful Trim Die for part of the ice cream and of course I sponged that too. I guess I was in a sponging mood because I sponged the little banner too, after I stamped Happy Birthday.

Simple and cute. Makes me want to get an ice cream. Although its another chilly day in So Cal but Baskin Robbins has my favorite ice cream right now, Love Potion 31. It is a seasonal ice cream so I have to go get it before they run out. Yummy!

Graduation Cap

2011-02-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

I know that Graduation is still a few months away but I actually have a graduation party to attend this weekend. So when I was on Holly's website and saw the graduation cap she made with the the Petal Cone I knew I had to recreate it.

Here is my version of the graduation cap. I used Basic Black Card Stock. I used a silver brad to hold the tassel. I know it looks black but that is because I rubbed Black Stazon Ink on it to make it black. Great improvise! I had these tassels laying around because someone gave them to me. I didn't know what I was going to do with them but now I know. This is perfect because my sister Alison is graduation from High School this year.

I will admit that I had a had time figuring out how to cut the petal cone to add the top of the hat but after I finally thought it through, it was easy. I have a couple more projects to share with you this week that use the Petal Cone so I'll be back.

Sick as a Dog

2011-01-31T08:00:00.000-08:00

Now isn't this puppy just adorable? Wellness Wishes is the name of the stamp set with this cute little guy. This is a great manly card.

I used Soft Suede, Night of Navy, and Very Vanilla card stock along with the Night of Navy stripped ribbon. This stripped ribbon is so pretty. I have many spools of this ribbon in different colors. I sure hope that SU! keeps this ribbon around, it is very popular.

This card would have been perfect to send to my boss/Pastor a couple of weeks ago when he was very sick but now it's to late. Oh, well. I am glad he is feeling a lot better now. I'll just add this to my stash of cards.

Heart with the Petal Cone

2011-01-30T08:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I showed you the Petal Cone and I am showing it to you again today. Although today you might not recognize it because it looks like a heart. How awesome is that. Perfect for Valentine's treats! Now I must admit that I am not a genius because when I looked at the die in the catalog a heart did not stand out to me but when I received my Stampin' Success magazine there was a project in their that used the die as a heart pouch. It was just another reason I thought, I really need to get this die. I was so excited when Letty said I could borrow it from her so I could play with it before I ordered mine. I wanted to wait for Sale-A-Bration so that I could get some free stuff.

To make the petal cone you have to cut out the shape twice and then you would fold on all the crease lines and assemble but for this project you leave the petal cone flat. The only thing you do is glue the pieces together. I then decorated the heart with an image from the Wedding Sweet stamp set, then I stamped a heart from the I Heart Hearts Stamp set and punched it out and layered it on some Early Espresso. After I layered the heart image I ruffled some very vanilla ribbon around the circle. The little banner piece is another part of the die, I stamped the love you and glued it on the heart. Once again I used ribbon to make a handle for the pouch and I used the packaging paper as a filler.

Happy Sunday everyone!

I Heart the Petal Cone

2011-01-29T08:00:00.000-08:00

I know I said I was going to wait until next week before showing another Valentine project but I just couldn't wait.

I seriously am loving the Petal Cone die, it's in the Occasions Mini Catalog. When I first saw it in the catalog I wasn't sure if I would order it because I thought it was going to be super small. So I didn't order it but I did borrow it from a friend. I can now say that mine is on it's way to my house from SU! along with my free Sale-A-Bration stuff. Oh, and the cone is bigger than I thought it would be.

I made several projects with this die and I will be showing you them to you over the next week. The brown paper that is sticking out of the box is packaging paper that comes in my SU! shipment boxes. I just shredded some of it and crinkled it up. It is a great filler. I used the I Heart Hearts stamp set to decorate the cone, then I punched a couple of holes on the side and used some pretty in pink satin ribbon as a handle. So cute and easy to make.

Vintage

2011-01-28T08:40:00.000-08:00

Vintage is so popular right now so I have been trying to incorporate it in my cards and scrapbook pages.

Here is one of those attempts. I used the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder along with the Friends 24-7 stamp set. The image really does compliment the embossing folder. I feel like it is a little plain but I wasn't real such what else to add so I left it alone. Maybe I will go back to it later and think of something else to do with this card.

Aviary

2011-01-27T08:39:00.000-08:00

The Aviary stamp set has got to be one of the cutest stamp sets in the current IBC. When I first saw the new IBC in June of last year, I knew I was going to purchase it.

Well I have finally got it. Yippee! Since I went part time last year, after I had Malachi, I have had to make my purchases more cautiously so it took me a little while to get this set. I am glad I finally have it and was able to play with it. I need to work on getting some workshops booked and set up some classes so I can purchase all the stuff I want.

I paired my all time favorite, Baja Breeze with Poppy Parade for this card. I really like these two colors together. I think it may be the first time I even used Poppy Parade but it won't be the last time.

I am on a roll this week, I have been posting every day. That is a miracle! I also noticed that I will be breaking a record. The most I have ever posted in one month is 8 times. Well January 2011 will have more than 9 postings. I am proud of myself. My goal has always been to post at least once a week and if I post more than that then I really feel good. I think I might bump up my goal now.

Love

2011-01-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

This is another one of the cards from my card class this past weekend. I basically cased the card from Mindy Backes, another SU! demo. I did change it a little bit because I didn't have any glimmer paper and I added the red hearts to the tree.

I really am glad that I chose this stamp set to purchase for Valentine's this year. Its fun but not to kiddish. Maybe this will be the card I give to my hubby for Valentine's Day this year.

I don't want to burn anyone out on Valentine's before it even gets here so I will post some other cards this week but I will be back with a couple of projects next week that are Valentine's related. Let me just say I am loving the Petal Cone die that is in the Occasions Mini.

Sale-A-Bration Time!

2011-01-25T07:10:00.000-08:00

It's Sale-A-Bration time! Now through March 31st there are Three easy ways to earn free product:

Spend: Spend $50 and earn one Free Sale-A-Bration product of your choice.

Host: Host a workshop of at least $300 and earn one free Sale-A-Bration product of your choice in addition to the generous hostess benefits.

Join: Join Stampin' Up! by becoming a demonstrator during Sale-A-Bration and get 15% off your starter kit. Plus get a bonus bundle filled with over $50 in free products.

Contact me to take advantage of any of these three deals.

Wish Big

2011-01-24T20:14:00.000-08:00

Saturday I had a card class so of course I was working on my cards on Friday. So in between cleaning and taking care of Malachi I searched online for ideas to inspire me or ideas that I could case.

Believe it or not but I got inspired for this card when looking at a card that was basic gray and pretty in pink. I don't remember if the card was a birthday card or not but this is what I came up with. This stamp set is called Birthday Bakery and it is a Hostess set. The sentiment is not in that set but in a set called Word Play.

On Friday when I was searching the web for ideas I was telling Eric how much I love looking at other people's creations because you just never know what will inspire you. This is just one of those instances where the talent of others helped to inspire me. I truly am glad that others are willing to share their ideas.

Tempting Turquoise Valentine

2011-01-17T17:43:00.000-08:00

Like I said in my last blog post I wanted to make a Valentine card that wasn't in the traditional Red and Pink. I chose Tempting Turquoise, Early Espresso, and Whisper White.

I had decided on using the I Heart Hearts Stamp Set and the I Love Love Jumbo Wheel but in the end I tried a second card with the Valentine Defined Stamp Set too. So you get to see both cards, very much the same except for the focal image. I also used some Early Espresso ribbon. Ribbon is one of those staples, I love ribbon on my cards and my scrapbook pages. I guess that is why I own so many spools of ribbon. It is that or my obsession with buying all that I can buy for this hobby.

It was actually nice to sit down and stamp for fun this weekend instead of stamping because I had a class or club meeting coming up. Good thing these cards didn't take me long because Malachi got fussy and it was time to put him to bed. I wish I would of had the energy to stay up late and stamp but Malachi hasn't been sleeping very well so I have been trying to go to bed when he does so I can get as much sleep as possible. He is an early riser so there is no luck when it comes to sleeping in on my days off. My life is different then it use to be but I love it all the same.

Well I am off to do some stamping since I decided to have a card class this weekend. I'm hoping that there are some people that are able to make it this Saturday. If you plan on coming don't forget to R.S.V.P.

Roses

2011-01-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

This is the second project we made at Stamp Club this month. Since I was doing Valentine projects I figured it was time to show how to make these roses. The good thing is these roses don't cost $80 a dozen just because it's Valentine's.

Although, it would be the cost of a Big Shot die and some paper. Oh, and a Big Shot if you don't already own one. The Table Settings Die is $42.95 but it doesn't wither in a week so it's a purchase/investment that just keeps on giving! The die also has numerous other shapes. I used this die to make my Merry Christmas banner last month.

These roses are great, you could even use fabric or felt and put them on a headband or make them into a pin. For this project we put them on a matchbox and put some candy in the boxes. These would look great for a party favor at a wedding or shower. I guess I just love the elegance of these roses.

Ok, I am off to try and make a Valentine card with non-traditional Valentine's colors. Let's see how that goes.... I guess you'll find out on my next post.

Love You

2011-01-12T08:34:00.000-08:00

It took me over a week to actually make this card. With the party last weekend I just kept putting off everything non party related. I did start this card but then Malachi had woken up and was cranky so I left it on my desk and there it sat until yesterday.

I think this very well might be my favorite Valentine set that Stampin' Up! has come up with besides I Heart Hearts.

The ladies that were at club last night made this card along with another project. We were missing half our club members. Lorraine had to work, Erin is ready to deliver her baby girl, and Sharon is focusing on her husband right now. Sharon's husband was in a horrible accident last month. I missed all of them. The thing I love about Stamp club the most is that I have been able to build friendships with all the ladies that attend. If it wasn't for this great hobby and my venture into selling Stampin' Up! I may have never met some of these great people.

Grandma, Stacey, Roberta and I still had a good time last night. We ate, stamped, and talked. What better way to spend a Tuesday night but we missed you Rain, Sharon, and Erin!

Dr. Seuss Party

2011-01-09T23:03:00.000-08:00

Warning: Picture Overload.
Saturday was Malachi's birthday party and his 1st birthday.
We did the whole Dr. Seuss theme with the decorating and even his outfit. He wore a Thing 1 shirt and his cousin Ryan wore the Thing 2 shirt. They both had on One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish shoes. They both looked adorable. Everything was Red, White, and Turquoise.

We took many pictures at the party but I just thought I would share a few of the many. I wanted everyone to see the decorations since it took lots of work from auntie Berta and myself. I am thankful that my sister Roberta came to help decorate and my sister Alison helped with Malachi. Eric was at work and then when he got home he helped transport all the stuff to the club house and ran to the store for a couple of needed items. What would I have done without so many great sisters to help Eric and I?

All the kids wore the Thing hair instead of party hats. I found these online and a lot of them came in one package so that was great for me since I had such a huge party. I actually wish I could have invited more people but with my large family, a few close friends, and nursery age kids from church (plus their family) I ended up inviting well over 75 people. I don't know exactly how many showed up but there was at least 22 kids (I know this because of the candy boxes.)

We served BBQ pork sandwiches, potato salad, chips, punch, water, and cupcakes. I used little name cards with silly names like diffendoofer potato salad, Red Ink Drink, and so on to keep with the theme. That was so much better than serving green eggs and ham for dinner. I also printed some free clip art images and punched them out and laid them on the tables along with real red, whisper white, and taken with teal punched circles. I love polka dots so this was great! I made the banner with my Pennant banner die from SU!

We played one game, pin the heart on the Grinch. I got the idea from another blog. My step-father drew the Grinch and painted him for me. It looked great. There was a coloring station too for the kids. Since there were so many kids under three I didn't want to play to many games plus with so many people it gets kind of crazy. I think one game was perfect.

For centerpieces I used fish bowls (Dollar Tree) with blue cello paper scrunched in them and a fish (also Dollar Tree) popping out. The fish were so perfect because they looked like the Red fish from the book. Although we now have a ton of plastic fish because each bag came with several fish. Then we tied one balloon to each bowl. So easy and cute.

Instead of cake we made cupcakes with red liners and I punched out Thing 1 & 2 circles and glued them to the outside of the cupcakes. I then put cotton candy on top of the cupcakes. SO CUTE! Only thing is that I didn't realize that after a while the cotton candy would melt. So by the time we had cupcakes the cotton candy was melted. Lesson learned on that one, although I don't think it mattered at that point.

Malachi didn't really smash into his cake like we would have liked him to but I think he was just tired and ready for a nap. He just looked at everyone with wide eyes as they sang Happy Birthday! When Eric pushed his hand into the cake he looked at his messy hand and cried.

It was a great party and I loved planning it for my baby boy. Although I don't think I will be planning any big parties like this for him until he is older. I have great family and friends because they all pitched in and helped us clean up after the party. I am so thankful because it would have taken Eric and I forever. We were all wiped out by the time it was over.

Hope you enjoyed all the pictures of the party. If you want to view larger size pictures all you have to do is click on the photo.

Birthday madness

2011-01-06T13:20:00.000-08:00

You could not, would not want to miss a celebration such as this!

Dr. Seuss and birthday stuff has taken over my life this week. Malachi's birthday and party is this Saturday. I can't belive my baby is turning 1. It has gone by way to fast.

I have been wanting to update my blog with a Valentine card made with my new stamp set but I haven't gotten to finish the card yet and it doesn't look like I am going to be able to until after the party. So I pulled out this card that I cased from someone else a few months ago because I can't update my blog without a picture. I can't remember who I copied this card from and I don't have the time to look or I would give them credit.

Anyway, I will update again next week with pictures from Malachi's party and some new cards or projects. Stamp club is next week so I know I will be making something before Tuesday.

I am off to go eat my green eggs and ham.... ok maybe not green eggs and ham but its lunch time.

Malachi's Birthday Invitation

2010-12-27T17:38:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago we decided on a Dr. Seuss theme for Malachi's birthday party. Being that I am a card maker, I wanted to make my own invites but I couldn't find any stickers, die cuts, or paper at any of the local stores. I looked online and found a few stickers but I didn't order them because I wasn't sure on size. I was to afraid that they wouldn't work and I would waste money. Someone suggested looking online for free clip art, so I began my search.

While searching I found a website that would design Dr. Seuss invites for $15.00 but then it hit me, I could make them with MDS and free clip art. So I went to work and this is what I made. It is very similar to the card I had originally found online. I found the wording for the invite on another website and I just altered it to fit Malachi's party. I did order a Cat in the Hat, hat and took a quick picture of Malachi to add to the theme. I love the invite.

Now I need to work on the other party items. I can't believe Malachi will be 1 in just a couple of weeks. Time sure does fly by.