Julie's Stamp Journal

Designer Cuts Anniversary Card

2012-02-02T08:00:00.005-05:00

Hello Stamp Friends!

Today I made another card using the Designer Cuts cards from the new Occasions Mini. I made this one for my parents anniversary. I got the idea for the Basic Rhinestoes from Monica Weaver's blog here. (Thanks for the inspiration, Monica!)

I chose to use Cherry Cobbler and when I stamped the sentiment the first time, it was right onto the card. It came out too light, so I used the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to try and make it darker, but I didn't realize that I got ink on the imaging sheet, which made a small smudge on the card. Darn it!!!! LOL! So I decided to cover it up with the Modern Label punch using Cherry Cobbler card stock and then stamped the sentiment again on Very Vanilla card stock. I punched it out with the Word Window punch and you can't even tell that a mistake was made. I love the way this turned out:)

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper: Designer Cuts cards, Cherry Cobbler & Very Vanilla

Ink: Cherry Cobbler

Other: Punches (Modern Label & Word Window) Fashionable Hearts Embosslits die, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding ribbon, Trinket Key, Basic Rhinestones

Thanks for coming by and have a great day!

It's time to Sale-A-Brate!!!!

2012-01-24T18:00:00.000-05:00

*Does not include on-line orders

Check out the brochure and let me know if you have any questions:)

Designer Cuts Cards

2012-01-23T08:00:00.004-05:00

Hello Stamp Friends!

I'm sorry it's been so long since my last post. I've been really busy trying to get my house back in order after the holidays. Including re-organizing some things in my craft room. I cleaned up my desk yesterday and it looked so clean that I couldn't help but sit down and mess it up really fast:)

One of the first things I bought in the Occasions Mini Catalog was the Designer Cuts Cards & Envelope set. I thought they were really pretty and couldn't wait to make something with them.

On the first card, I weaved Real Red 1/8" Taffeta ribbon through the holes and then just adhered a piece of Real Red card stock to the back. I had a hard time picking out a sentiment, so I wound up using the "With Love" stamp from the Hand Penned stamp set from the Holiday Mini, which is no longer available. I have my fingers crossed that we will see it again in the new Idea Book & Catalog on June 1st!

For the second card, I used the new Framelits Heart Collection. I used the heart that was a little bigger than the heart on the card along with Calypso Coral card stock and adhered it to the inside of the card. I wrapped 3/8" Calypso Coral Ruffled Ribbon around the front of the card and then used the new 1/8" Calypso Coral Organdy ribbon to tie on the cute little Trinket Key, which is available on page 200 of the Idea Book & Catalog. I thought it was a nice little touch along with the heart, which was added with a dimensional. It came from the new Fashionable Hearts Embosslits die.

This one is my favorite! What do you think?

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Grateful Greetings & Hand-Penned Holidays

Paper: Designer Cuts Cards & Envelopes set, Real Red & Calypso Coral

Ink: Real Red & Calypso Coral

Other: Real Red 1/8" Taffeta, Basic Rhinestones, 3/8" Calypso Coral Ruffled Ribbon, 1/8" Calypso Coral Organdy ribbon, Trinket Keys, Fashionable Hearts Embosslits die & Stampin' Dimensionals®

Sale-A-Bration begins tomorrow!

For each $50 that you spend, you will get a free item from the Sale-A-Bration brochure! See that cute little 1/8" Calypso Coral Organdy ribbon that I used to tie on the Trinket key? That can be yours for free with a $50 order! That's not all you get! It's a ribbon & brad pack! So you will also get a roll of Lucky Limeade organdy ribbon and a pack of brads!

Well, I guess I better get busy and get my desk cleaned up again:) I will be back soon with some photos of how I organize things.

I hope you have a wonderful day!!!

Mixed Bunch Birthday card

2012-01-10T08:07:00.001-05:00

Hello Stamp Friends! Happy Tuesday to you!

Today I would like to share a card that I made for one of my stampin' friends. I'm loving the new products! Especially the Twitterpated DSP!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Mixed Bunch & Happiest Birthday Wishes

Paper: Riding Hood Red, Blushing Bride, Island Indigo, Whisper White & Twitterpated DSP

Ink: Baja Breeze & Island Indigo

Other: Adorning Accents Edgelits dies, Blossom, 1" circle & 3/4" circle punches, white organdy ribbon & dimensionals.

Today is my son's 8th birthday. I just can't believe my baby is 8. Where does the time go?

I hope you have a great day!

Card share with SAB Sneak Peak

2012-01-09T08:00:00.003-05:00

Hello Stamp Friends!

In my last post, I promised to share the cards that I made at my upline meeting this past weekend.

This first card was made using the P.S. I Love You stamp set in the New Occasions Mini Catalog. We also used several other new products making this card. We used the new Blossom punch, the Adorning Accent Edgelits Dies & Textured Impressions Embossing Folders & Baja Breeze 3/8" Pleated Satin Ribbon. Isn't this pretty?

This second card has a combination of new products from the Occasions Mini and the Sale-A-Bration mini.

The ribbon, brad and DSP are items that will be found in the SAB catalog. Sale-A-Bration begins on January 24th. I can't wait!!!

Tomorrow I have a card to share using the new Mixed Bunch stamp set and the coordinating Blossom punch.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!!

The New Occasions Mini is here!!!!

2012-01-08T13:42:00.003-05:00

Hello Stamp Friends!

Along with a new year comes great new things! The New Occasions Mini catalog is here!

This catalogs includes lots of new Big Shot products, new stamps sets, embellishments, etc. My favorite items include:

Adorning Accents Edgelits Die (125595)

Adorning Accents Textured Impressions Embossing Folders (125601)

P.S. I Love You stamp set

125460 (Wood-mount)

125462 (Clear-mount)

Designer Cuts Cards & Envelopes Set (125414)

Twitterpated Designer Buttons (125579)

Twitterpated Designer Series Paper (125406)

Mixed Bunch Stamp set

125535 (Wood-mount)

125537 (Clear-mount)

Blossom Punch (125603)

Fashionable Hearts Embosslits Die (125596)

And that's just naming a few! I didn't have the new framelits dies on my wishlist until we used them at a meeting yesterday, so I will be back to share those cards with you in my next post:)

As promised, here are the gorgeous Christmas cards I received in the mail over the holiday season.

Angela C.

Candi H.

Caroline B.

Christin R.

Erika C.

Joyce K.

Karin T.

Kathy W.

Linda M.

Maryann G.

Susan E.

Tammie S.

Tina T.

Jen M.

(I love the way she added the photo at the bottom:)

Aren't they beautiful? I have some very talented friends!!! Thank you ladies for the gorgeous cards! It was so much fun getting the mail this holiday season:)

Thanks so much for coming by and I hope you have a great day!

Last Chance Reminders

2012-01-03T10:06:00.001-05:00

Hello Stamp Friends!

Just wanted to share some reminders...Today is the last day to order from the Holiday Mini Catalog. Here is the list of items that will be carried over to the new catalog in July. Click the flyer on the left sidebar to see it up close.

Here are a couple of my favorite items from the Holiday Mini that I will really miss:

Hand-Penned Holidays Stamp set

124310 21.95 Wood-Mount

124312 16.95 Clear Mount

Spice Cake Designer Series Paper

124003 10.95

Frostwood Lodge Designer Series Paper

124002 10.95

Cherry Cobbler 3/8" Quilted Satin Ribbon

124105 7.95

Stitched Stockings stamp set

123782 27.95 Wood-mount

123784 19.95 Clear-mount

Stocking Builder Punch

124095 16.95

Stampin' Up! has announced that this punch will not be carried over into the new catalog, so if you must have this punch, today is the last day to order it.

Stampin' Card Keeper

124107 8.95

I saw this for the first time at the Stampin' Up! Convention this past summer. It comes with templates, so you can cover it with Fabric or Designer Series paper. These are a must-have for me, so I placed an order just to stock up:)

If you like any of these items or anything else from the Holiday mini that is not on the carryover list, today is the last day to order.

Also, the Clearance Rack Blitz will be ending on January 5th. There are items up to 80% off! Click on the Clearance Rack icon on the left sidebar to take advantage of these deals.

Please come back later as I would like to share the beautiful cards that I received in the mail for Christmas.

I hope you have a great day! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

My Christmas card

2011-12-30T10:53:00.000-05:00

Hello stamp friends!

Sorry it's been so long. It's been a busy holiday season. I started on my Christmas cards before Thanksgiving and was off to a good start. Then the weekend following Thanksgiving, I learned that one of my favorite cousins had passed away. After attending the wake and the funeral, I was so down and didn't do much of anything for a week. Then I had to force myself to snap out of it, so I could get my cards done and make the season as memorable as I could for my boys.

We did as much as we could to make it a great Christmas. We took the boys to Gaylord's ICE. The theme for this year was Merry Madagascar. It was super cute and the kids loved it! We all did:)

During the season we also took the kids to the movies on three separate occasions. We saw "Authur Christmas", "The Muppets" (My hubby actually took them to this one. I stayed home to work on my cards:) & "Alvin & The Chipmunks: Chipwreked". We also took them to the "Festival of Lights", which is a drive-thru Christmas display that we do every year.

Here is my Christmas card, which I mass produced. I made 80 of them! I know...you're probably thinking I'm nuts and at times I thought I was too! LOL! They were very time consuming, but I really wanted to do it. I got so many compliments on them, which really made me feel good. Despite all of the layers, I didn't have to pay any additional postage to mail them:) I got the idea for this angel after seeing an MDS version on Janet Wakeland's blog here. But I wasn't sure if the punches would work the same until I saw Beth Rush's angel here. Thank you so much ladies for the inspiration:)

Supplies Used:

Stamps: The Sounding Joy & Contempo Christmas

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, Very Vanilla, Brushed Gold, Vellum Card stock, & Frostwood Lodge DSP

Ink: Cherry Cobbler & Encore Silver

Other: Punches: ( (Dotted Scallop Ribbon border, 3/4" Circle, Small Oval, Owl Builder, Petite Pennants Builder), Big Shot & Supplies: Petals-a-Plenty Textured Impressions embossing folder, Scallop Squares Duo Bigz Die, Beautiful Wings Embosslits die, & Lots Of Tags Sizzlits die set) Silver EP, Cherry Cobbler 3/8" Quilted Satin ribbon, Basic Rhinestones & dimensionals

I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season! Wishing you and yours a Happy New Year!

Christmas Tags

2011-11-10T09:16:00.002-05:00

Hello stamp friends!

Today I have a pair of Christmas Tags to share. I got the Christmas tree and ornament from the new Stocking Accents die. I used the retired Jolly Holiday DSP, since I have so much of it. I love the way they turned out. I got the idea for the ornament from Natasha Hein's card, which you can see here. I just love her card!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Christmas Punch, Delightful Decorations & Family Reunion

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Whisper White & Jolly Holiday DSP

Ink: Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler & Old Olive

Other: Two Tags & Stocking Accents dies, 3/4" circle punch, Silver Elastic cord (retired) & Basic Rhinestones

I'm hoping to make some more cute tags in the next couple days. I also hope to come up with my Christmas card, so I can get busy mass producing:) Isn't this time of year just so much fun?

I hope you have a great day!

I'm back:)

2011-11-08T14:23:00.003-05:00

Hello stamp friends!

I apologize for my long absence from blogging. I've been really busy and was even gone for a week for vacation to Orlando, Florida and the new Legoland with my family. My youngest son wound up getting sick, so we missed some of the stuff we had planned. Personally, I had the most fun at Disney's Hollywood Studios. I'm a thrill seeker and I LOVE rollercoasters! I had so much fun on the Rockin' Roller Coaster. The best part was being able to ride it with my youngest son. He's 7 years old. I had asked him before we went if he'd ride it with me, but I was worried he might not be tall enough. Well, he made it by an inch or so. Most of the wait is outside, then once you enter the building, you watch a short video and then you go in where you can actually see the coaster take off. (Well, this is one of the ones that has electromagnets, which launches you from 0-60mph in less than 3 seconds!) When Brian saw how it took off, he looked at me and said "Mom, I don't think I can do this!". The guy behind me said, "It's a little too late for that!" I said "Bri. I promise it will be OK." He just grabbed my hand as if to say I trust you. When it was our turn to get on, I let Brian get in first and then I got in. We pulled down our shoulder harness and I looked over at him to see if he was OK. I could barely see him! He looked so tiny. I pulled my head out as far as I could and said "Are you OK?" He said "Yeah". I told him to put his head back all the way and keep it there. The car pulled around to the launch pad. We sat there for a couple seconds and I could feel my heart beating through my chest. Then the music started. (One of my favorite things about this ride is there are speakers in the sides and they blast Aerosmith tunes while you ride:). I told him to hold on and off we went. I held his leg with my hand throughout the ride, just to make sure he was still there! It's probably the smoothest roller coaster I have ever been on. You wouldn't think so having a loop and corkscrew inversions. I love the way the ride gives you the illusion that you're driving through Los Angeles at night. As the ride was over and we were getting off, I asked Brian what he thought. He said "Mom, that was one of the neastest experiences, but I won't be doing that EVER again!" LOL! I'm attaching a video, so you can see what it's like. I found this video on You-tube. It was filmed with the lights on. When we rode, it was in the dark, but you can see what an experience my 7-year old had. My 9-year old wanted nothing to do with it!

We also got on the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. When I got on it years ago, it would take you up to the top floor and you'd drop. Well, it has changed a bit now. It takes you up, drops you, takes you up again, drops you and again. I loved it!

Legoland just opened a week before we went. What a cute park! You would not believe all of the stuff they made out of Legos. They had Washington DC! There was the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Monument, White House with the Obama's standing on the front porch, and so much more. I couldn't believe it and that was just DC. They also had New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas and much more! They have roller coasters that are great for the whole family. Yes, even Brandon (my 9-year old) rode one of them:) Here's a photo my hubby took of me and the boys in front of a waterfall.

Check out this car that was made totally out of Legos! Isn't that amazing?

Unfortunately, Brian got sick the day we were to go to Disney World, so he and I spent the day in the hotel room. My hubby took a ton of photos and I thought these were worth sharing.

(love the reflection of the castle in the water)

Well, that's it for vacation photos. I do have a card to share! A group of us got together a couple days before we went away. I had seen a card on Dawn Olchefske's blog here (that I wanted to case), but I didn't have the In-Color DSP. I decided to try it with the Berry Blossoms DSP, so I grabbed it and all of the matching cardstock. We all kind of put it together from there and here's what we got.

What do you think?

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Button Buddies, Four Frames & Precious Butterflies

Paper: Early Espresso, Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White & Berry Blossoms DSP

Ink: Wisteria Wonder & Calypso Coral

Other: Perfect Pennants die, Circles #2 die, Fancy Fan letterpress plate, Decorative Label punch, Calypso Coral 3/8" ruffled ribbon, In-Color Printed brads & dimensionals

I hope you will come back tomorrow as I have some Christmas tags to share. I started freaking out over the weekend when I realized how close it is to Christmas. I need to get busy designing my Christmas card, teacher & bus driver gifts, etc. We all know how quickly time flies after Halloween and I like to mail my cards the day after Thanksgiving if I can.

Have a great day!!!

Blog Candy Winner!

2011-10-03T11:41:00.001-04:00

Good morning Stamp friends! Happy Monday!

I used Random.org this morning to determine the winner of my 2nd Anniverary Blog Candy giveaway. Here are the results:

The winner is: Annie Lee who said:

Yikes! I have no clue what my first set was. I know when I was introduced to SU, I went nuts over the catty, and just about bought everything in it! Ha! I still have some of those earlier sets!

Annie- I definitely know what you mean about going nuts over the catty. I bought my first stamp set, "Trick or Treat", in 2006 and I'm just as enthousiastic about stamping today as I was then. Please send me your address and I will get the stamp set out to you:) Thanks to everyone that left comments and I'm very excited to have some new followers. Welcome to my blog!

Today I would like to share the cards that we made the week before last. Our little group gets together once a week to make cards. Sometimes we do case cards, so I wanted to mention that incase I show a card that was cased on my blog. If I do not give you credit, it's because I don't know who the original artist is. So if you see one of your cards on my blog, please e-mail me so I can give the credit where it's due:)

Karin

Julie

I cased this card from Cristena Bagne. I love her work! She's got some of the best punch art I've ever seen! You will see her card here.

Becky

She did say that she cased this card. If it's yours, please let me know:)

Kathy

Aren't they beautiful cards? The owls took the longest to make. Those little flowers are tidious, but so worth it!

Thanks so much for coming by. I hope you have a terrific day!

Blog Candy extended

2011-09-30T21:56:00.000-04:00

Hello stamp friends!

Since there are no comments as of yet, I will be extending my Blog Candy giveaway until Monday morning. I will pick a winner using Random.org and I will announce the winner then. Please be sure to answer the question... "What was your first Stampin' Up! Stamp set? Please leave your answer on this post here.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog and I hope you have a great weekend!

Boy's First Birthday card

2011-09-28T08:00:00.001-04:00

Hello and Happy Wednesday!

I came across a card that I forgot to share on my blog. You may have already seen it on Stampin' Connection or in my Splitcoast gallery. I made this card for my precious little nephew, Charlie. I wanted to personalize it with his name. I knew how I wanted the card to look, but that part showed up on the inside:) I wasn't sure how to decorate the front. I remembered seeing several cards where stampers used the Boquet Blossom punch to make a bow for a package, so I decided to use that idea and I added some balloons to the front. You can't go wrong with Primary colors, so I went with my favorite color family, the Brights!

Here is the front of the card:

And the inside:

Stamps: On Your Birthday, Choo Choo, & Right on Track wheel

Ink: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Real Red & Chocolate Chip
Paper: Pacific Point, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive & Whisper White
Other: Blossom Boquet, 1" Square, 3/4" circle & Small Oval punches, Real Red & Pumpkin Pie 1/8" Taffeta ribbon, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine, Big Shot & Billboard Strip Tie

Thanks so much for coming by today and don't forget to leave a comment on yesterday's post here for a chane to win Blog Candy. Spread the word to your friends:)

Have a terrific day!!!

My Stampin' Story & Blog Candy!!!

2011-09-27T10:36:00.000-04:00

Good morning blog friends!

I thought it would be nice to share my Stampin' Story, since I promised to share my very first cards with you today. It all started when a friend I met on eBay sent me a handmade card. We met through collecting Snoopy Jewelry and she sent me this adorable card!

Isn't it just too cute? The thing that really caught my eye was the main image was embossed. I've always been a crafter and when I saw the card, I knew I wanted to learn how to do it. I wrote to my friend to thank her for the card and asked her some questions. She told me to check out the Stampin' Up! website to see if I liked their images and if I did, to find a demonstrator in my area. I then found Becky and I went to her house. (I think it was the next day:) The first thing she showed me was how to emboss. I was hooked! I wound up ordering my first stamp set, which was "Trick or Treat". Here are the first two cards I made with the set. I also used the set "Bitty Boos", which I had bought on eBay, since it was retired at that point.

I stamped with Becky for 3 years and finally decided to become a demonstrator on October 1st, 2009, so I'm coming up on my 2nd Anniversary.

In celebration of my 2nd Anniversary, I'm going to do some Blog Candy! I have a brand new Birthday Bakery stamp set.

All you have to do to win is leave a comment telling me what your first Stampin' Up! Stamp set was. I will pick a winner on Saturday morning using Random.org and announce the winner then.

Thanks so much for coming by and I hope you have a great day!!!

Happy Monday!

2011-09-26T08:00:00.002-04:00

Good morning stamp friends!

I hope you all had a great weekend. I spent most of the weekend relaxing at home. I got a little organizing done. I'd like to share my new storage unit, which I love. I had my Big Shot on a different organizer, but the Multipurpose Platform kept getting caught on the ledge, when I would use it. In the first of the top 3 unites, I have current DSP in the 3 vertical slots & Originals, Bigz L & Bigz XL dies on the horizontal shelves. In the middle unit, I have Extended Cutting plates & Crease pad on the top left shelf (right under the Big Shot), I have the Standard Cutting plates and crease pad on the right, then I have the large Powder Pal on the shelf under that and on the right side I have all of the Decorative Strip plates & platform. In the 2 drawers I have all of the Embossing Folders, Sizzlits, Embosslits, & Movers & Shapers windows. I have all of the Bigz dies on the first two shelves of the unit on the right along with the Timeless Type Alphabet on the 3rd shelf. Then I have some of my retired DSP in the last 3 vertical slots. I love how all of my Big Shot supplies fit where the Big Shot is.

The 8 smaller drawers in the middle are perfect for storing cards. For now, that's what I have in them. Then I have supplies in the two 2-drawer and two 3-drawer units. I'm still working putting things in them.

In the photo, it actually looks like the unit is blocking the entry door to my room and the closet door, but the unit is the perfect fit. I don't know about you, but it's so much easier to get things done when I'm organized.

Today, I would also like to share the treat holder that we made at my last upline meeting. This is where I got the inspiration for my witch card in my last post. Isn't this adorable? I have such a talented upline:)

Tomorrow I have a very special treat for you...When our little group got together to stamp last week, I pulled out the first group of cards that I ever made. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. The cards are very plain. There is no DSP, embellishments or ribbon on them, but the images were stamped perfectly straight, without using the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig. We all had a good laugh and I thought you might get a kick out of them too:)

Have a great day!

Catching Up...

2011-09-24T09:30:00.000-04:00

Happy September blog friends!

There has been a lot going on here in the last month. Most of which were natural disasters. First the earthquake, that I definitely felt! Lets just say that was an experience and it gives me a whole new appreciation for those that experience them more often. Then Irene, which left us without power for 4 days. Yeah, it was an inconvenience, but we were one of the lucky ones that cook with propane, so we were able to heat up water on the stove, so we could take a warm bath. Most people in our neighborhood have electric only, so they had to retreat to bathe. We did lose everything in our refridgerator, but at least we waited to do our grocery shopping, because we knew it was coming. The weather was warm, but could have been so much hotter, so I consider us lucky. Then there was tropical storm, Lee, which turned out to be the worst of the 3. We've had flooding in our area before, but this had major roads under water. My husband couldn't get to work that Thursday & Friday. The local Ford Dealership was under water. Several sink holes opened up. So many people, including my parents, had flooded basements. It was really something. We were lucky though. I really feel for those that live in the north eastern states. They got it so much worse.

That Friday evening, September 9th, I was suppose to leave for Stamp Camp, which was an all weekend event. As I was on my way out, a neighbor told me that their was a bad accident on my route there. I was already taking a different route, due to closed roads from the floods. I called the hostess and she told me of another route to take, so I proceeded to go. Well, I got lost on the way there. I don't have GPS, but thank God for cell phones, or I could have been lost forever! I had never been to this place before and after being on the road for 3 hours, I finally made it safely. I was greeted with everyone clapping for me. How embarrassing! LOL!

For this event, we each had to bring a make-n-take for 21 people to complete and a completed card to swap toward the end of the event. The make-n-take would be voted on and the top 3 cards would win a prize. Here is my make n' take card:

Stamps: Wicked Cool

Paper: Basic Black, Old Olive, Cajun Craze, Whisper White & Frightful Sight DSP
Ink: Basic Black Classic & Whisper White Craft Ink pads & Old Olive & Cajun Craze Markers
Other: Ornament, Jewelry Tag & 1" Circle Punch, Big Shot, Houndstooth Embossing Folder, Simply Scored Scoring Tool, Rhinestones, Sticky Strip & Dimensionals

After seeing all of the wreaths made with rosettes, I decided to try and make something with one. A couple weeks earlier, someone in my upline made something similar, with the witch falling into the cauldron. It then came to me to make a skirt using half of a rosette. The card was a huge hit and I tied with a fellow demonstrator for second place:)

My next card was the swap that I made:

Stamps: Dark & Dreary

Paper: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White & Pick Your Poison DSP

Ink: Basic Black

Other: Big Shot, Scallop Squares Duo, 1", 3/4", 1/2" Circle punches, Basic Black 5/8" Satin ribbon, Basic Rhinestones & Dimensionals

I'm pretty happy with the way this one turned out. I love the DSP used with this one. Gives it almost a vintage feel. Vintage is so out of my comfort zone, but this paper helps.I think the Rhinestones on the spider add a nice touch.

I'm hoping to get some organizing done in my craft room this weekend. I finally got the last of my storage units and I'm in the process of putting things in their new places and labeling them.. I'm already so happy with the way they look. I will be back soon with some pictures to share:) I hope you have a great weekend!

Last of the Convention Swaps

2011-08-23T10:36:00.000-04:00

Good morning and Happy Tuesday!

So far this has been a great morning. Yesterday, I decided to lay down a couple rules for the kids as last year was a nightmare trying to get them ready for school. My oldest son, gets up and gets ready, no problem! My younger son...trying to get him out of bed is like trying to wake the dead. Once he gets up, you have to push him through eating breakfast, brushing teeth, getting dressed, getting his bookbag and lunchbox and his coat if needed, etc. Sorry to drag it all out, but that's what it was like. Sometimes he would get dressed faster, so he could play his Nintendo DS and then trying to get him out the door, so he wouldn't miss the bus was so hard. I let them know yesterday, that starting today, there will be no DS in the mornings at all. If they follow instructions and get out to school with no issues, they can play with them when they get home. There are also times when they try to get out of school, so I told them if they don't go to school. They won't get to play with the DS at all that day. I'm proud of myself. They didn't give me any grief at all this morning. It went so smooth. Once the bus picked them up, I took my 10 month old puppy for a nice walk. I haven't done that in so long. I need to exercise and I have a reason to now that I have Tebow. I haven't shared a picture of him in a while, so here he is:

Well, here are the last of the Convention swaps that I have to share.

I love the colors in this one and Fun Flowers is my favorite die.

(Robbie Cox)

Here's another beautiful card.

(Cris M.)

I love this new set. I don't have it yet, but it's on my wish list. Another beautiful card.

(Karen T.)

I also thought this was really pretty. I love the Posy Punch stamp set and this one shows off the new In-Colors.

(no name on back)

Here is a really cool card. You can't see it in the photo, but the main image is stamped on a flap, that is tucked in under the circle. When you lift it, you can see the sentiment. Very cute!

(Cassie M.)

And this last one is a bookmark card. I scanned it with the bookmark pulled out, so you could see it. I thought this was really clever.

(Kayleen C.)

Thank you so much for the beautiful cards ladies!

I'm really enjoying this peace & quiet. I need to make several cards today, so I better get busy! I hope you have a wonderful day:)

Extreme Guitar Birthday Card

2011-08-22T12:24:00.000-04:00

Good morning!

Today I would like to share a card that I made for my 16-year old nephew. I had originally planned to make a card with this stamp using a polished stone background, but I wound up not having the Real Red re-inker. (Can you believe it? I don't have Real Red? Oh boy!) Anyway, just to get an idea of what it would have looked like, I dipped the cotton ball in the top of my ink pad and then adding a couple drops of Pacific Point with alcohol. Once I started dabbing it on the Glossy White card stock, it just looked too dark to me. I decided to do something else. I was already late with his card. His birthday was while I was away at the Convention. I just decided to go with my favorite colors...the "Brights Collection"! I just stamped the background images randomly and then stamped the guitarist in the middle. I used the "You Rock" stamp from the Just Jawing stamp set, which is now retired. I then made a layer behind it and curled it up on the end just using my finger.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Extreme Elements, Extreme Guitar (retired) & Just Jawing (retired)

Paper: Pacific Point, Real Red & Whisper White

Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Real Red, Pacific Point, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie & Daffodil Delight

Other: Black Flourishes rhinestones (retired) & Stampin' Dimensionals

I also have more (yes, more! I will actually have one more batch after these.) Convention Swaps to share.

I don't know about you, but I'm a big fan of the Blossom Boquet punch. I thought this card was really pretty.

(Cindy R.)

And I love the way this artist used the punch for a beautiful border.

(Laura H.)

This card is an MDS Hybrid card. The only thing on this card that's not MDS, is the flower tops, which were done with the Blossom Boquet punch & the centers, which were punched from the Itty Bitty punch pack. How cool is that?

(Cathy C.)

The next card was made using the Scallop Square punch. I thought this was really cool, because this artist demonstrated a way to conserve card stock. She actually punched her scalloped squares using the card stock from the background paper. I do this whenever I can:)

And here's the back of the layer, showing you how she conserved card stock.

(Robbie Cox)

This card is so pretty and I love all of the details. The background is beautiful, I love all of the punching, dies, & the colors are so pretty.

(Sandy B,)

Thank you for the beautiful swaps!

OK, so that's it for today. Tomorrow I will be back with the last of the Convention Swaps. I'm finally getting better at posting regularly and I'm hoping to keep it going now that my boys will be going back to school starting tomorrow. I can't believe the summer is almost over. Where did it go?

I hope you have a terrific day!

Out on a limb Owl

2011-08-21T09:48:00.000-04:00

Good morning and Happy Sunday!

Yesterday I woke up knowing that I was attending a stamp meeting hosted by my upline. We were asked to bring cards to share and I really wanted to take something using products from the Holiday Mini Catalog. Earlier in the week, I saw the cutest card made by Stasia Sloma. You can see her card here. I suddenly got the idea to change the card into a Halloween card and use the branch stamp from the "Out On A Limb" stamp set and the Owl stamp from the "Warmest of Wishes" stamp set. The hardest part was cutting out the mask, because it was hard to see when stamping black on black.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Out on a Limb, Warmest of Wishes & Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper: Basic Black, Cajun Crazy, Daffodil Delight, Only Orange (nose), Whisper White & Frightful Sight

Ink: Basic Black & Chocolate Chip

Other: Big Shot & dies (Scallop Circles #2, 3" circle, Punches (3/4" & 1" circles, Word Window & Modern Label), Google Eye & Dimensionals

What do you think?

I'm off to Virginia today to go to my precious little nephew's first birthday party. Happy Birthday, Charlie! I love you:)

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Even More Swaps!

2011-08-20T08:43:00.001-04:00

Good morning and Happy Saturday!

I'm back today with more Convention Swap photos to share. I love the colors in this first one. This is one of my favorite stamp sets. What a great layout!

(Pam L.)

I love this embedded technique and the Bold Brights are my favorite color family!

(Rainy S.)

I love this stamp set and there are Crystal Effects on one of the Pumpkin Pie colored candies!

(Meg M.)

I love how this artist used the Triple Blossom punch as the bow on the gifts!

(No name on back)

The last two cards were made with "The Open Sea" stamp set. I'm so sad that this one didn't make it into the new catalog. It was perfect for making masculine cards.

I love the layout on this card and how she used the Baker's Twine. Very cute!

(Melinda P.)

I love the coloring on this card! I don't understand why the artist didn't put her name on the back. If I did work this pretty, I'd want the whole world to know that I did it:)

(No name on back)

Aren't they beautiful? I decided to store the swaps I received at the Convention in the Card Keeper Box that we received for our Make & Take. I only made about 75 swaps, so the swaps I received, fit in it perfectly:)

I will be attending an upline meeting today, so I'm sure I will have something new to share with you soon. I look forward to your return:)

Have a great day!

More Convention photos & swaps

2011-08-19T08:00:00.017-04:00

Hello and Happy Friday!

I found some more photos from the Convention that I'd like to share. Here are some pics of us girls goofing off and having a blast! If you've never gone, I just can't tell you how much fun it is. I didn't think I'd be able to afford it, but I saved $20 a week starting right after the Convention last year (since I wasn't able to go then) and with the help of my hubby (scheduling his vacaton then to watch the boys) and my roommates (we chipped in money for hotel and car rental to save), it all came together.

My Roommates! (Jen & Cathleen)

Becky H, Jen, Cathleen & me

Debbie, Me & Becky F.

Cathleen, Me, Jen, Joszette, Becky F., Becky H & Debbie

Cathleen, Becky H., Jen & Me

I also have more swaps to share! These particular swaps were made by the girls in our group!

Shawn B.

Jen M.

Debbie J.

Cathleen M.

Joszette C.

I thought it would be really cool to share these swaps along with the photos of our group. I absolutely love these cards ladies!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I will be back with more swap photos soon:)

August Promotion Reminders

2011-08-18T12:12:00.000-04:00

Hello stamp friends!

Can you believe it, two posts in one day! Someone better call Guinness! LOL!

I just wanted to mention the promotions that will be ending on August 31st, so you will have time to order if you're interested.

Stregnth & Hope Campain- for each set sold, Stampin' Up! donate's $2 for breast cancer research. For more images and details, visit my on-line store here: Stregnth & Hope Campain
Summer Mini Catalog- if there are items you want out of the Summer mini catalog, you only have until the 31st to order. Click on the Summer Mini on my sidebar to view or visit my on-line store here to order: Summer Mini Products
Buy 3, get one free- for each 3 packs of Designer Series paper you buy, you will get a pack for free. Please click here to order: Buy 3, Get one Free!

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions and have a great day!

Convention Swaps

2011-08-18T10:47:00.000-04:00

Good morning!

Today I would like to share some of the swaps I received at the Stampin' Up! Convention last month. I can't believe it was a month ago...

This first card was so unique, because the designer used Wood Sheets (on page 216 in the current Idea Book & Catalog) and she ran it through the Big Shot using the Top Note die and then stamped the images on the wood. Such a great idea! The photo does not do this card justice.

Nancy A.

And more of my favorites...

Cheryl R.

Betty G.

Jane R.

Aren't they fantastic? Thank you ladies for such gorgeous cards:)

I still have plenty to show you, so I will be back tomorrow with more. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Convention Gifts

2011-08-16T13:07:00.002-04:00

Hello!

Sorry it's taking me forever to get my posting done about the Convention. I'm trying to get better at it, but I might as well face it...I won't be winning any blog awards this year. LOL!

In this post I would like to show you the Convention gift that I gave the girls in our group. I bought these adorable little mini paint cans that I found at the local craft store. They are clear, so I cut a 1 1/13" x 7" piece of the new Flirtatious Specialty paper and rolled it up, placing it in the can and letting it unravel, tucking it up under the inner rim. Then I filled them with Peppermints. I punched out circles from the other side of the same sheet of DSP and put them in the top of the lids using snail adhesive. Then I just tied a small piece of the new 1/2" Scallop Dots (Melon Mambo) ribbon on the handle. So simple and everyone loved them.

I also wanted to share a couple Convention gifts that I received. The first one was from my roommate Jen! She gave me this beautiful tin filled with chocolates. A girl that evidently knows my worst weakness! LOL!

The second one was from my Upline, Debbie. She made this absolutely gorgeous book, with a matching tag, so I could personalize my Convention bag. She also made a name tag (at the bottom on the right-click to enlarge) and this amazing Button Bracelet! She used the Simply Adorned 8" Bracelet and I think every color button Stampin' Up! has! She gave these to everyone in our group. I had to ask her if I'd get a backorder message when I went to order buttons:) This photo just doesn't do these things justice.

Do you notice anything about all of the Convention gifts? We all used the Flirtatious Specialty DSP! I love this paper:) Great minds think alike;)

I will be back soon to share some of the swaps that I received. I hope you have a great day!

Convention swaps

2011-07-24T14:53:00.004-04:00

Hello stamp friends! Happy Sunday to you! I'm trying to avoid going out in this heat today, which gives me some time to catch up on things. I've been having a hard time getting back into the groove since coming back from Convention. I was so wound up for so long about going, so it's a big let down now that it's over! Convention was awesome! It was everything I thought it would be and more. A break from the norm, a chance to have fun and let loose, (I didn't have to worry about my boys, since my hubby took the week off to spend time with them. He's such an awesome dad!) meeting new people, including getting to say hi and introduce myself to some of my favorite stampers from the blogs that I follow. (Patty Bennett, Dawn Olchefske, Robin Merriman, Tiffany Bauer, Lyssa Zwolanek & Mary Fish) All were so very kind. I saw Diana Gibbs and was in such shock, I accidently called her Donna. I could have slapped myself. LOL! She just smiled and waved. So sweet.

We arrived on Tuesday and after a 5-hour flight, we picked up our rental car and got on the highway heading for our hotel. I just couldn't believe the majestic sight. Despite temps in the 90's, the mountains were snowcaped. I said "Look at this scenery!" and I screamed! My two roommates just laughed at me. You'd think I never get out. LOL! We dropped off our luggage and went to the Olive Garden for dinner. Then we relaxed the rest of the evening.

On Wednesday we went to the Stampin' Up! Headquarters in Riverton and took a tour of the building. There were numerous displays to look at. We got to see the Distribution Center and see how the orders are handled. We even got to walk through the office, which was decorated with cards and projects for inspiration. Afterwards, we went to the Gathering Place and swapped cards until the Kick Off Party began. When it was over, we walked back to our hotel and relaxed until we fell asleep. We were exhausted from all of the festivities that day. Unfortunately, I didn't get much sleep. The bed was so comfortable, but I just couldn't calm myself down for some reason.

Here are the two swaps that I made for Convention. I made 25 of the Fabulous Florets card and 48 of the Scaredy Cat Halloween card. Everyone seemed to like them, so I was very happy about that:)

On Thursday, we went to our first General Session where there was entertainment, etc. They also showed us some of the new products. Then they had Prize Patrol for the new "Simply Scored". (If you have not seen this yet, it's so much nicer than all of the others I've seen!) I can remember looking down at my bracelet and seeing orange & white checkers and saying to myself "Come on orange & white checkers!" and when they appeared on the screen, I jumped out of my seat and scream out loud! My upline Becky took this shot of me after I got it.

I still can't believe I won Prize Patrol at my very first Convention:)

I have to run for now, but I will be back to share more from Convnetion, including some of my favorites from the swaps I received. I hope you're having a great weekend:)

The 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog is here!!!

2011-07-01T12:16:00.001-04:00

Hello stamp friends!

The 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog is finally here!!! If you haven't had a chance to look at it yet, you are truly in for a treat! So many beautiful new stamp sets, Designer Series Papers, ribbon & accessories, Big Shot dies, embossing folders... Ok, I will stop, while you check it out:)

What a great way to start off the new Stampin' Up! year! A new catalog and a new promotion for anyone that's on the fence about joining the Stampin' Up! family. Please click here for the details.

If you are interested in becoming a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, please contact me for more info.

I'm sorry I don't have anything to share at this time. I'm in the process of working on swaps for Convention. I will be leaving for Salt Lake City on July 12th and I still have a lot to do. I will try to get in a post before I leave. Be sure to check back as I will have lots to share when I return. I'm so excited about meeting demos from all of the blogs I subscribe to. This is my first Convention, so I feel like a kid going to Disney for the first time:)

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Blog Candy winner!

2011-06-21T09:33:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone!

I want to thank everyone who entered into my Blog Candy drawing. Here are the results from Random.org:

Here is the winning comment:

Hi Julie,

I love this Teacher Card. Such a great idea with the rub-ons. Thanks for sharing, I enjoy stopping by your blog.

Heidi

Thank you so much for your comment Heidi! I will be contacting you for your mailing address:)

As for the items I will miss most from the retired list...The stamp set I will miss most is "Cheep Talk". I just love those little birds! The accessory I will miss most is the small oval punch. That actually shocked me! I can't tell you how much I use that punch:( Such a bummer! I am however very excited about the new products in the new catalog. The new stamp sets are out of this world! If you haven't seen the new catalog yet, you are truly in for a treat! It's such an exciting time to be a demonstrator. I will be leaving for Salt Lake City in 21 days! I'm really looking forward to learning more about My Digital Studio, seeing new products and taking classes. This is my first Convention and I'm attending with two other first timers, so we're all just bouncing off of the walls! Hopefully the anticipation won't kill us before we leave! LOL! Hang in there Cathleen and Jen... the 12th will be here before we know it!

I've decided to challenge myself as I noticed that I have way too many stamp sets that have not seen ink. I've decided to put the names of all of my stamp sets into a bowl. Each time I finish making a card, I will reach into the bowl and pick another set. Some of the sets are current and some are retired, but hopefully by the end of the year, they will all see ink! This should give me a lot more to share on my blog:) I hope you will come back and cheer me on. I will have to take a break at some point as I haven't created my swaps for Convention yet. I'm planning to use sets in the new catalog and will be placing my order July 1st. I won't get my order until the 5th, so I will be making my swaps up until it's time to go.

Anyway, thanks so much for visiting my blog and for your kind comments. I hope you will come back often. Have a wonderful week!

Teacher Thank You & Blog Candy

2011-06-17T18:55:00.000-04:00

Hello stamp friends!!

Today I would like to share a card that I made for the teacher for the last day of school. I don't have any school related sets. The only stamp that I knew I could use for a teacher was the apple from the soon to be retired "Tart & Tangy" stamp set. Then I remembered that I had bought some rub-ons a while back that I was planning to use for a scrapbook page someday. I wound up using them to make the top border of the card and the main image. What do you think?

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Tart & Tangy
Paper: Real Red, Basic Black, Garden Green, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White & Just Add Cake DSP
Ink: Real Red, Garden Green & Chocolate Chip markers
Other: Punches: (Spiral, 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" circles, small star (retired)), School Days rub-ons (retired), Mini Clip & Dimensionals.

Blog Candy!!!

For a chance to win this Unmounted, Level 1 Birthday Bakery Clear Mount stamp set, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling me which item/items you will miss the most on the retired lists. You have until Monday night at 11:59 pm Stampin' Up! time:) I will post the winner on Tuesday morning. If you already have this stamp set, I have a couple other dups, so just let me know when you win if you have it or not and maybe I have something you don't have.

I believe there are some rules about out of the country winners. If you are out of the country and win, I won't be able to send you this stamp set, but I would love to send you 3 cards made by me personally:)

I want to thank you very much for reading my blog and for your very kind comments. They mean the world to me:)

I hope you have a great weekend!!!!

Sneak Peak: Pennant Parade

2011-06-12T09:41:00.002-04:00

Today I would like to share a card that I made for a swap. We had to make a card using items that would be current when the new catalog comes out. I chose to use the new stamp set "Pennant Parade", the new "Just Add Cake" DSP and the new 1/2" Scallop Dots Chocolate Chip ribbon. Don't you just love these new items? This card took me forever to make. The cupcake is rather large, so I must have changed it 6 times, before I thought it worked. I made the cupcake using the Petal Cone die and running the bottom piece throught the Crimper. Then I used the Elegant Lines embossing folder on the top. What do you think?

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Pennant Parade
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Poppy Parade, Baja Breeze, Whispere White & Just Add Cake DSP
Ink: Poppy Parade, Baja Breeze & Wild Wasabi
Other: Big Shot, Petal Cone Die, Elegant Lines embossing folder, Crimper, Punches: (Itty Bitty punch pack, Perfect Pennants & 3/4" circle), 1/2" Scallop Dots Chocolate Chip ribbon, Basic Pearls, Toothpick, Glue Dots & Dimensionals

I've decided to do a Blog Candy Give-a-way as I just reached 5,000 blog hits. I know compared to other blogs out there, it's not much, but it means a lot to me. Please stay tuned as I'm in the process of figuring out what I'm going to give away and try to get a picture of it. I currently don't have my camera. It's in the shop being cleaned and the flash being repaired for Convention:) I will see if I can scan it, like I do my cards.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful day!!!

Baby Cards

2011-05-23T13:57:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday! I hope you had a nice weekend. The weather was warm and we got a lot done around the house, so I'm ready to get back to stamping!

Today I have some baby cards to share. I had to make one for a girl and a boy. I loved the little punched duck that I saw on LeeAnn Greff's blog, so I decided to case it. I too went with a round frame and used the Island Floral Bigz die for the scallops behind the main image. I used the Love Birds Simply Scrappin' kit for the DSP on the baby girl card. The hearts were from the adhesive sheets that came in the kit. For the baby boy card, I used the Nursery Suite DSP. I used the small heart punch and punched hearts out of Bashful Blue & Pear Pizzazz cardstock. I love the way they turned out.

Supplies Used:

Stamps:
Paper: Early Espresso, Whisper White, So Saffron, Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz, Baja Breeze, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White, Nursery Suite DSP & Love Birds Simply Scrappin' kit
Ink: Early Espresso
Other: Punches: 1", 1 3/4" & 2 1/2" circles, Two-step bird, Own punch, large & scallop Ovals, Small heart, & Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border, Island Floral Bigz die, Perfect Polka dots embossing folder & Stampin' Dimensionals

Are any of my blogging friends attending the Stampin' Up! Convention this year? This will be my first time going. I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself! Actually, I'm doing pretty good, considering I've been super busy attending lots of demo events, meetings and I even joined joined a group swap. The time is flying by. I can't wait for June 1st when we will get to find out what we can pre-order from the new 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog! I'm dying to see the new In-colors! We will also find out what Stampin' Up! items we will have to say farewell to. I hope none of my favorites will be going:( Oh, what an exciting time to be a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator!!!

Ok, enough of my rambling. LOL! I just can't help it!

Thanks so much for coming by. I hope you have a great day and a terrific week:)

Hello Blossoms Gift Tag

2011-05-18T00:24:00.000-04:00

Good Morning!

A couple weeks ago when I went to a demo event, someone brought an adorable set of gift tags. I loved them so much that I decided to make one of my own. I just love this new "Hello Blossoms" stamp. My favorite color family is the Brights Collection, so I decided to go with the SAB Ice Cream Parlor DSP, which is no longer available. (Sorry) I used Markers to stamp the main image, then I ran the marker over the letters again and punched them out using the 1/4" circle punch. I used the little circle punch in the Itty Bitty punch pack to punch circles from scraps of Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist, Regal Rose & Pumpkin Pie. I put them on with dimensionals and then put the letters on using glue dots. I love the way it turned out.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Hello Blossoms
Paper: Pacific Point, Whisper White & Ice Cream Parlor DSP
Ink: Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist, Regal Rose, Pumpkin Pie & Old Olive Markers
Accessories: Two Tags die, Dimensionals & 3/8" Daffodil Delight Taffeta ribbon

Thanks so much for coming by and I hope you have a great day!

Mother's Day cards...

2011-05-17T16:01:00.000-04:00

Happy Tuesday!

I'm a little behind posting my Mother's Day cards. I was hoping to share a photo of my mom and I, but I haven't been able to get the photo yet:(

Here is the card that I made for my mom. Her favorite color is blue.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Fabulous Florets & All Holidays
Paper: Pacific Point, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White & Beyond the Garden DSP
Ink: Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight & Wild Wasabi
Accessories: Big Shot, Top Note die, Square Lattice embossing folder, Ice Cream Parlor buttons, Basic Rhinestones, & White Organdy ribbon

I used the same stamp set and design for this card that I made for my Mother-In-Law. The only difference is I used the Fire Rhinestones, because there wasn't a Pumpkin colored button in the SAB buttons.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Fabulous Florets & All Holidays
Paper: Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White & Beyond the Garden DSP
Ink: Wild Wasabi, Melon Mambo & Tangerine Tango
Accessories: Big Shot, Top Note die, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Scallop Edge punch, Fire Rhinestones, & White Organdy Ribbon

I had a wonderful Mother's Day and I hope you all did too!

April Showers bring May fun!!!

2011-05-02T11:30:00.000-04:00

Hello stamp friends!

I hope you all had a great weekend! My weekend started off bad, as my 6-month old puppy, Tebow got violently ill. I had to take him to the animal hospital and after sitting with him for 4 1/2 hours, I had to leave him there overnight for tests. It was late when I got home. I still had swaps that I needed to finish for the next day, but I had an awful headache, so I went to bed. I woke up at 3am, so I put coffee on and called to see how Tebow was doing. They said he was better and I could pick him up at 8am. So I worked on my swaps until it was time to go. Once I got Tebow home and got my stamp supplies together, I left for the day to attend 2 stamp events. One was an all-day thing, and the other was at 2pm. So I left the first event in the middle, went to the second and when it was over, I went back. LOL! It was an exhausting day, but it was so worth it! I'm so glad that I didn't have to miss anything. The talent is amazing and I came home totally inspired! (Thank you, Debbie & Kathy:) I had the best time!

I know I promised to share a more current picture of Tebow, so here's my silly baby!

He is just the sweetest thing! I can't tell you how relieved I am that he's OK.

I also wanted to share the swap that I made for the first event on Saturday. I used a lot of punches on this card, including the new Blossom Boquet Triple layer punch.I really like the way it turned out.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Bold Blossom & Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper: Perfect Plum, Marina Mist, So Saffron & Whisper White

Ink: Marina Mist & Perfect Plum

Accessories: Punches (Blossom Boquet Triple Layer, Boho Blossoms, 3/4" Circle, Small, Large & Scallop ovals) Beautiful Wings embosslits die, Marina Mist 1/8" Taffeta ribbon, Fire Circle brads, & Basic Rhinestones

Here are the Promotions that Stampin' Up! has going on in the month of May.

First, the new Summer Mini Catalog is here! You can order from May 1st-August 31st, 2011. You can view the new Summer mini by clicking on the picture on the sidebar to the left.

Second, May is National Scrapbooking month! From May 1-31, 2011, Stampin' Up! has select stamp sets and Digital Scrapbook supplies for 30% off. You will find the flyer on the sidebar to the left.

Thanks so much for visiting and I hope you have a beautiful day!

Sail Away Sneak Peak

2011-04-29T12:41:00.000-04:00

Hello & Happy Friday!

It's such a beautiful day here in Maryland. We've had some very nasty weather here the last couple days. We were under a Tornado Watch Wednesday night through Thursday afternoon. When my kids got off the bus yesterday, my oldest son told me that they had a tornado warning while in school. They came over the loud speaker, telling them to evacuate the class. They had to go into the hall and sit on the floor facing the lockers, with their heads down and their arms covering their heads. We had some wicked weather here, too. I could hear things slamming around outside. I looked out the window and could barely see the house next door. Pretty scary stuff! I really feel for those who live in Tornado Alley and who have lost loved ones to the storms.

Today I would like to share a card using new products that will be available May 1st in the Summer Mini. I made this card for a demo event this coming Saturday. I love this image and the new Designer Series Paper is just gorgeous!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Sail Away & On Your Birthday
Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Whisper White & Nautical Expedition DSP
Ink: Early Espresso & Night of Navy Markers
Other: Sizzix Scallop Squares Duo die, Antique Brass Jumbo Eyelets, Punches (Large & Small Ovals), 1/4" Early Espresso Taffeta ribbon & Cherry Cobbler Bakers Twine

Thanks so much for coming by! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Blog Award & Birthday Sale-A-Bration

2011-04-27T19:04:00.001-04:00

Hello and Happy Wednesday!

I'm sorry I've fallen off of the radar yet again. There has been so much going on between family birthdays, getting tax papers together and filed, re-organizing and doing Spring cleaning.

Today I want to start by thanking the very talented Chat, at Me My Stamps & I, for sending me the Stylish Blogger Award. This is my first blog award and to get it from her just totally made my day!

Recipients of the Stylish Blogger Award are asked to... 1) Thank the donor... 2) Link to the donor's blog... 3) Share eight personal tidbits... 4) Pass the award on to eight other blogs... 5) Leave a comment on each.

Eight random facts about me:

8. I married my high school sweetheart the year after graduation.
7. My favorite cartoon character is Snoopy
6. My parents and I have birthdays 3 days in a row! (March 22, 23, 24th!)
5. I love reality TV. My favorite shows are Deadliest Catch & Whale Wars.
4. I have done crafts all of my life. I started with Fabric photo albums, then counted cross stitch, ceramics and then found my favorite craft ever in 2006 and I plan to stamp the rest of my life:)
3: I love Italian food...grew up on grandma's homemade Spaghetti sauce and I miss her and the sauce terribly:(
2: I love heavy metal music, but am starting to find that I like other music that I didn't like at the time I was growing up, like Journey, etc. Am I mellowing out??? LOL!
1. I'm looking forward to attending my first Stampin' Up! Convention this coming July (and I hope to see you there!)

I'm sending this Stylish Blogger Award to these very talented stampers:

Michelle http://istampedthat.com/
Renee http://reneevs.blogspot.com/
Beth http://www.craftycreationsbybeth.com/
Connie http://www.constantlystamping.com/constantly_stamping/
Jen http://jen-icreate.blogspot.com/
Sandy http://www.sandystamper.com/
Rose http://rosemariediehl.blogspot.com/
Sarah http://sarahsinkspot.com/blog/

I can't tell you how hard it was to pick just 8. I subscribe to over 200 blogs!

Today I would like to share a card that I made to swap at our last demo meeting. I'm sorry I'm so late sharing this card made with Sale-A-Bration items.

Supplies Used:

•Stamps: Create-A-Cupcake
•Cardstock: Pacific Point, Melon Mambo, Whisper White & Ice Cream Parlor DSP
•Ink: Pacific Point
•Other: Sizzix Big Shot Machine & Sizzix Tasteful Trim die & Sizzix Circles # 2 die (for 2" circle), Punches (2 3/8" Scallop Circle, 1 3/4" Circle, Build a Cupcake, Word Window & Modern Label) & Ice Cream Parlor Buttons.

Thanks so much for coming by and I hope you have a great day!

Cupcake Clouds...

2011-02-23T21:56:00.000-05:00

Hello!

Can you believe it's my fourth post in four days? Someone may have to call Guinness! LOL!

Each week, a group of us get together to stamp. I saw this card a couple days ago and I had to make something similar. Who would have ever thought to make clouds with the cupcake punch? Lynn Pratt, that's who! Check out her card here: http://stampndesign.blogspot.com/2011/02/build-cupcake-hot-air-balloon.html I thought it was so cute and as soon as I saw the balloon, I remembered that I had the "Sweet Centers" stamp set. This is what I came up with. The girls loved it! Thanks so much for the inspiration Lynn:)

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Sweet Centers & Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper: Pacific Point, Bashful Blue, Whisper White, & SAB Ice Cream Parlor DSP
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Other:1 3/4" circle, Word Window, Modern Label & Build A Cupcake punch, mini glue dots & Stampin' Dimensionals

Well, it's been a long day and I didn't sleep well last night, so I'm off to dream land. Have a wonderful evening!

Happy Winter or Happy Spring?

2011-02-22T08:33:00.000-05:00

Hello stamp friends!

My husband came out of the room last night after listening to the radio and he told me we were expecting sleet (last night) and then 2-4 inches of snow overnight. Do I know what snow feels like, or what? I just knew it:) Well, thank goodness we didn't even get an inch, but we did get the sleet and about a half inch of snow on top. School has been closed, so the kids will be home again today. They don't even know it yet. They are normally up by now eating breakfast. I wish I could sleep in, but have this internal alarm clock and am usually up by 7am.

Well, as promised, here is my Spring card using the Bold Blossom stamp set. I love the new SAB Ice Cream Parlor DSP! The bright colors just make me happy! You can earn free Sale-A-Bration items with each $50 you spend between now and March 31st. I cased the flowers on my card from Sarah Willis' card. You can see it here: http://sarahsinkspot.com/blog/2011/01/a-gem-of-a-blossom.html Her work is gorgeous, so if you haven't been to her blog, you must check it out! Thanks Sarah for the inspiration:)

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Bold Blossom

Paper: Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Pacific Point, Whisper White & Ice Cream Parlor DSP

Ink: Old Olive, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight & Pacific Point

Other: Top Note die, Large Oval, Scallop Oval, Boho Blossoms & 3/4" circle punches, Basic Rhinestones, SAB Ice Cream Parlor ribbon & Stampin' Dimensionals.

I hope you enjoyed my card and please keep your fingers crossed that my kids will be content today, so I can find some time to stamp:) Have a wonderful day!

Still catching up...

2011-02-21T15:34:00.000-05:00

Good morning! I hope you all had a great weekend. I was happy to get some cleaning done and am ready to start creating for my next stamp get-together.

I wanted to share the Valentine card that I made for a shoebox swap with my upline and sidelines:) What do you call the stampers that are in the same downline as you?

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Valentine Defined
Paper: Real Red, Basic Gray, Whisper White, Love Impressions DSP, Patterns Love DSP & Glimmer Paper
Ink: Pink Pirouette Ink Pad & Basic Black, & Real Red Stamin' Write markers
Other: 2 3/8" Scallop Circle, 1 3/4" Circle, Large & Small Oval & Heart to Heart Punches, Tasleful Trim die, Circles #2 die for 2" circle, 1/4" Red Taffeta Ribbon, Basic Rhinestones & Stampin' Dimensionals

I like this card, but just wish the Flamingos stood out a little better. I didn't stamp them red, because I thought some might think it was weird. LOL!

I have to tell you...I'm so ready for Spring! Although, I'm not ready for the allergies I get along with it, I'm just ready to see more sunshine and for it to feel warmer. It got up to 75 degrees here last Friday and now it feels like it's going to snow again. I can't wait to get outside and take Tebow for a nice walk. It's so cold, even he doesn't want to stay out long. Anyway, I hope you are having a great day and please come back tomorrow. I have a nice Spring card to share that I made using the Bold Blossom stamp set.

Happy New Year! Sorry I'm SO late:(

2011-02-20T19:22:00.000-05:00

Hello stamp friends!

I can't believe how long it has been since my last post. It was a very busy holiday season for us. As if things weren't hectic enough, we wound up getting a puppy for the boys for Christmas. He's a lot of work, but we just love him so much! He's a Boglen Terrier. (Boston Terrier/Beagle mix). Isn't he sweet? My husband named him "Tebow" after Tim Tebow, his favorite college quarterback (used to play for the Florida Gators.) This photo was taken a couple days after we got him. He's grown so fast. I will share a more up-to-date photo soon.

I wanted to share the Christmas cards that I got from some of my stamp friends.

(Kathy W.) The thing that I love about this one is, those are the same type dogs she really has! So cute!

(Tammie S.)

(Jen M.)

(Karin T.)

(Joyce K.)

Thank you so much ladies for the awesome Christmas cards!

Next, I would like to share a couple of my Christmas cards and a matching Gift Card Holder that I made during the holidays.

I don't know about you, but I just love this DSP (Jolly Holiday) and used a lot of it! It has been so long since I made these, so I won't bother to list everything that I used. All were made using Stampin' Up! stamp sets & supplies.

I hope everyone is having a great year so far and I hope you will come back as I have something to share tomorrow.

A Cute Christmas Snowman

2010-10-19T21:42:00.000-04:00

Good evening friends!

I finally had some time today to make a card, but I'm not sure how happy I am with the way it turned out. The top looks a little awkward to me with all of the white. I love the snowman, the snowflakes & the colors have grown on me. At first I wasn't really crazy about the paper, etc. I loved the designs, but when I think of Christmas, I think Reds & Greens. This snowman was so cute, that I couldn't stop myself from getting this set.

For the coloring, I used the ink in the top of the ink pads with a blender pen. I used the Basic Black Stampin' Write marker to color in his hat. I used the new Sizzix Big Shot Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets when die cutting the snowflakes. Then all I had to do, was peel off the back and stick them to the front of the card. It was a little easier said than done. I'm not sure if I needed more shim behind the plates, but it took me a little while to get all of the little accents poked out.

Stamps: A Cute Christmas
Paper: Baja Breeze, Blushing Bride, Whisper White & Candy Cane Christmas DSP
Ink: Black Stazon, Baja Breeze, Blushing Bride, Garden Green & Real Red Ink pads & Basic Black Stampin' Write marker
Other: Punches (Dotted Scallop Ribbon border, 1 3/4" circle, 2 3/8" Scallop Cirlce, 2 1/2" Circle & Large Oval) Northern Flurry Strip die, Basic Rhinestones, Blender Pen & Sizzix Multipurpose adhesive sheets

Thanks so much for coming by!

Regional swap shares

2010-10-16T13:16:00.002-04:00

Good afternoon and Happy Saturday!

Sorry for the short delay in posting. There has been a lot going on here in the last week. Last Sunday I had my Open House. It turned out really nice and everyone seemed to have a great time. Here are two of the make & takes that I had:

Stamps: Wicked Cool

Paper: Old Olive, Basic Black, Whisper White & Wicked Fun DSP
Ink: Black Stazon & Cajun Craze & Pear Pizzazz Stampin' Write markers
Other: Rhinestones, Raven 1/2" lace trim, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, Punches (Bat, 1 3/8" & Scallop Circle) Mat Pack & dimensionals

I got the idea for the embossing from Angela's card here: http://trulyinkspirational.blogspot.com/2010/08/wicked-cool-card.html I love her work!

Stamps: Day Of Gratitude

Paper: Cajun Craze, Very Vanilla & Autumn Spice DSP

Ink: Cajun Craze, Old Olive, More Mustard, & Early Espresso
Other: Punches (Decorative Label & 1-3/8 & 1-1/4" Squares), 5/8" Olive Olive Satin Ribbon & dimensionals

On Tuesday, a bunch of us got together to do our make & takes from the Baltimore Regional. We were having too much fun talking to other stampers and taking pictures of the display boards, etc., so we decided to do them at home. It was a lot of fun, because we couldn't all sit together at the Regional and some of us got different swaps, so it was nice to be able to look at them and take photos. There are some incredibly talented stampers out there! I will be back to share some of my favorite swaps that I received, but today I want to share the work of my recruit, Cathleen & our guest to the Regional, TJ. First you will see the two samples that were done by Cathleen.

And this one was done by our Regional guest, TJ.

Aren't they great cards? Their work is so clean and beautiful, it's hard to believe that these are their first ever swaps! You go ladies!!!

It is such a beautiful Fall day here in Maryland. I have the windows open and can hear the nice breeze. This is my favorite time of year. My husband and I had our 21st anniversary this week. We celebrated last night. The kids spent the night over their grandmother's house and we went out for a quiet dinner. It's so quiet here today. I could get used to this really easy:) The kids will be back later today and we're planning to take them to the Pumpkin Patch tomorrow. I hope you're enjoying your weekend as much as I am!

My Swap for the Baltimore Regional

2010-10-06T10:54:00.000-04:00

Good morning!

Today I would like to share the swap that I made for the Baltimore Regional. I attended the one on Friday, October 1st.

As you can tell, I went a little nuts with punches, but I was really happy with the way it turned out and I got a lot of compliments, so it really made me feel good.

Stamps: Perfect Punches
Paper: Soft Suede, Baja Breeze, Old Olive, Very Vanilla & Elegant Soiree DSP
Ink: Soft Suede
Other: Big Shot & dies (Island Floral & Lots Of Tags), Punches (Two-Step Bird, Itty Bitty Shapes, Dotted Scallop Ribbon, & Wide Oval) Basic Pearls, Dimensionals & Glue Dots

At the Regional, someone showed us how to use the Big Shot Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets on page 17 of the Holiday Mini Catalog. I asked my upline if they could be used with punches as well and she said it was demonstrated at the Regional. I must have missed that part, but I do remember seeing them use it with the new Northern Flurry strip die. All I know is, they would have saved me all of the time it took me to put adhesive on the back of the little branches:) I've already ordered some!

I will be back soon to share the swaps my downline & guest made. I also want to share my favorite swaps and some photos of our group.

Have a great day!

Baby Congrats & Birthday cards

2010-10-04T11:01:00.000-04:00

Good morning!

Can you believe it? This is my second post in two days:)

First, I would like to share the card I made for my sister-in-law to congratulate her on the birth of my precious little nephew, Charlie. I bought this stamp knowing I would be using it for this special occasion.I used the Baja Breeze Die Cut sheet from the Nursery Suite Specialty Designer Series Paper. I cut a piece of Chocolate Chip paper and put it behind the scallops so the pretty design would show through. I also used Baja Breeze paper from the Subtles Patterns DSP pack. I punched out a tiny heart and added the bow. Isn't this sweet?

Stamps: Baby Steps

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz, Real Red, Whisper White & Nursery Suite Specialty DSP

Ink: Baja Breeze

Other: Two-Step Owl Punch (heart), Early Espresso 1/8" tafetta ribbon, glue dot & dimensionals

My second card is a card that I made for my upline's birthday. I'm loving the new In-Colors and Sunny Garden Designer Series paper.

Stamps: Just Believe

Paper: Peach Parfait, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White & Sunny Garden DSP

Ink: Pear Pizzazz

Other: Punches (Two-Step Bird, Dotted Scallop Ribbon, Modern Label & Word Window), Fire & Ice Rhinestone Brads, & Stampin' Dimensionals

I hope you've enjoyed the cards I shared today and I hope you'll come back soon.

Have a terrific day!

Happy Fall to all!

2010-10-03T10:47:00.001-04:00

Good morning!

I know it's been a long time since I've shared anything...and I have a lot to share! First, here is a card that I made for one of our meetings. I punched a circle in the center of a card sized piece of card stock and brayered the sun using Daffodil Delight ink. I goofed and accidently used something that has retired! Can you figure out what it is?

Stamps: Inspired by Nature & Sincere Salutations
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight & Whisper White
Ink: Old Olive & Cholcolate Chip
Other: Punches, (1 3/8 circle, XL Two-Step Bird, & Horizontal Slot), brayer & Dimensionals

Here is another card that I made for the same meeting:

For this one, I used the Stampin' Up! Exclusive Blossom Party die. I curled the flowers under using my bone folder. The flower itself was cased from Creations By Patti. If you don't subscribe to this blog, it's a must. So much talent there!

Stamps: Perfect Punches
Paper: Soft Suede, Old Olive, Very Vanilla & Elegant Soiree DSP
Ink: Baja Breeze
Other: Sizzix dies (Blossom Party & Swirly strip), Punches (Small & Scallop Oval & 1/2" circle), Sponge & Dimensionals

I made a card using the same colors, papers & stamp set for the Baltimore Regional, which was this past Friday. It was my first event like this. I had the best time and came home with a ton of new ideas & swaps:) It was great hanging out with my stamp friends and seeing familiar faces from the blogging world.

I will be back shortly to share more cards with you. I have a couple cards that I made using the Baby Steps stamp set and of course my swap card from the Regional.

Thanks for coming by and I hope you have a beautiful day!

Happy September!!! Kick off to Holiday fun!!!

2010-09-01T10:38:00.000-04:00

Hello stamp friends!

I don't know about you, but there is something so exciting about making cards for the holiday season. With the new products in the 2010-2011 Holiday Mini Catalog, it will be more exciting than ever! Today is the day you can begin placing orders. If you haven't seen the mini yet, check it out on my side bar. You will not be disappointed. My wish list is a mile long, even after placing my pre-order:) I'm hoping to get some cards made today, but things are really crazy here with my hubby out of town, so I will do my best to post something in the next day or two.

Are you thinking of becoming a demonstrator? When you join Stampin' Up! between September 1st and October 18th, (or while supplies last) you will receive this beautiful Tote bag for free with your starter kit.

Craft Tote Recruiting Promotion

New recruits who join the Stampin' Up! family as a demonstrator during the promotion period will receive a FREE craft tote (valued at $39.95) with the purchase of their Starter Kit.

Greenhouse Gala Craft Tote Description

• 100% twill nylon exterior; 100% nylon interior
• Dimensions: 15-3/4" x 7-5/8" x 8-7/8"
• Includes attachable shoulder strap for easy transport
• Center section fits 12" x 12" card stock, Craft Keepers, and Paper Cutter
• Outside pockets fit extra-large punches perfectly
• Outside flap pockets offer secure spot for accessories
• Back zipper pocket holds up to seven Stampin' Pads

If you have any questions about the starter kit, please contact me today!

Have a wonderful day!

Pretty Princess Birthday card

2010-08-28T19:06:00.000-04:00

Hello everybody!

Today I would like to share another kids card that I made this week. This one is for a little girl. I knew which stamp set I wanted to use, but I wasn't sure which colors to use. One of my customers asked me how I pick my colors and fussed over how great I am with color. I have to be totally honest... I've never been great with color. When I first started making cards, I often got very frustrated trying to come up with a color scheme. Then I discovered the Stampin' Up! Designer Series Paper! Often times, I will choose the stamp set first and then I would choose one of the Designer Series Paper's that would go nicely with the set I choose. It makes my life so much easier! You don't have to be great with color to make beautiful cards!

When I was done putting the main image, the ribbon & sentiment on this card, I kept looking at it and thinking that it needed something else. Then I thought about the rhinestones, but thought they'd look funny by themselves, so I decided to try putting them on the little flower punch from the Itty Bitty Punch Pack. What do you think?

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Pretty Princess

Paper: Concord Crush, Blushing Bride, Whisper White & Lap Of Luxury DSP

Ink: Jet Black StazOn & Concord Crush, Blushing Bride, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzazz Stampin' Write Markers

Other: Flower Punch (Itty Bitty Punch Pack), Basic Jewels (Rhinestones), Blushing Bride & Concord Crush In-Color Stitched Poly Ribbon, Mat Pack, Paper Piercing tool, Stampin' Dimensionals & Mini Glue Dots.

Thanks so much for coming by. I hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

It's the most WONDERFUL time of the year!

2010-08-25T10:19:00.000-04:00

Good morning stampers!

Can you tell I'm a little excited about school being back in session? Don't get me wrong, my boys were very well behaved this summer. Of course I had to referee their fighting and arguements, but they're boys:)

I didn't waste anytime getting back in to the swing of things. I made this card on Monday.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Choo Choo, On Your Birthday & Right on Track Stampin' Around wheel

Paper: Real Red, Whisper White & Tempting Turquoise CS & Play Date DSP

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise & Real Red

Other: Ticket Corner Punch & Stampin' Dimensionals

I know I promised to share some time saving tips in the past, so here they are! In the first photo, you will see how I store some of my card stock. I pre-cut sheets from each color family and scored them. I used the now retired Forget-Me-Not Keepers and the very cool P-Touch label maker to make the labels for each color family. (In aplha order, of course!) This makes life so easy when I have an event, I can just grab what I need and go! Here's a photo of the Bold Brights family:

In the second photo, you will see a mini magazine holder that I made. I keep this on my desk filled with envelopes & pre-cut inserts for the sentiment. When I'm finished making my card, I just grab an insert, stamp and put in an envelope.

Thanks for coming by! I hope you've enjoyed my card and have found the time saving tips useful. Have a wonderful day!!!

Happy Friday and blog candy winners...

2010-07-30T18:07:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday everyone! I don't know about you, but I'm so glad the weekend is here:)

I'm sorry I wasn't able to post the blog candy results this morning as promised. I'm pretty good with the computer, but I couldn't figure out how to save the results from Random.org. I wound up asking a friend that I met through blogging and she was a great help. Thank you, Rose!

Here are the results for the blog candy give-a-way.

Sunny, that would be you! Cathleen, you're second. I will send you both an e-mail to find out which colors you prefer. Thanks so much for the sweet comments (made me want to cry:) and for playing along.

As for me, the color I'm most disappointed to see go would have to be Close to Cocoa, though I liked a lot that are no longer available. The newest color I like the most is Marina Mist and the newest In-Color is definitely Poppy Parade:)

I will be back soon to share some of my organizing tips. I've been organizing a lot lately and I still have a lot to do. I'm driving myself nuts trying to decide if I want to keep my retired colors for personal use. My main issue is they're taking up so much space. It's hard for me to focus when it's a mess in my little stamp room.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Butterfly Prints & Blog Candy Reminder!

2010-07-29T20:03:00.000-04:00

Hello!

Today I wanted to share a card that I made using the new Butterfly Prints stamp set. I just love these butterflies and the new In-Colors.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Butterfly Prints & Perfect Punches

Card stock: Poppy Parade, Peach Parfait, & Whisper White

Ink: Poppy Parade, Peach Parfait, & Pear Pizzazz

Other: Poppy Parade In-Color ribbon, Punches (Eyelet Border, Curly Label, Butterfly & Itty Bitty Shapes), & Jewels (Basic Pearls).

Blog candy reminder: Tomorrow morning I will be using Random.org to chose the winners for my blog candy drawing. If you haven't had a chance to leave a comment and would like to do so, please click here http://juliesstampjournal.blogspot.com/2010/07/more-baby-shower-projects-and-blog.html and leave your comment on on the Blog Candy post.

Thanks for stopping by and good luck!

More baby shower projects and Blog Candy!!!

2010-07-25T20:52:00.010-04:00

Hello everyone!

I'm sorry for the major lack in posting. No, my vacation wasn't that long, but the kids are home for the summer, so it's a little harder finding time to blog. I had the best time with my Aunt and family in Portland, Oregon. What a beautiful place! We were there on one of the clearest days and from one spot (Pittock Mansion), we could see Mt. Ranier, Mt. St. Helens, Mt Adams, Mt. Hood and Mt. Jefferson. I was so disappointed as I forgot my zoom lens:( Anyway, here's a photo that I took from the plane on the way home. I'm not even sure which mountain this is, but thought it was so cool coming up through the clouds.

When I got home, I began working on the baby shower favors. I didn't realize that I had less than two weeks to make 35 favors and finish the banner I started, but I managed to get them done just in time. Here are photos of them:

I got the idea for this favor on Dawn Olchefske's blog. She has a video tutorial that can be found here:

http://dostamping.typepad.com/dostamping_with_dawn/2010/06/dawn-dostamping-stampin-up-two-tags-die-box.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DostampingWithDawn+%28DOstamping+with+Dawn%29

I love her blog! If you haven't visited, you will find so much inspiration there. (Thank you, Dawn! The mother-to-be loved them!:)

I wanted to have a little fun and do a little blog candy giveaway. I have 6x6 packages of unused colors from the Pattern/Prints Packs from previous years. They are 2-sided, have 6 designs and there are 2 sheets of each for a total of 12 sheets. I have 7 packs. The 1st place winner will be able to choose 3 of the 7, the 2nd place winner will then choose the next 2 colors and the 3rd place winner will be sent the remaining 2. Here are the colors that I have:

2-Apricot Appeal

Bashful Blue

Certainly Celery

Pretty In Pink

2- Wild Wasabi

For a chance to win, all you have to do is leave a comment with your answer to the following question: Out of the colors that were recently retired, which one will you miss the most? And which of the new colors is your favorite?

I will announce the winners here on my blog on Friday morning, July 30th.

To those of my stamp/blogging friends that were able to go to the Stampin' Up! Convention this year, I hope you had a wonderful time and I'm really looking forward to going next year!

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Birthday card & excitement!

2010-06-09T12:35:00.002-04:00

Good afternoon everyone!

I feel like I'm on an emotional roller coaster, but more excited than anything. My baby is graduating from Kindergarten in a couple hours. He did so great in school this year. He's a wild one, so I have to admit I was a little concerned when he started school this year, but he really surprised me. The teacher said that he's the best reader in the class. I'm so proud of him and can't wait to see him in his cap & gown:)

Tomorrow, I will be taking my first trip to the west coast for my Aunt's 60th birthday celebration. My hubby & boys will not be going with me, but I will be traveling with other family. I have cousins that I've never met before, so I'm very excited about meeting them. I wasn't really looking forward to the long plane ride. The longest I've been on a plane is less than 3 hours. This will be double and will have a layover:( Well, I received the new Idea Book & Catalog with my pre-order yesterday.When I walked in the door and saw the box on my table, I quickly opened it and pulled out the catalog. My 8-year old son loves to make cards, so I went to tell him the good news. He was sitting on the porch as I walked up to the door singing and dancing and holding it up for him to see. I didn't realize that his little girlfriend was outside with him. You should have seen the look on their faces. I quickly walked away from the door, but I could still see Brandon... shaking his head. LOL! I'm so happy that I will have something to do on the plane to pass the time.

I've been so busy trying to get things done, that I actually forgot to share a card that I made last week. I made this for the son one of my dearest friends. I love the way it turned out.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Owl Together Now

Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point, Watercolor Paper, & Good Morning Sunshine DSP

Ink: Black Stazon & Markers (Creamy Caramel, Close To Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie & Summer Sun)

Other: Aqua Painter, Punches (1 3/8", 1 1/4" & 1" circles), Pacific Point 5/8" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, 3/8" Kiwi Kiss/Very Vanilla Satin ribbon & Stampin' Dimensionals

My trip is not a long one, so I hope to be back sometime next week with something to share!

Have a great day!

Julie

Baby Shower Invites & Current Promotions

2010-06-06T01:04:00.006-04:00

Hello stamp friends!

I'm sorry for being so inconsistent with my posting. I'm definitely trying to improve, but I've been really busy this week making my sister-in-laws baby shower invitations. I had hoped to finish them yesterday and have them to the post office before they closed, but I wound up running out of the ribbon I was using. I sent an e-mail to my fellow demonstrator to see if she had any. In the meantime, I decided to try the round tab punch to see how it looked. I liked it, but I still wanted her opinion, so when she replied telling me that she had the ribbon, I went to see her. I showed the two cards to her and she really liked the one with the tab too, so I just decided to finish the rest of them using the round tab punch. Which one do you like better?

I have the most awesome upline and they're always willing to help. Thank you to Becky & Kathy for your advice. I'm very grateful. Here is a photo of all 40 cards:) I'm very happy with them. That little turtle is so cute!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Fox & Friends & Hugs & Wishes

Paper: Soft Sky, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip & Parisian Breeze DSP (retired)

Ink: Soft Sky & Chocolate Chip

Other: Big Shot, Stampin' Up! Pennant Bigz XL die for large scallop circle, Punches (1 3/4" circle, Scallop Border, 3/16" Corner Rounder, Modern Label, & Round Tab), Soft Sky Double Stitched ribbon (retired), Stampin’ Dimensionals® & generic rhinestones.

$99 Mini Starter Kit

If you've been thinking of joining the Stampin' Up! family, but for one reason or another wasn't interested in a large starter kit, then here's the one for you! During the month of June, you can join for only $99. The best thing about this offer is this starter kit includes products from the new Idea Book and Catalog! See details by clicking on the Promotion image on the sidebar and don't hesitate to contact me. I'm ready to answser any questions you may have:)

Last Chance Lists

This is one of the most exciting times of the year! Waiting for the arrival of the new Idea Book & Catalog. Unfortunately, it is time to say goodbye to some of our favorites. With the last chance lists, you have the opportunity to pick up the things you weren't able to get before they are gone for good.

The Last chance accessories are avaiable only while supplies last. If there is something that you want, I wouldn't wait. These items sell like hotcakes and will be gone before you know it.

To see the last chance accessories list, please click here: Accessories (This list is updated each business day at 4pm mountain time with availability info.

To see the Definitely Decorative last chance list, click here: Definitely Decorative

For the list of retiring stamp sets, click here: Stamp Sets

Both Definitely Decorative items and Stamp sets can be ordered through June 30th. If you wait until the 30th to place your order, please do so early in the day, incase there is a last minute rush. I'd hate for anyone to miss out.

Please let me know if you have any questons and I hope you enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Julie

Catching Up

2010-05-24T12:01:00.004-04:00

Good Morning Stamp Friends!!!

I can't believe it's been a month since my last post. A lot has happened since then. Since Snuffy's passing, it was too quiet here during the day. I broke down and bought 3 more Chinese Dwarf hamsters. Yes, I said 3:) When I went to the pet store, I asked the girl working if she had any and she brought them out of the back. I had already decided that I would get two the next time we got a hamster, but there were 3 and they were all from the same litter. I couldn't decide. One of them had more white. I knew I wanted him, because he looked so different from all of the others I'd seen, but I didn't have the heart to leave one there alone. My husband wasn't too happy about it at first, but the kids and I love them to pieces.

Last week was a very busy week for me. I've needed birthday cards, a wedding card and a graduation card. Here is what I came up with:

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Petal Pizzazz & Vintage Labels
Card Stock/Paper: Purely Pomegranate, Groovy Guava & DSP from Simply Scrappin' Kit "Happy Me" (retired)
Ink: Purely Pomegranate, Groovy Guava & Mellow Moss
Other: Punches (Scallop Circle, 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" circle punches & Stampin' Dimensionals.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Elements Of Style
Card Stock/Paper: Groovy Guava, Chocolate Chip, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White & Afternoon Tea DSP (retired)
Ink: Wild Wasabi, Groovy Guava & Chocolate Chip
Other: Circle Punches (1", 1 1/4" & 1 3/8") & Stampin' Dimensionas

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Together Forever
Card Stock/Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White & Bride & Rockabilly Specialty paper
Ink: Basic Black
Other: Punches (Full Heart, Large Oval, Scallop Oval & Scallop Border), Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslits die, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder & ribbon (Basic Black 1/4" grossgrain & Basic Black from Valet Ribbon Originals (retired) & Stampin' Dimensionals

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Owl Together Now
Card Stock/Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White & Bride & Rockabilly Specialty paper
Ink: Basic Black
Other: Punches (Full Heart, Large Oval, Scallop Oval & Scallop Border), Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslits die, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder & ribbon (Basic Black 1/4" grossgrain & Basic Black from Valet Ribbon Originals (retired) & Stampin' Dimensionals

I hope you like them. It will be a very busy week for me. I'm in the process of planning a baby shower shower for my sister-in-law. I need to make 35 invitations and they have to go in the mail on June 1st. I haven't even designed the card yet, but I'm sure it won't take long to put them together. Designing it is the most challenging part for me, because I want it to be something she'll cherish forever. I will be back soon to share the invitation with you.

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Julie

Finally a new post:)

2010-04-25T20:35:00.005-04:00

Hello stamp friends!

It was a very busy and quite emotional week for me last week. I know I mentioned that our little Chinese Dwarf hamster was sick in my last post. He never got better and despite him taking the medication, it just wasn't enough.

I had plans to attend a demonstrator event which I knew about for almost 2 months, but with Snuffy being sick, it was very hard to concentrate and get my swaps done. One of my customers/friends came over on Tuesday & Wednesday to help me get the swaps done. I honestly don't know what I would have done without her. (Thank you, Cathleen!!!) When she left on Wednesday, I got him out of his cage and held & comforted him. Here's a picture I took of him sleeping on my chest.

I'm so glad that I took this picture (with my cell phone) that afternoon, because he passed away that evening. He was a very unique type of hamster. He didn't bite, he loved to be held and he'd take a nap on my chest while I watched TV in the evenings. He was my little buddy. I definitely feel the loss.

Thursday was a rough day. I was so glad that it was a hectic morning and the kids didn't go looking for Snuffy; otherwise, they wouldn't have wanted to go to school. I had to break the news to them when they got home. My 8-year old took it pretty good, but my 6-year old cried his eyes out. I took a break and just laid down next to him and tried to answer his questions. Once my hubby got home, I put on the radio and after struggling for a few hours, I finally came up with a card. Then I went to sleep. Friday I did all of the cutting and managed to get everything ready to go before I went to bed.

Saturday I got up early so I could be there at 10am. We made 7 cards and then took a break for lunch. The demonstrator that was hosting the event is also a caterer. We had fully loaded baked potatoes and an awesome salad for lunch. Then we made the second half of cards, watched demonstrations and then we voted on our top 2 cards. Even though my card wasn't in the top two, I was excited to win a door prize... the new "Go, Graduate" stamp set:) The hostess gave everyone a pair of Flip Flops and let us choose fabric we liked to make the fabric flower using the Big Shot and the Stampin' Up! Flower Folds die. Then it was time for dinner. We had the best chicken fajitas I ever had! Debbie, you rock!!! This was my first all day event and I can't wait for the next one, which will be held in September. I learned so much and all of the demonstrators were so nice and helpful. It was really what I needed to cheer me up.

I wanted to share my cards with you. This one was the swap:

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Sweet Scoops & On Your Birthday
Card Stock/Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, Whisper White & Pink Flamingo DSP
Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, Creamy Caramel & Basic Black
Other: Punches (Modern Label & Word Window), Ribbon (Tempting Turquoise & Pumpkin Pie 1/4" grosgrain & Elementary Ribbon Originals), Fire & Ice Circle Brads, Heat & Stick Powder & Dazzling Diamonds glitter

and this one was my make-n-take:

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Vintage Vogue & On Your Birthday
Card Stock/Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Very Vanilla, & Cottage Wall DSP
Ink: Rich Razzleberry & Old Olive
Other: Big Shot, Top Note die, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Old Olive 5/8 Satin ribbon, Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware & Stampin' Dimensionals.

We're getting ready to get some thunderstorms, so I better sign off. I hope to have something new to share soon. Have a wonderful week!

Julie

What a day!

2010-04-14T22:13:00.001-04:00

Today was quite a day. One of those days when you already have a plan, but it doesn't turn out that way. I had plans to have lunch with a friend and to spend some time in my stamp room. Those of you that read my blog on a regular basis, know that I have a little Chinese Dwarf hamster that I adore. Snuffy has been acting strange lately (slouching forward, laying around, heavy breathing, no running in his wheel, etc.) I decided that if he made it through the night last night, I would take him to the vet today. I was able to get an appointment at 11am. I spent a little time in my stamp room before going to the vet. I was happy to clean up my desk. It's so much easier to work when you can see the top of it. LOL!

Snuffy has a respiratory infection. The doctor gave him fluid under the skin and gave me antibiotic drops to give him one drop twice a day. She also said that he has a 50/50 chance of making it. I had to at least try. I keep him in my stamp room/office, so I'm able to keep an eye on him. I'm happy to report that he's been getting up to drink water. I'm praying that he will be up and running in his wheel soon.

Tonight I pulled out a little craft keeper with a couple unfinished projects in it. I found this, which I made last year, but never put it together with adhesive, etc. My aunt wanted some cards and she requested light blue, lime green and yellow. I pulled out Cool Caribbean, Green Galore &; Summer Sun. She wanted a summery type card. This is what I came up with.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Dad's Day & Just Beachy
Card Stock/Paper: Cool Caribbean, Green Galore, Summer Sun & Whisper White
Ink: Cool Caribbean, Green Galore & Summer Sun
Other: Crushed Curry In-Color Polka Dot ribbon, 2-Way glue pen, Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter® & Stampin' Dmensionals®.

Gift card & Color Renovation

2010-04-11T20:53:00.005-04:00

Good Evening stamp friends!

I'm sorry it has been a while since my last blog entry. We made a last minute decision to take the kids to the beach for Easter. The weather was chilly, but we had a nice time. I even got a "little" stamping done. I always like to take something with me, because the hotel that we stay at has a nice table and I feel very comfortable. This time I went a little crazy when getting something together to take with me. I had to pack in a hurry. (I'm always doing something at the last minute:) I had a project in mind, (to make a baby shower invitation for my sister-in-law) but the only stamp set I took with me was "Fox & Friends". I've been wanting to sort my scraps by color for a few weeks now, so I took that big box with me too. (Isn't that nuts?) Other things I brought with me included the "Chit Chat" rub-ons, a couple sheets of Baja Breeze & Chocolate Chip card stock, "Parisian Breeze" Specialty designer paper, Baja Breeze & Chocolate Chip Classic Ink pads & when I went to grab the Baja Breeze ribbon, I thought to myself that it looked a little thick, but I grabbed it anyway and I also grabbed the "Soft Sky" retired "In-color" ribbon. I held it up to the Parisian Breeze paper and it was a pretty close match. I grabbed the little bag that I carry all of my basic stamping tools in and my paper cutter and was ready to roll. One evening, my husband took the boys to the arcade to play games, so I sat down at the table with my big box of scraps. I had taken 4 clear envelopes (8x8) that I had at home and I sorted the scraps into the 4 main color families. I was left with the "In-Colors" and "Neutrals". That's when I pulled out the other things that I brought and decided to start with just a simple 3x3 card, but I wanted to use the color scheme I had planned for my sister-in-laws baby shower. I decided to make a gift card. I first tried using the Baja Breeze Striped Grosgrain ribbon, but just like I thought, it was too thick, especially for a little 3x3 card, so I tried the Soft Sky and loved the way it looked. Then I pulled out the Chit Chat rub-ons and used only part of the sentiment "for you and baby". Here is the final result:

The turtle was stamped using the Baja Breeze stamp pad, because that's all I had with me, but the colors are a pretty close match. What do you think? Speaking of colors, I have some exciting news to share with you! Stampin' Up! has undergone a Color Renovation! At first, I didn't know what to think of it, with so many colors leaving...especially a lot of colors that I really like and used quite a bit. Then when I actually sat down and looked at the new Color Collections, I thought to myself how beautiful they are. I rarely used Soft Subtles, but now with this change, I can see myself using every one of them. Now the biggest test will be dealing with my impatience until the new Idea Book and Catalog is released in July. I can't wait!!! I love how Stampin' Up! has simplified the colors by including the neutrals in the 4 core collections. It makes life so much easier!

Here are the colors that will be retiring:

Though it may seem a little overwhelming, once I sat down and looked at them, there were so many that I didn't use. (Don't get me wrong, I am a little disappointed to see a few go, but I will make sure to stock up on anything I can't live without. I'm so glad that they gave us extra notice so I will have time to make decisions before the new catalog comes out on July 1st.) Now take a look at the new color palette, which includes 5 brand new colors and 10 In-Colors from the past that are returning. Isn't it gorgeous?

Though I've only been a demonstrator for a little over 6 months, I've been using Stampin' Up! products since I started stamping in September 2006. Since then, with each catalog that has come out, I've added the things I had to have to my wish list and it never fails, I wind up falling in love with many other sets once I see the beautiful creations that were made with them. I have one last thing to share. I went to a meeting on Friday night and we were looking at some of the older Stampin' Up! catalogs. It was comical seeing what was popular then and seeing how far they have come. Change is definitely a good thing:)

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Julie

Family Birthday's and Sale!

2010-03-24T09:47:00.002-04:00

Good morning stamp friends!

I'm sorry it's been a while since my last post, but there is a very good reason for it. I've been super busy planning for my father's 70th birthday surprise party along with my mom and sister. We rented a room at a local community center and got a DJ and made up a story about me being in a craft show to sell my cards on Sunday. LOL! The party was such a huge success with the help of everyone that loves my dad. He is blessed with a very loving family. All of his sister's, brother's, and their kids helped prepare food and sent pictures, so I could make a picture collage of him with family and friends. He had the best time singing (there was karaokee) and dancing ("The Twist"). That night when my parents got home, my dad said to my mom, "That was really awesome!". I'm sending my blog link to his family to read this post and I want to thank each and every one of you for being a part of my dad's very special day. My dad is a very special man. He's been there for his family and has made many sacrifices. He's always offered good advice and has stood by us in everything we do. Dad, I love you so much and I honestly believe that I'm such a loving and caring person because of the way that you and mom raised me. Here is a picture of my mom, my sister, dad & I from his party.

One very unique thing about my family is my dad, mom & I have birthday's in March. Not just 3 days in March, but 3 days in a row! Dad's is the 22nd, Mom's is the 23rd, & mine is the 24th. Talk about March Madness! So yesterday was mom's birthday. On Sunday night at dad's party, my sister wasn't feeling well. She was having some pain in her stomach area that was shooting around to her back. On Monday, she called her doctor and he told her to go get blood work done. He called her yesterday morning to tell her that she had appendicitis and to go to the hospital. My mom left work and took her. My sister was very lucky that her doctor acted so quickly. It could have been so much worse. Her surgery went well and she'll be coming home this afternoon. Mom, I'm sorry that your birthday was so crazy, but I know you were just as happy spending it doing what mom's do best:) I love you!

That leaves me...I've been flooded with birthday wishes today. I'm so very blessed with the best family & friends a person could ever have. I'm very overwhelmed. I will be spending my day with my 4-year old niece. I thought it would be a perfect day for it, since my sister is in the hospital. My father spent the night at my sister's house to get my 2 nephews off to school this morning. Once I pick her up, he can go to the hospital with mom.

I will be running a special today for my birthday (which will expire at midnight tonight-any time zone:). 20% off of your order of $50 or more (before shipping and tax). Remember, the Sale-A-Bration promotion is still in affect, so you will receive a free item for each $50 spent (before shipping and tax). This special is not available for orders placed through my on-line website. Please either send me an e-mail or give me a call. If I don't answer, please leave me a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

It's such a beautiful day! The sun is already shinning brightly and it's going to be 63 degrees. I'm looking forward to having fun with my niece:) I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Julie

Ready for Spring!

2010-03-02T22:27:00.001-05:00

Today I would like to share a couple things that I made for an Easter workshop. The first thing is an Easter Basket. I used the Big Shot & the Stampin' Up! Scallop Envelope die. I cut 2 at a time and needed 4 for each one. I put them face down (the dull side down). I cut 2" x 3" pieces of designer paper and centered it in the middle, so once the scallop part was folded down, it would cover a part of it. I cut both side tabs off of two of them and laid them side by side (one with the edges, one without, with & without edges). I put sticky strip on the opposite side (not the dull side with the designer paper, but the other side). I pulled off the sticky strip and stuck the tab with the sticky strip to the inside of the the ones without tabs. To make the handle, I used a 1 1/4" x 11 piece of Card Stock and used the Scallop Border punch on both sides. Then I put a 3/4" x 11" layer of the Shades of Spring DSP on the handle. I used the XL Two-Step Bird Punch to add a bird to each side. (I used a paper piercing tool to add the eye.) I punched it again on the DSP to add the 3-D wing. I used the Trio Flower Punch and the 1/4" circle punch to add the flower center. I finished it off with a bow on the handle.

Supplies Used:

Card Stock/Paper: Orchid Opulence, Certainly Celery, So Saffron & Shades of Spring DSP
Other: Big Shot, Stampin' Up! Scallop Envelope Bigz Die, Punches (XL Two-step Bird, Trio Flower, 1/4" circle & Scallop border), Sticky Strip, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mat Pack & Paper Piercing Tool.

I also made this Easter basket card. I've seen more than one of these, but when I went back to see if I could find them, I was only able to find this one here: http://www.stampingmoon.com. Here is my version of this card. I couldn't get the bottom of mine to look as nice as Diana's, so I just made a straight cut along the bottom and left it that way.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Chocolate Bunny & Eggcoutrements
Card Stock/Paper: So Saffron, Old Olive, Whisper White & Sweet Pea DSP
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive & So Saffron
Other: Big Shot, Frame, Oval Scallop Bigz Die, Punches (Designer Label, Scallop border & Large Oval), Pretty in Pink Taffeta ribbon & Stampin' Dimensionals.

Thanks so much for coming by. I hope you have enjoyed my Easter projects:)

Julie

Valentine's Day cards...

2010-02-28T21:14:00.000-05:00

Hello Stamp friends!

I'm sorry it's been so long. With my boys being home two weeks due to the back-to-back blizzards, I didn't have much time to create. I had to send out my Valentine cards late:(

I'm pretty happy with the way these cards turned out. I love the Scallop Border punch and it looks so elegant when used with the matching corner punch. I used Gretchen Barron's tutorial for the beautiful Scallop border frames. You can see her tutorial here: http://gretchenbarron.typepad.com/my_weblog/tutorial----scallop-trim-border-and-corner-punch----cutting-squares-and-rectangles/. Thank you, Grethcen!

I think I prefer the red one, (red is my favorite color:) but I love Chocolate Chip & Pretty In Pink together and I really like the new Epoxy brads!

I will be back tomorrow with some Easter projects I have to share:) Have a wonderful evening!

Julie

Snowed in...

2010-02-08T10:21:00.010-05:00

Good morning!

I live about 20 miles south of Washington, DC. The kids were home from school last Wednesday from a snow storm that left about 8 inches of snow in our area. We had been hearing forecasts for almost a week that said to expect a larger storm that had the potential to give us another 1-2 feet of snow! They predicted it would start sometime Friday afternoon and that it would most likely be worse than the December 19th snowstorm that we missed while on vacation. They said that it would be the storm of the century and referred to it as Armageddon. We just kind of shook our heads and laughed.

My husband stopped at the store on his way home from work on Thursday night. (I had a baby shower to attend at my former employer on Friday at noon and had planned to bring a dish.) He was going to pick up the ingredients along with some bread and milk and called from the store. It took him forever to find a parking space and that the shelves were empty. He said "You wouldn't believe how ridiculous people are acting! They think the world is coming to an end!" It was close to 2 hours before he got home.

Friday morning I got up early and made the dish for the shower. I sat down at the computer to pay a couple bills and that's when I got an e-mail that said they were moving the shower up an hour, due to the weather we were expecting. Five minutes later, my phone rang. It was the school saying that my oldest son had gotten sick in the classroom. I had to pick him up from school. At this point, I was still planning to at least drop off the food for the shower, since it's only a 30-minute drive, but it started to snow when I was on the way back home from the school. My mom, who works for the company, told me not to come and that there was plenty of food. I really didn't want to miss the shower, but I decided it was probably best to stay home.

As the afternoon went on, the snow got heavier and they were expecting the worst from 10pm through the early hours of Saturday morning. They said we could get 1-3 inches an hour along with winds up to 30 mph. My husband went out every hour until about 11pm just trying to keep on top of it. He finally fell asleep before midnight. When I woke up, I looked out the window and just couldn't believe my eyes. There was at least a foot of snow on the porch and 12 more hours of snow yet to come! My husband called our neighbor across the street. They were outside with their Bob Cat clearing driveways. The wife answered the phone and my husband said "Can someone come rescue me?" Karen said "What do you mean?" He said "I can't get out my freakin' door!" They came over and shoveled in front of the door and he was finally able to get out.

This has just been a mess, but we are still so blessed. We didn't lose power during the storm, which is usually the first thing that happens when we get a normal thunderstorm. We are still a little concerned about the amount of snow on our roof. Most of the weight is on the bottom of the slope, (my hubby knocked down what he could reach. We are praying for the temperatures to rise above freezing, so it will melt off. Other concerns we have are we are running low on propane, which we cook and heat with. We have a tiny Chinese Dwarf hamster and we worry that he won't make it if it gets too cold. Here's a picture of our little Snuffy. I think I'm more attached to him than the kids are:)

I called our propane company on Friday morning and they said that there was a ticket out, which means they are on the way, but we worry about how they would even get to the tanks when they get here. To make things worse, I just heard on the news that we are expecting another 5-10 inches of snow tomorrow afternoon. I love snow, but Mother Nature is out of control! LOL!

When I heard about the snow, I thought I could actually get some things done on the computer. It's been a challenge with the kids home. I've been playing the referee all weekend. I've been trying to get the last set of cards posted from my Open House a couple weeks ago. I had extra supplies and started putting them together the following week. I finished everything except the folder I made to hold the set of cards. I had hoped to decorate it for the Open House, but ran out of time. I finally did it yesterday morning. I love the Daisies #2 die. It has to be one of my favorites. I'm not sure if you can tell, but this flower has a lot of dimension to it. I just put my thumb nail down and pulled the edge of the flower up. It was so easy and is very effective. This little holder is perfect for two cards and two envelopes. Here is picture of the whole set:

We found out last night that school would be closed today. My husband left for work around 7am this morning and witnessed two SUV's spin out in front of him. Thank God he made it back home safely.

Here are some pictures of my children playing in "The Aftermath". Enjoy!

The last photo is a mini flag in my front yard. As soon as I can get to it, I'M TAKING IT DOWN! LOL!!!

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Julie

Sharing the cards I received for Christmas

2010-01-24T10:10:00.000-05:00

Good morning!

I hope you are having an enjoyable weekend! I had my first ever Stampin' Up! Open House yesterday and had a great turnout! I think the thing that made me the happiest was hearing how much they liked the projects that I made and all said they had fun.

Here are the cards I've been promising to share from Christmas:

Kathy W.

Tammie S.

K.T.

Thank you ladies for the beautiful cards. I'm a sentimental hoarder and keep all things hand-made:)

I will be back later to share the final project that we made at my Open House yesterday. I hope you have a great Sunday!

Julie

Sorry this is so late, but I wanted to share...

2010-01-22T09:12:00.004-05:00

Good morning everyone! I'm sorry this is so late, but I've been meaning to share my Christmas card for a while now. Here it is:

Supplies Used:

Stamps:Dasher & Christmas Punch
Card Stock: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Old Olive, Whisper White & retired Ski Slope DSP
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Other: Punches (Wide Oval & Ticket Corner), Crop-A-Dile (used to punch reindeer's nose), Retired 15/16" Chocolate Chip Satin ribbon, Tombow Multi-purpose adhesive, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Dimensionals, Little Felt Flurries, glue dots, & Rhinestone Circle Brads

I will be back later to share the cards I received for Christmas.

Have a wonderful day!

Julie

Valentine's Matchbox Treats

2010-01-18T11:24:00.005-05:00

Good Morning!

I'm in the process of getting ready for my very first Open House this weekend. I was planning to make a Valentine's Bag w/Scallops, but I wasn't able to, because the punch wouldn't go up far enough on the cardstock. I didn't think I was going to be able to do this either, but I decided to crease the smallest fold on the box top and then punch. It took a tiny piece off, but that part is folded under, so you can't even see it:)

I used Stampin' Up! Window Sheets to create the window. I cut a piece to fit the box and used a glue dot in all 4 corners and stuck them to the top of the box. I also used a 1" x 3" piece of Sending My Love Designer Series Specialty Paper (talk about making the paper go along way...you can wrap 48 Hershey Nuggets with one 12" x 12" sheet!) I put two glue dots on one of the small ends and wrapped it around the chocolate attaching it to the other end of the paper.

The only problem I had was deciding which ribbon to use! I wrapped the Pretty In Pink Taffeta ribbon around the box front. (the back is hidden, but does not get in the way of the sliding bottom). I originally tried this with the Real Red Striped Grosgrain ribbon, but thought the White in the stripes stood out too much, so I decided to wrap that ribbon around just a portion of the box/heart. Which one do you like more?

Supplies Used:

Cardstock/Paper: Real Red, Pretty In Pink & Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper
Bix Shot/Dies:Bigz XL Matchbox die
Punches: Full Heart & Heart to Heart
Ribbon: Pretty In Pink Taffeta & Real Red Striped Grosgrain
Other: Window Sheets Medium, Dimensionals & Glue Dots

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a great day!
Julie

Clear-mount Stamps & Valentine Card

2010-01-16T23:58:00.006-05:00

Hello fellow stampers!

I'm sorry it has been so long. One of my New Year's resolutions is that I'd get better at updating my blog and so far, I'm not doing very well:(

I went to a meeting Thursday night and got to meet with a great group of stampers. There was some swapping and we did a couple make & takes. The coolest thing was getting to use the new clear-mount stamps. I have to admit, I'm one of those old dogs that doesn't like new tricks. I never in a million years thought I would want to convert, but they are amazing! I would go to great lengths to keep my wood blocks in excellent shape. Before mounting them, I would take them outside and put them on brown paper and spray them with polyurethane spray. When ink would get on the sprayed block, 9 times out of 10, I could use a little Stampin' Mist on a paper towel and wipe off the ink. It can be a pain when it rains for days on end or when it's cold & windy outside. A couple times I found the blocks on the ground with dirt sticking to the spray and the paper was missing. There were also times when I'd get sidetracked and forget that the blocks were outside. Luckily, none ever got ruined, but the clear blocks sure make life easier. You just use a little Stampin' Mist and wipe off the ink.

I received my newest order this week and finally got a chance to sit down today and make a Valentine card. I love the new border punch. It adds such a beautiful touch. Here is the card I made today.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Sweetheart & Yummy
Cardstock: Pretty In Pink, Pink Passion, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White & Sending Love Specialty DSP
Ink: Pink Passion, Chocolate Chip & Old Olive
Other: Treat Cups, Heart Punch, & Border Trim Punch & M&M's

If you haven't already, I hope you will give the new Clear-mount stamps/blocks a try. I'm so glad that I did and can't wait to get more:)

Have a wonderful day!

Julie

They're here!

2010-01-05T15:20:00.000-05:00

That's right everybody! The new Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini Catalog, Sale-A-Bration Brochure & Definitely Decorative Inserts are here! If you have not seen these yet, be prepared for your head to start spinning! I couldn't believe my eyes. There are clear-mount stamps, new punch styles, and much, much more. To view these new publications, please click on the pictures for each one on my left sidebar.

Sale-A-Bration is such an exciting time. It's like Christmas all over again for us stampers! For each $50 you spend (before shipping & tax) you can choose a free item from the brochure. If you rather have something else, there is a list of stamp sets in the back of the brochure that you can choose from the current Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog. (Please be sure to use the item number located in the back of the Sale-A-Bration brochure when placing your order. They are different.) There are so many to choose from! Can you tell that I'm excited?

I'm sorry it's been so long since my last post. December was just crazy for my family. We did something totally out of the norm and went on vacation the week before Christmas. We went to Disney World. We had such a great time, but it gave me less time to do shopping and make cards. Everything had to be done before we left, because we weren't coming home until Christmas Eve. I'm happy that we got to see what it's like in Florida at Christmastime, but it was strange being away from Maryland too. Of course the year we go away, we get a snowstorm that dropped 22" of snow. We got to see it briefly before it all melted.

I'd like to share a couple photos with you. The first one was taken at Sea World. I just thought Shamu looked so cute with his Santa hat on. The other two are of the Cinderella's Castle. It was changing colors and was so beautiful.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year to you all!

Julie

Stamps on Dormant List to be retired

2009-12-02T11:38:00.000-05:00

Effective January 4th, 2010, the following stamps will be retiring: (Click on Stamp set name to view. If you would like to zoom in, click on the image:)

Item Number	Stamp Set
113407	Back Woods
114492	Beautiful Baby
114486	Birthday Wish
113200	Branch Out
114496	Celebrations
113732	Central Park
113206	Classic Sketches
113226	Classy & Fabulous
114498	Flowers in Silhouette
113405	Font of You
113216	For the Bride
114494	Forever
109425	Friend by Definition
114488	Fun Flowers
113716	Garden Greetings
114490	Glad Friends
111580	Grand Soiree
113242	Hit the Road
113710	Lexicon of Leaves
113236	Man's Best Friend
114423	Ocean Commotion
113728	Playful Petals
109276	Polka Dot
111544	Putt Putt
113240	Quilt Quips
113754	Really Retro
113403	Sip by Sip
113726	Sweet Stems
113250	That's Funny
113688	Wonderful Watercolors
114028	Para la novia
114032	Acuarelas Maravillosas

If you are interested in purchasing any of these stamp sets before they retire, please feel free to place an order on my on-line website or e-mail me.

Thanks and have a great day!

Julie

In Search Of:

2009-12-01T16:45:00.001-05:00

Hello my stamp friends!

I have to be the biggest airhead on the planet! I've been going crazy for the last couple weeks trying to find a couple packs of retired, Stampin' Up! Ski Slope Designer Series Paper. It just occurred to me that I could have asked my readers. Duh! I just have to sit back and laugh at myself at times. I'm so slow:) Anyway, if anyone has a pack or two that they'd be willing to part with, please e-mail me:) If not, please check with your friends.

Thank you so much!

Julie

Good morning!

2009-11-28T09:42:00.001-05:00

Good morning!

I would like to extend the special I had for Black Friday through Sunday. (offer ends Nov 30th at 10pm Eastern time, so I can place the order by the deadline for the on-line Holiday Extravaganza sale.) Save 20% on top of the already awesome sale-priced items that Stampin' Up! is offering from 30-50% off! If you're not interested in the sale, you will still receive 20% off of your regular purchase. Orders must be placed through me. This special can not be applied to on-line orders and is available to US customers only. Sorry.

All 3 stamps sets are still available. For the first 3 orders (minimum $50, before shipping & tax), I will send a new, un-mounted (& no longer available) stamp set. First person has first choice, then the second, & the third person will receive the remaining set.

Here are the stamp sets to choose from:

Roses in Winter
So Many Sayings
Seasonal Icons

If you have any questions, please e-mail me:) I will be out most of the day, but will be home by dinner time. I will get back to you! Have a great day!

Julie

Happy Black Friday!

2009-11-27T04:22:00.002-05:00

Good Morning Stamp friends!

I'm up bright-eyed and bushy tailed. NOT! My mother-in-law kept our boys last night so we could get up extra early and start our shopping. We didn't get home until almost mid-night, so I might have to take a snooze on the way to the stores:)

I have a special offer just for you! This special is for today only. I'm offering 20% off any order, any amount placed through me. Sorry, this special can not be applied to on-line orders and is available to US customers only. Sorry. Please e-mail me and I will get back to you:)

Don't forget about the Holiday Extravaganza going on now:)

For the first 3 orders (minimum $50, before shipping & tax), I will send a new, un-mounted (& no longer available) stamp set. First person has first choice, then the second, & the third person will receive the remaining set.

Here are the stamp sets to choose from:

Roses in Winter
So Many Sayings
Seasonal Icons

I wanted to thank you for reading my blog and I hope you had a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Julie

Stampin' Up!'s On-line Holiday Extravaganza Sale is going on now!

2009-11-24T04:01:00.003-05:00

Stampin' Up! is having a huge sale! The On-line Holiday Extravaganza is going on now through November 30th. There are some great deals on accessories, bundles and even an awesome starter kit for new stamper. Savings are from 30-50%!

If you are interested in taking advantage of these great savings, visit my demonstrator website or contact me to place an order today.

Thanks and have a great day!

Scalloped Treat Bag

2009-11-21T12:19:00.000-05:00

Hello!

Today, I would like to share one of the projects that I had planned for my workshop (that was suppose to be last night). My son had a very rough day yesterday and wound up with a fever. I wound up having to cancel and hope to re-schedule soon.

This was a really easy treat bag to make. After running the card stock through the Big Shot, I stamped the snowflakes on all pieces of the scallop bag. I then used the Curly Label punch to make the window and used a 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 inch piece of a Window Sheet and used adhesive to hold in place. I then used Sticky Strip to hold the bag together and filled it with candy. I punched two holes in the sides toward the top front of the bag and put the ribbon through (the front inside of the bag) and tied to the front, holding the flap down. I used linen thread to hang the tag.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Christmas Punch & Two Cool Dudes
Cardstock: Bashful Blue & Whisper White
Ink: Bashful Blue
Other: Sizzix Big Shot Machine & Sizzix Bag w/ Scallops Die, Punches (Curly Label and Large & Small Tag), Window Sheets, Lined thread, & Striped Grosgrain ribbon

Thanks so much for coming by and I hope you have a great day!

Julie

Inspired by the Inspired by Nature stamp set

2009-11-19T13:04:00.004-05:00

Good afternoon my Stampin' friends!

Sorry it has been so long since my last post, but I have been in a bit of a slump lately. I have issues with concentration, especially when something is bothering me. My youngest son, Brian needs breathing treatments and I've been worried about him.

I finally came up with a Christmas card that I'm pretty happy with. As bad as I want to share it, I don't want to ruin it for the recipients:) I've been busy mass producing it, but had to stop so I can get ready for my very first Stampin' Up! workshop tomorrow night. I'm very excited about it!

I decided to take a break and try making something with the "Inspired by Nature" set. I bought it a while back and I never used it. I'm trying to challenge myself to use all of my stamp sets at least once. Anyway, here is what I came up with.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Inspired by Nature & It's Your Birthday
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White & Good Morning Sunshine DSP
Ink: Summer Sun, More Mustard, Old Olive & Chocolate Chip
Other: Antique Brass hardware & jumbo eyelets, Elementary Ribbon Originals & Dimensionals

Please let me know what you think:)

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Julie

Happy Friday!

2009-11-06T21:00:00.004-05:00

Happy Friday everyone!

After not feeling so well yesterday, I started the day armed with my new bifocals and allergy meds and despite having to pick up one of the kids from school this morning, I had a really good day! I even made a card for a swap at my first demonstrator meeting tomorrow evening. I wasn't sure if I was really happy with it though. I'm so used to using Designer Series Paper, that the card looked a little plain to me. My demonstrator (I guess I will always call her that:) really liked it, so that made me feel more confident about tomorrow evening. Anyway, here is the card I made:

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Sweet Centers & On Your Birthday
Cardstock: Bermuda Bay, Rich Razzleberry & Whisper White
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Rich Razzleberry and Basic Black ink & Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write® marker
Other: Sweet Centers Treat cup, Stampin’ Dimensionals®, Modern Tag, Window, 1/4" and horizontal slot punches, & Bermuday Bay polka dot ribbon.

I just noticed when I uploaded this card that I didn't do anything with the sandbags. I should have colored them in. I will make sure I do that when making the swaps tomorrow morning.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you have a terrific weekend:)

Julie

Happy November!!!

2009-11-05T17:07:00.001-05:00

Hello!

It's so hard to believe that Halloween is over and that the holidays are upon us. The last couple months just flew by. Now I need to focus on coming up with my Christmas card. I'm hoping that will be easier now that I will be getting my new glasses tonight. I've been suffering with some pretty severe headaches and I noticed that my vision was getting blurry. I think the headaches are mostly sinus related, because the pain was right above my eyes, but the eye doctor said that it could have something to do with my eyes. I have my fingers crossed that the headaches will go away.

I wanted to share a couple pictures of my boys from Halloween night.

They had such a fun Halloween. We also took them to have professional photos done and they won the "Best Pair" category.

I'm hoping to complete a card this evening, when I get back with my new glasses:) Have a great evening!

Julie

More Baroque Wedding projects

2009-10-22T14:29:00.000-04:00

Hello!

Today I want to share the other two things that I made for my sister-in-laws wedding. First is the menu. This was handstamped and printed using the Word program on my computer.

Next is the Program. The front was done using the new "My Digital Studio" program. I had to play with it a little to get everything lined up evenly. I started them about 5 days before the wedding and was starting to panic, because we couldn't find any clip art that would work with the Very Vanilla card stock. Then it occurred to me that I should see what was on my new My Digital Studio program. I'm so happy that I did! I found the heart from the "Always" stamp set. I put it together and printed one out. Then I scanned it and sent it to the bride-to-be. She absolutely loved it!

I spent a lot of time doing everything for the wedding. I got so many comments. It really made me feel good. Now that the wedding is over, I'm trying to catch up on a lot of things I had to put aside. I'm hoping to start some new projects and get ready for the holidays. They will be here before we know it.

Please come back soon. I hope to have some holiday projects to share in the next couple days:)

Have a great day!

Julie

My first Blog entry

2009-10-07T09:52:00.001-04:00

Good morning everyone! I guess I should start by telling you that I just became a Stampin' Up! demonstrator on October 1st. I'm very excited about it. I have been stamping for 3 years and it has brought so much to my life. I have made so many friends and I really enjoy making cards and other fun projects with Stampin' Up products.

I have done several crafts throughout my life. I started out making fabric photo albums, then I did counted cross stitch (I really loved the finished work, but once spent 9 months on one piece), then I actually talked my husband into taking a ceramics class with me. We had a blast, but that didn't last either. Then one day a friend sent me a handstamped card. I loved it. The thing that intrigued me the most was the embossing. I loved the look of the raised shiny black outlines. I asked her how she did it and she told me how to find the supplies I needed. I then went on-line and found my demo. That was all she wrote! I contacted her right away and bought my first set , "Trick or Treat". I've been hooked ever since.

I was originally planning to join the Stampin' Up! family after the holidays. I'm going to be in my sister-in-laws wedding in less than two weeks and then before we know it, the holidays will be here. After seeing "My Digital Studio", I just couldn't hold off any longer. If there is anything I can do to help you, please contact me.

Now, I would like to show you how I've been spending most of my time in the last couple months. I made 80 wedding invitations and 150 favors. Even though it took a lot of time, it was fun for me doing something I really enjoy.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Baroque Motifs
Cardstock: Bravo Burgundy, Very Vanilla
Ink: Craft Bravo Burgundy
Other: Clear EP, Retired Burgundy Organdy Ribbon

Thanks so much for visiting my blog. I hope you will come back again soon. Have a wonderful weekend!

Julie