Leaving My Mark with Rubber Stamps

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

2011-11-15T22:09:00.000-05:00

While going through some photos tonight I realized that there are still many cards I haven't shown yet. So once again I find myself playing catch up. Today's cards are from the stamp club I held back in September. Enjoy!

CARD #1 - BEST WISHES

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Petite Pairs
Card Stock: Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Poppy Parade; DSP - Mocha Morning
Inks: Poppy Parade
Accessories: Crochet Trim, Vintage Trinkets, Extra Large tag Punch, Large tag Punch

CARD #2 - MASCULINE BIRTHDAY

Supplies:
Stamp Set: (will edit to add... I'm embarrassed but the name escapes me)
Card Stock: Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black
Inks: Black Staz-On
Accessories: Lattice Embossing folder, 1-1/4" Striped gross grain ribbon, Antique brads

Thanks so much for stopping by again today. I hope you liked the cards. Have a great day!

CHRISTMAS STAMP-A-STACK SCHEDULED

2011-11-12T23:46:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to let you know I am planning a Christmas Stamp-A-Stack for Sunday December 11, 2011 - this year will be a little different than year's past because you will get to choose to make either Christmas Cards or Gift Card holders or BOTH!

Doors open at 10AM - stamping stations will be available until 7pm - so arrive when it best fits your schedule!

Baked good and beverages will be provided all day - as well as holiday music!

You can choose whether you want to make Christmas cards or Gift Card Holders or both:

Option A) Christmas Cards: you will make 10 Christmas cards...2 each of 5 different designs; Price includes envelopes. If you would like to make a double set then you will make a total of 20 cards, (4 each of 5 designs);

Option B) Gift Card Holders: you will make 5 gift card holders; Want a second set of those too? no problem!

Option C) Make both cards and gift card holders....

If you are interested in prices or in registering for this event, please contact me me for more info.

Oh - and I almost forgot...the first 10 people to register will receive 10 hand stamped gift tags FREE!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME - PART 2

2011-11-03T23:21:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I told you a little bit about my birthday celebration. Well today I need to tell you about the best group of ladies ever! My stamping customers and friends. So a few days after my birthday I held a stamp class and the ladies all helped to make my birthday celebration last a bit longer. It was so thoughtful...

My friend Donna arrived first and brought me two Happy Birthday balloons which we tied to my chair. Thanks Donna! Then my friend Lynn arrived with a birthday cake, my favorite... yellow cake with chocolate icing. It was so yummy. Thanks Lynn! Then my friends Lisa and Dawn arrived. Dawn gave me a cute little gift... (a Vera Bradley apron and recipe box and a bottle of wine) and then Lisa whipped out this big bottle of wine for us all to share. Jane and Susie were there to stamp and celebrate too. It was a wonderful birthday celebration.

Card #1 - this card was made by my daughter who helped herself to some supplies to make me a card.

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Bring on the Cake
Card Stock: Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White CS; DSP from the Simply Sent kit
Ink: Basic Black classic ink; So Saffron and Tempting Turquoise markers
Accessories: 1/4" grosgrain ribbon

CARD #2 - Card made by my very good friend Lynn Sarfaty... so cute. Thanks Lynn

Card #3 - card made using My Digital Studio by Stampin' Up! Yup, that's right...Stampin' Up sent me a birthday card and a gift for that matter... I got to choose 1 item from the current catalog and got a 15% discount on it... that of course was on top of the 20% demonstrator discount I receive. So, one item at 35% off is a nice little perk.

Anyhow - thanks so much for stopping by today to listen to my story about my birthday celebrations. I hope you enjoyed reading about it as much as I enjoyed experiencing it. Be sure to stop by again tomorrow for some cards from last month's stamp club.
Have a great day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

2011-11-03T00:01:00.000-04:00

Every October we celebrate 2 birthdays in our house, my son's and mine. As I mentioned yesterday, my oldest son turned 17. I can't believe it, time has just flown by. As for me, well I turned 43 this year and while I realize I too am getting old... if all my birthdays are as fun as this year I won't mind celebrating them.

My birthday fell on a Sunday this year so I got to spend the entire day with my family which was fun. I just wanted to hang out at home so we celebrated with dinner and cake at home. When I went into to work the next day there was a celebration there as well. Remember that I started a new job in September? I am a teacher's aide in a First grade classroom. I arrived at school to find gifts on my desk, handmade cards from all the kids and cards from other teachers and staff. Such a great surprise considering I had only been on the job for a few weeks.

Today I will show you some of the cards I received for my birthday. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I received getting them.

CARD #1 - birthday card made by downline and friend Debby Bolser who sadly moved to North Carolina...(hi Debby!)

Since I didn't make the card I can only guess at the supplies. I think the card is absolutely adorable too. I love the embossing, the ribbon and the glitter. thanks Debby.

Supplies:
Stamp Set:
Card Stock: Creamy Caramel, Whisper White, Rose Red and Chocolate Chip
Inks: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: organza ribbon, flower brad

CARD #2 - made by customer and good friend Ruth Mazza who I haven't seen in ages - she must be busy using the new Simply Scored that she won!

Supplies:
Stamp Set:
Card Stock: Certainly Celery, Whisper White CS
Inks: Certainly Celery
Accessories: ticket corner punch, satin ribbon

CARD #3 - made by downline and good friend Donna Hustedde. (Thanks Donna)

I really like this card. It's layout is something I never do but I really want to try it. Thanks Donna for thinking of me and for sending such a cute card.

Supplies:
Stamp Set:
Card Stock: Rose Red, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip CS; DSP - Chocolate Chip Patterns
Inks: Rose Red, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: 3/8" taffeta ribbon in Soft Suede

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Be sure to stop by again tomorrow to read "Part 2" of my birthday celebration and to see some more cards.

Have a great day!

HAPPY NOVEMBER

2011-11-01T23:55:00.000-04:00

Wow - I can't believe it has been a full month since I have blogged. So much has been going on, October was a hugely busy month. I'm not even sure anyone is coming around looking at my blog anymore but I hope there are a few people still checking me out. I have plenty to show you and I plan on posting more regularly again. I've missed it...really, I had.

So - as I told you in my last post, (which was 30 days ago)... October is my birthday month as well as my oldest son's birthday. Between the two of us we got a lot of birthday cards and I'll be sharing them all with you over the next few days.

I also have cards from September's stamp club as well as a Fall into Stamping class I had in October. I believe I might even have a few cards from a class I did in either July or August. There is so much to show you and tell you...November is going to be a busy, busy month too! Enjoy the cards ~

CARD #1- made by me for my oldest son (who by the way turned 17 in October)

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Bring on the Cake
Card Stock: Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White CS; Wrapping paper
Inks: Basic Black classic ink: Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Pear Pizzazz, More Mustard markers
Accessories: deckle scissors

Making this card was fun because instead of using designer series paper, I used wrapping paper. I used the same wrapping paper I used to wrap his gift so that everything match. I was very excited I thought I that.

CARD #2 - card made by my 15 year old daughter and my 9 year old son for my 17 year old son's birthday.

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Bring on the Cake
Card Stock: Rich razzleberry, Pacific Point, Naturals White CS
Inks: Basic Black, Pacific Point classic ink; Rich Razzleberry, Pacific Point, Bravo Burgundy markers

CARD #3 - card made by me last year for my son's 16th birthday that my daughter recycled

Supplies:
Stamp Set:
Card Stock: Close to Cocoa, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White CS; Pumpkin Pie Patters DSP
Inks: Close to Cocoa
Accessories: twill tape, 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, jumbo brad

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you are happy to find a new posting with new photos and I hope you come back again tomorrow for some other samples.

Have a great day!

Happy October

2011-10-01T11:59:00.000-04:00

Happy October Everyone! I love this month.

Today is World Card Making Day! Sadly, I do not have an event planned but I do plan to get into my craft room to whip out a few things. I hope you too are able to play with your card making materials for a little while today.

So, why do I love October so much? Well, for many reasons really. The temperatures dip a bit, the leaves start to change color, the baseball playoffs begin and it's my birthday month! I have lots of things to share with you...cards from stamp club, birthday cards, cards from my Fall into Stamping class as well as the October promotions and specials from Stampin' Up!

First off - I am excited to make three announcements:

1) I have officially promoted to Manager! I would like to thank my down line and my customers for their help in my promotion.

2) Ruth Mazza is the winner of a brand new Simply Scored! Congratulations Ruth... your prize will arrive on your doorstep one day next week.

3) I'm slowly moving closer to reaching the $100,000 in sales and will be announcing another special promotion in the next few days.
So - thank you for stopping by today. Card samples will begin posting Sunday October 2nd.

Happy World Card making day...

Want to get a FREE Big Shot? Check out my side bar for more information on that!

WELCOME BACK!

2011-09-20T23:01:00.000-04:00

Hello and Welcome Back!

For those of you wondering where I have been, let me explain. Things have been crazy busy. I had decided to take some time off from blogging and stamping at the end of the summer. My family and I were going on vacation and I wanted to take a vacation from everything. I was going to make a blog entry telling everyone I wouldn't be blogging for a while but one thing led to another and I never got that far.

Anyhow - our family vacation was very nice. We went to the Poconos, Washington DC, Arlington, VA and down to the New Jersey Shore. We spent time on the beach and time visiting friends and family. It was extremely relaxing but was over in the blink of an eye and we were then faced with Back to School!

I have four children going to three different schools and Back to School time in our house is very hectic. To add to that chaos, I decided it was time for me to go back to work outside of the home. It was a scary thought at first because I hadn't really worked outside the home since my oldest child was born...and he will turn 17 in two weeks. Anyhow - I applied for, interviewed and was offered a job. So exciting! I was hired to be a teacher's aide in first grade.

I have spent the past two weeks getting not only my children settled into a Back to School routine but also getting myself into a Back to Work routine and now I am ready to attempt getting back into my stamping routine. I have lots of classes and events scheduled for the Fall and I'm looking forward to getting back together with my stamping friends.

In other news, I am very close to attaining a personal sales milestone. I am inching closer to
reaching $100,000 in careen sales. I set a personal goal of attaining this milestone before October 30th. So, to help me attain this personal goal, I have decided to offer a special promotion.

When you make a minimum $30 purchase from now until September 30th you will get a coupon for $5 off the cost of any class in October. In addition, each person who makes a purchase will have their name entered into a drawing for the brand new scoring tool, Simply Scored.

You can place your order through my on-line store or you can e-mail me your order, whichever is easiest for you. If you place your order online you can take advantage of some of the fabulous sales in the "Clearance Rack" section.

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you find this special promotion as exciting as I do!

PAPER SAMPLER

2011-08-12T22:36:00.000-04:00

I have two very special offers for you!
1) If you don't already know - Stampin' Up is offering a BUY 3 GET 1 FREE special on designer series paper. All the non-specialty papers are included in this deal. In addition to the Stampin' Up promotion,when you order the designer series papers through me you will get to choose one of the following FREE gifts: trinket keys, glitter brads, rhinestones, or pearls. To take advantage of this awesome deal you need to e-mail me your 4 choices of designer series papers and your free gift selection. jmic91@comcast.net

2) Because of the special designer series paper promotion...I thought this would be a perfect time to do a paper sampler. A paper sampler is when I purchase every package of designer series paper (a $192 value) and give you the opportunity to purchase a 6x6 sample of every sheet, from every package. I will cut each package of paper into 6x6 square pieces so you will get a sampler that contains 105 different sheets of DSP. Because of the Buy 3 Get 1 FREE promotion, this sampler will cost you ONLY $23

So don't delay...there are only 6 spots open and this is an amazing deal! E-mail me today to take advantage of these deals! jmic91@comcast.net

*** Please note the following:
- no two samplers will be exactly alike because each sheet of designer series paper has a different pattern.

- if you would like me to mail the paper sampler to you an additional $5.95 will be charged to cover priority mail.
- you may purchase more than one sampler.

- you will have you have your sampler in hand no later than 8/31/11

- This is a first come first served opportunity.

- If more than 8 people want to purchase a sampler I will order another set, BUT to guarantee this price all orders have to be received by 8/30/11 (and your paper will arrive by 9/13/11)
- I accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, cash and personal checks for payment.
- Please understand that if paying with a personal check, your check needs to clear before I deliver the paper to you.

Thank you - I appreciate you business. Be sure to check back tomorrow to see some of the projects we made at stamp club this month.

Have a great day!

VOTED BEST SWAPS - PART 1

2011-08-03T00:14:00.000-04:00

Today I want to show you my some of my convention swaps. One of the fun things about convention is the swapping. That's where you make a bunch of card fronts and trade them with other people for their card front. When you are finished you have a ton of new ideas to share at classes with your customers. It's a tremendous help to trade ideas with other demonstrators...no need to recreate the wheel all the time, right?
I usually swap about 300 cards...but this year I cut it down to just about 100. Over the next few days I will share with you some of my favorites. Remember, I did NOT make any of these cards, they are all swaps I received. I will certainly give credit to all demonstrators if their name was on the card.

So, I asked my family to help me choose the TOP 5 and had them vote on their favorite swaps too and this card here received 5 out of 6 votes! Great job Laurie Ludwig...you are a winner in our house!

made by Laurie Ludwig of Fullerton, CA

made by Jan Myers of Golden, CO

made by Laurie Zoellmer of Norwood, MN

made by Kathy Hilden of Shelby Twp, MI

made by Christine Bellow

All five of these cards received the most votes out all the swaps I received. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did. Be sure to stop back over the next few days to see more wonderful card ideas.

If you have any questions on how any of these cards were made, please leave me a comment - although i didn't make them, I have been a demonstrator long enough to be able to figure it out for you.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

BUY 3 GET 1 FREE +1

2011-08-01T12:36:00.000-04:00

Stampin' Up has just announced their August Promotion.... it's a wonderful Buy 3 Get 1 FREE deal. When you purchase any 3 packages of our 12 x 12 Designer Series Paper, you will get 1 package FREE!

But that's not all... when you choose to take advantage of this amazing paper deal and you choose to make that purchase through ME...I will give you another FREE gift as my personal THANK YOU!

Why - you ask? because that's the great thing about my Stampin' Up business, I get to host personal specials too and I want to thank my customers for choosing me as their demonstrator.

So - what additional FREE gift do you get? That depends on you because I have the flexibility to let you choose one of the following 3 items for FREE.

1) FREE Trinket Keys - Item # 121892

2) FREE Jewels - choice of Rhinestones - Item #119246; or choice of Pearls - Item # 119247

choice of Rhinestones - Item #119246

choice of Pearls - Item # 119247

3) FREE Glimmer Brads - Choice of Color: basic, Brights, Subtles or In Color:

             Basic - Item # 121003
             Brights - Item # 121006
             Subtles - Item # 121004
             In Color - Item # 121005


Now - you ONLY get to choose the additional FREE gift if you purchase the Designer Series paper through me, Jacki Montgomery. AND... you only can get it if you e-mail me your order. My on-line store will not offer the additional special.

Soooo? What are you waiting for? E-mail me today to take advantage of this wonderful promotion!
jmic91@comcast.net

Thank you and have a great day!

NEW CATALOG OPEN HOUSE

2011-07-31T23:48:00.001-04:00

Next Sunday I am hosting a New Catalog Open House and Indoor Yard Sale from 12-5pm. If you are local to my area and would like to attend please be sure to RSVP no later than Wednesday 8/3 so I can be sure to prepare enough supplies. Everyone who attends will make 3 projects using new products from the new Ideabook & Catalog for FREE!

*** Edited to add: if you have not picked up a copy of the new 2011-2012 Ideabook & Catalog yet and you want one...contact me. The book is FREE of charge, but will cost $5 to ship. Let me know if you are interested!***

I will also have tables set up to sell all my discontinued stamp sets and discontinued accessories as well as other non Stampin' Up crafty type items. Here is your opportunity to pick up some great products at discounted prices.

Be sure to RSVP... bring along a friend and you will receive a FREE gift.

If you are not local but are looking for a particular stamp set or accessory...let me know. If I have it on hand I will get back to you with my asking price.

In addition, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome to my team Debby Bolser She took advantage of the $99 starter kit and will make a wonderful Stampin' Up demonstrator. Congratulations Debby and welcome to my team! Thank you ....

I have a had a few people ask my why I had been pushing recruiting so heavily lately. Well, there are a few reasons really...

First off, I think that $99 is a fabulous price for the value of product you are getting. It really is an inexpensive way to get your hands on wonderful product. I truly believe in the Stampin' Up name and the quality of products. A $99 Starter Kit gives more people an opportunity to take advantage of a wonderful business without investing a ton of money.

Second, as you know I just returned from convention and that always motivates me to share my love of stamping with people. However, this year Rich Jutkins the President of Stampin' Up challenged us to share our business with others and as a reward we could earn FREE stamps. (who doesn't like free stamps?) All convention attendees have the opportunity to earn four FREE stamp sets and I really wanted to be a part of that group. Now, I can say I am! (Again, thank you Debby!)

Lastly, and more importantly, I am trying to build my business and by doing so I need to set goals for myself and work toward attaining those goals. I have a personal goal to promote to Manager before August 31, 2011. I needed just one more person to join my team to be eligible for that promotion. So, THANK YOU Debby! In addition, I need to attain certain sales requirements and while I am just about there I haven't reached that magic number yet.... so keep your eye out for some fabulous "SPECIALS" .... you won't want to miss out.

I hope that explains it for you...(if you were one of the ones wondering).

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Be sure to check back on Monday for some actual card samples.... you will love them!

Have a great day!

JOIN MY TEAM FOR JUST $99

2011-07-30T11:58:00.000-04:00

Watch this short video as Shellie Gardner, Co-founder and CEO of Stampin' Up talks briefly about the benefits of joining our team.

Not convinced yet? Well then here are a few other things your should know that might help with your decision. In fact... I call this "The Top 10 Reasons To Join My Team" ...

10) you get a 30% discount on your very first order and a 20% discount on all orders thereafter.

9) you will get to customize your starter kit to fit your needs.

8) the $99 investment will get you $180 worth of product.

7) you have until 12/31/11 submit your required sales minimum.

6) you will have access to a demonstrator only on-line wedsite.

5) you will have access to a demonstrator only idea and discussion forum

4) you will meet many new people and make many new friends when you share Stampin' Up!

3) you will receive an additional thank you gift of your choice from me for joining my team.

2) If you choose to quit at anytime for any reason ...everything is yours to keep forever.

and the #1) reason to join my team.....

I need just one more person to sign on under me to earn a promotion!

So what are you waiting for????

Will you be that one person to help me promote to Manager? If so, you can sign on right now by clicking here: JOIN MY TEAM

Don't delay...this offer expires at 11:50PM on Sunday 7/31/11

MEMENTO MALL

2011-07-29T00:00:00.000-04:00

Another fun thing about convention is Memento Mall...that is the place you can go to purchase "Stampin' Up" logo items... as I said before...pack light because you always come home with more than you went with. This year was absolutely no different. There were so many things to choose from. Here are most of them...

This here is a writing board. It's has a hard decorative surface with clear pocket. On the top is a pen holder. You would place a customer order form and the current mini catalog into the pocket and a pen into the pen holder. Then you would give them out to each customer at the workshop to use while writing up their orders. Neat huh?

These are pretty cool too. I think I am going to give them to all my hostesses. They are sticker tab dividers for your catalog. You use them to make it easier to find certain sections.

This is a really cool bag made with Stampin' Up fabric. I can't tell you what this bag is for because that hasn't been announced to the public yet. But it's a cool bag and what it holds is even cooler!

These are reusable bags...just in two different patters. I LOVED these and got a handful of each color. I just now remembered I bought one of each for my mother and forgot to give them to her...oops

These are fun little gadgets that every demonstrator needs and wants. The are useful too.

These are ribbon samplers. Not every ribbon we have is on them but they are great for dressing up any bag. Perfect conversation starter too.

This here is a collapsible trash can and a card holder. Who doesn't need a Stampin' Up trash can on their work space?

Here is the card holder doing it's job...it's holding a card. I did not make this card, it was a swap I received. I just picked the first one out of my box to demonstrate how the card holder works. This card was made by Sheryl Braun who lives in Ohio.

okay - this is a Stampin' Up lanyard. The ring is so you can hang your glasses to it - or anything else you can think of...like a ribbon sampler. The little brown circle thing is a retractable snail holder. Yup...that's right. You clip on end into your snail. Then you clip the other end onto your shirt, apron or even the lanyard. When you are ready to use the snail you just pull on it and it retracts like a measuring tape and winds back up when you are finished. So cool right?

As I said, this is a just a handful of the items that were available to purchase. I didn't buy the adorable umbrella, or the laptop cover. I also didn't buy the lunch box. I wanted it but sadly admitted I really wouldn't use it. However, I did purchase (but forgot to take photos of..). a sweater, a shirt, a package of pens, an acrylic cup and 2 charms. Perhaps I go take photos of them and post them another day.

So - I hope you have enjoyed seeing all of the things I purchased while out at convention. These are just a few more reasons to become a Stampin' Up demonstrator...the cool logo items.

Don't forget...there are three more days to take advantage of the $99 starter kit. I would love to have you join my team. Not only do you get to customize the $99 kit, you will receive the Christmas Keepsake box from Stampin' Up. You also will have until December 31, 2011 to meet your minimum sales requirements. Not too bad huh? That gives you plenty of time to try it out... In addition you will get a FREE gift from me as a special thank you for joining my team.

If you have any questions, please contact me at jmic91@comcast.net

Have a great day!

MORE FREEBIES

2011-07-28T00:19:00.000-04:00

Oh my gosh...how could I have forgotten two of the best free gifts I received while at convention. here they are:

A beautiful hardbound binder

inside is the New Ideabook & Catalog and Tabbed Dividers

just another view of the catalog and dividers

a close up of the dividers

and...the adorable bag which held all of our goodies... it's a black bag with embroidered flowers and the Stampin' UP! logo. Inside was the binder and the tabbed dividers, the new catalog, the convention workbook, 5 free stamp sets, a pen, a pin, and a lanyard. There was probably something else but I can't remember right now. I can't believe I forgot to show you these in yesterday's post. So sorry!

Anyhow - I want to remind you that it is not too late to join the Stampin' Up! team. You can still take advantage of the $99 starter kit that you can completely customize to fit your needs. It's suck a great value. In addition, you and I will both receive a FREE Christmas Keepsake box that looks like this:

The box comes with all supplies you need to assemble it including directions! As a personal "Thank you" for joining my team, I will also give you a FREE gift. Want to now what it is? You have to contact me personally to find out. I can't go blabbing that kind of stuff on the internet for everyone to read.

As a Stampin' Up demonstrator you will have access to hundreds of ideas... you get a sneak peek at upcoming products before customers do and you will get access to Stampin' Connection (an on-line forum of ideas and conversations for demonstrators only).

You will need to meet minimum sales requirements to remain active BUT you have until December 31, 2011 to do that. That's 5 full months - heck, I bet you could do that all by yourself. Did I mention you will receive a 30% discount on your very first order and then you will receive a 20% discount on all orders after that? Hmmm.... sounding better all the time isn't it?

Why am I pushing so hard to get you to join my team? Well...#1 it's a great value of product; #2 becoming a Stampin' Up demonstrators was one of the best decisions I have ever made and i want to share it with other people who love stamping; #3 it is really a lot of fun and you will get to meet many new people.

I have set a personal goal to have just 1 person sign join my team before Sunday July 31, 2001. Why did I set a personal goal? Because I am just one person shy of a promotion and I who doesn't feel good about themselves when they promote? So - do you want to be that one person?

Have a great day and be sure to check back tomorrow for some other fun convention goodies.

CONVENTION - GIFTS (FREEBIES)

2011-07-26T23:17:00.000-04:00

Sorry for not posting the past few days... I kind of had technical difficulties. I knew I was going to be away so I had written up the posts ahead of time and scheduled them to post on certain days. The problem came in because I never actually hit the "publish" button. So I had four posts all written up and ready to go but were still in "drafts" mode. So sorry... it was definitely user error. Of course I did try to fix that little issue while I was away but believe it or not I did not have Internet access.

Anyhow - today's photos are of gifts I received while at convention. Stampin' Up! is so very generous to it's demonstrators. Enjoy!

This firs photo here is actually a photo of the gifts I received from my upline Gail Murray. Everyday of convention she had another little gift for us. The box on the far left is for holding our sponge daubers. It holds 40 of them. On the bottom of the case she had sticker labels with the name of every Stampin' Up color so we can label of sponge daubers. how clever. I loved this one. The gift in the middle is just a cello bag filled with candy. This I am hiding in my stamp room for that time when I want something sweet. The little box on the far right is filled with chocolate nuggets. This is a fun little projects I am going to do at one of my classes. Great hostess gift too!

All the photos below are photos of FREE products I received from Stampin' Up. You can't beat that can you? Makes you want to go to convention huh? Join my team and you can go too!

These are all the stamps sets I received for FREE! Most of them were used for our Make & Takes but the others were just because... so fun!

This stamp set I got for attending classes. Every class you attended you received a sticker...when you collected 5 stickers you could pick up this stamp set. This is going to be so fun to use for all of my business needs.

This is a stamp set and a disc of digital content for My Digital studio. I can't show you the actual stamp set because it has not yet been released. it will be in the Holiday Mini catalog and it's really, really cute!

this is a Simply Sent card kit that everyone in attendance received. These are best kinds of gifts.

We also got an entire package of the Holiday Mini catalogs for FREE. I can't show you the cover o this one either until it is officially released. Sorry...but you are going to love the products inside.

This is a photo of a "Workshop in a Bag" that they gave to everyone after they attended the Make & Take class. What's inside? Look below!

All of this was in the Workshop in a Bag - it's 3 Make & Takes complete with color instructions and paper supplies measured and precut, all ribbon precut, and a full package of rhinestones and bakers twine. All I need to contribute is ink and the stamps (which were given to us).

I made out like a bandit didn't I? Rule #1 of convention goers...pack your suitcase lightly because you will be bringing home way more than you took out with you. Most people actually ship all of their free gifts and purchases home. I've done that in the past but this year I lugged it all home in my suitcase.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you liked seeing my gifts as much as I liked receiving them.

CONVENTION DISPLAYS

2011-07-21T21:08:00.000-04:00

I am hosting a NEW Catalog Open House and Indoor Yard Sale on Sunday August 7th from 12-5pm. If you are in my area and would like to attend, please let me know. You will make 3 projects using all new products from the catalog. In addition, you will get to shop my Indoor Yard Sale of discontinued stamps and accessories as well as other crafty type items. You don't want to miss this event! Bring a friend and you will receive a FREE gift!

So, yesterday I showed you some of the amazing paper products I saw at convention. Today I have the amazing displays to show you. ENJOY!!!

What do you think? There are some people at Stampin' Up! that do some amazing work. Image getting paid to play with paper all day....

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you saw something you like. Check back again tomorrow for some card samples. Have a great day!

PROJECTS

2011-07-20T23:17:00.000-04:00

Did you know that for JUST $99 you can join my team? It's an exceptional value of product you get to start your business or feed your hobby. Seriously, if you have ever thought, just for a brief minute about sharing the LOVE of rubber stamping or scrap-booking with your family and friends now is the time to do it. $99 isn't that huge of an investment and if down the road becomes something you choose not to continue won't feel like you are out a lot of money...you won't be out any money truthfully because you will have received awesome product in it's place that I guarantee you will absolutely LOVE! In addition to the $99 starter kit, Stampin' Up will give you an adorable Christmas Keepsake box FREE that looks like this:

Of course I will give you a FREE gift for joining my team too, but that's a surprise. So think about it. If you would like to join my team I would love to share my love of stamping with you.

Now - how about seeing some fun product displays from convention. ENJOY!

It's amazing. These displays were really gorgeous! I hope you enjoyed looking at them. I'll share some more tomorrow. have a great day!

Convention Buddies

2011-07-19T23:35:00.000-04:00

One of the best things about convention is spending time with friends. It's a wonderful opportunity to get to make new friends and to get know your current friends little better. There was a nice little group of us who attended convention. Four of the girls were first timers so it was fun to share in their excitement.

me with my upline Gail Murray (who is #94 in the company)

my dowline Muareen Gold and her downline Christin Nichols

my downline Sue Shoup, myself, my downline Maureen Gold

my second downline Jean Bard and her friend

a group shot on the last day during general session

our complete group... Gail, Jean, Maureen, Isabel, Me, Sue, Christin, and Amy

We all really had a great time. There is so much to tell you...but since I am sure you came to my blog looking for samples, how about I show you the gifts I made my downline members. I made these cute little altered notebooks. I purchased the notebooks at Target and altered them with our designer series papers. I made some paper flowers for the front, added some buttons and some ribbon and called it a gift! Now they all had a place to keep their convention notes. I left the girls decide who got which book.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Be sure to stop by again tomorrow.

STAMPIN' UP! - CONVENTION 2011

2011-07-18T19:52:00.002-04:00

I just returned from the annual Stampin' Up Convention. All I can say is WOW! I have so very much to show with you... but I will start with this highlights video.

Enjoy it! I will be back everyday this week with some showing off many things from Convention. It was a fun trip. Here are a few other photos....
This year - I got to walk on stage twice. That's when you get to actually walk "ON STAGE" and wave to the crowd. The first time I got to walk was for the "Recruiter's Walk" - anyone who recruited at least one person was asked to walk on stage. Here's a photo of me with two other ladies in my group who got to walk. The gal on the left is Sue Shoup (she signed on under me); The gal in the middle is Gail Murray (I signed on under Gail); and of course, the one on the right is ME! Aren't I cute?

one, two, three.....

cheer!!!

This next photo was a group photo taken on awards night. Thanks Maureen for the photo...for some reason I didn't have my camera.

Jacki, Jean, Maureen, Christin, Gail, Isabel, Amy, Sue

Anyhow - like I said, be sure to stop by everyday to hear and see more. Enjoy the video!

***Edited to add better photos... sorry

JOIN MY TEAM....

2011-07-02T23:09:00.001-04:00

I would love to have you join my team. Whether you are looking to build a business or to purchase items at a discount or something right in the middle of both...Now is the perfect opportunity to become a Stampin' Up demonstrator. There is so much to be excited about. The new Ideabook and catalog is fabulous. The new hostess benefits is awesome and the Starter Kit is just $99 for the month of July. Not only that, you will get a FREE gift from Stampin' Up and a FREE gift from me!

Click here for more details: http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/jackimontgomery/promotions

It's so easy to sign up... just click on the words "Join SU" up top...

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

THE 2011-2012 IDEABOOK & CATALOG

2011-07-02T00:23:00.001-04:00

It's amazing!

It's fabulous!

It's amazingly fabulous!

It's the brand new 2011-2012 Ideabook & Catalog

You can view it online by clicking on the photo on the right...

or by clicking right here

http://204.228.150.61/catalogs/flash/en-US/20110601_lkjds_ibc/

INSPIRED BY....

2011-06-30T00:55:00.017-04:00

Today's cards were both inspired by the two down-line members I posted about yesterday. After making their cards at our Shoebox Share, I made these two cards using their ideas. Enjoy!

CARD #1 - was inspired by Karen Urbisci's card in yesterday's post. The words on the first sample are from the Happy Greetings stamp set on page 26 of the Summer Mini catalog. The words on the second sample are from the Heard From the Heart stamp set in the main Ideabook and Catalog.

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Happy Greetings,

Cardstock: Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White CS; DSP - Beyond the Garden

Inks: Wild Wasabi Classic Ink and Marker, Tangerine Tango & Daffodil Delight marker

Accessories: finial press embossing folder, Big Shot, crimper, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border, 1-3/4 scallop circle, 1-3/8" circle punch, 1-3/4" circle punch, 1/8" taffeta ribbon

CARD #2 - was inspired by Maureen Gold's card in yesterday's post. This card uses and image from the Hope & Strength stamp set. $2 from the sale of each set goes to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. If you would like additional information about this stamp set, please let me know.

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Hope & Strength

CardStock: Basic Black, Pink Pirouette, Very Vanilla; DSP - Newsprint

Inks: Pink Pirouette

Accessories: 5/8" pink satin ribbon, pearls,Tulip Embossing folder, Big Shot, smooch spray

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit today. I hope you saw something you liked.

DOWN-LINE PART 2

2011-06-29T00:29:00.001-04:00

Today I will introduce you to two other ladies in my immediate down-line. Karen Urbisci is in the back left side of the photo. Maureen Gold is on the front right hands side of the photo. Both girls have blogs and do wonderful cards as well. If you click on their name, it will take you to their respective blogs.

CARD # 1 - was designed by Karen. I loved using the new punches to make this card. This card was also the inspiration for a card I will show you later in the week.

Supplies:

Stamp Set: It's Your Birthday

Cardstock: Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White

Inks: Tangerine Tango

Accessories: Finial Press embossing folder, Big Shot, 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Blossom Bouquet Triple layer punch, Doily Triple layer

CARD #2 - was designed by Maureen Gold. This too was inspiration for a card you'll see later this week.

Supplies:

Stamp Set: For the Bride

Cardstock: Basic Black, Pink Pirouette, Shimmer White CS; DSP -

Inks: Basic Black, Pink Pirouette,

Accessories: 1-1/4" striped Grosgrain ribbon, shimmer paint, framed tulips embossing folder, Big Shot, pearls

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

DOWNLINE GATHERING AND SHOEBOX SHARE

2011-06-28T01:53:00.000-04:00

A while back, either in April or May (I really forget now,)... I hosted a down-line gathering and shoebox share.It was an opportunity for me to get together with the girls in my down-line and stamp. The problem always seems to be timing and not everyone was able to attend. But those who did contributed wonderful cards. I even remembered to take photos this time so you could meet them.

Meet Donna Hustedde (on the right). Donna is in my first level down-line. On the right, we have Jean Bard. Jean signed on under Donna, so Jean is my 2nd down-line.

CARD #1 - was designed by Donna. I copied her idea completely and used this card in my June events class.

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Fast and Fun Notes

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Early Expresso, Wild Wasabi, Whisper CS; DSP - Greenhouse Gala

Inks: Early Expresso

Accessories: 1-3/4" scallop circle punch, Owl Punch, Bird Builder, 3/4" square punch, 1/8" hole punch, brads, white, bakers twine,

CARD #2 - this card was designed by Jean Bard. I loved this card. I loved the stamping on the twill tape which I copied in the card I made in yesterday's post.

Supplies:

Stamp Sets: The Open Sea, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Night of Navy, Cherry Cobbler CS;

Inks: Night of Navy, Versa Mark

Accessories: twill tape, button, lattice embossing folder, Big Shot, linen thread

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Stop back tomorrow for more samples.

THE OPEN SEA

2011-06-27T12:34:00.000-04:00

It's been craziness. Just when I thought I was back on track...the craziness began again. I wanted to blog...REALLY I did, but life got in the way again. My family and I went to the shore for a few days not so much for rest and relaxation but rather to prepare our rental house for the parade of renters that will be using it it this summer. (not fun). When I got home I needed to tie up some loose ends and pack for a five day trip to Palm Springs, CA. Which is where I am right now. So - here I am playing catch up again. I hope you enjoy the cards...

CARD #1 - I made this card during a techniques class I had back in May. If you click on the photo itself it should enlarge it so you can see the technique... It's a grid technique or faux quilting technique. Different people call it different things. The white piece of card stock is 3" x 3" and I scored it every 1/2" on the diagonal. I gave the paper a 1/4 turn and scored it again every 1/2 inch on the diagonal.

Supplies:

Stamp Set: The Open Sea

Card Stock: Not Quite Navy, Crumb Cake, Whisper White CS;

Ink: Not Quite Navy, Versa Mark

Accessories: Early Expresso Bakers Twine, Clips Assortment, 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon in Marina Mist

CARD #2 - I did this card for a June Events class I held. It's pretty much self explanatory. Enjoy!

Supplies:

Stamp Set: On The Open Sea, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Card Stock: Cherry Cobbler, Basic Grey, Naturals Ivory CS; DSP - Newsprint

Inks: Black Staz-On; Cherry Cobbler Marker

Accessories: 3/8" Twill Tape; 1/8" hole punch, brad, 3/4" circle punch

Thanks so much for stopping by today...

Don't forget there are only 3 more days left to order products from the discontinued stamp and accessory list as well as the current catalog. Place your order today through my on-line store. CLICK HERE or click on the BIG button on the right that says "SHOP NOW"

HAPPY FATHER"S DAY!

2011-06-20T12:25:00.000-04:00

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful father's both living and deceased. I hope you spent your Sunday doing something fun. I have a handful of Father's cards to share with today. So many that some night need to wait until tomorrow. We'll see how long the post get before making that decision. Enjoy!

All three of these cards were made using The Open Sea stamp set from page 9 of the Summer Mini catalog. It comes in both wood mount (Item # 123030) and clear mount (Item #123032). The first two cards were cards I made at a 5th grader's birthday party. The girls had the choice of making the card a Father's Day or a Birthday card.

CARD #1 -

Supplies:
Stamp Set: The Open Sea, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Card Stock: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Naturals White CS; DSP - Designer Seres patterns Not Quite Navy
Inks: Black Staz-On; Crumb Cake and Not Quite Navy markers
Accessories: paper crimper, Modern Label punch, dimentionals

CARD #2 - This was one of the cards from my All Occasions Stamp-A-Stack. The designer series paper is the new Nautical Expedition pack (Item #122343) from page 8 of the summer mini.

Supplies:
Stamp Set: The Open Sea, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Card Stock: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Naturals White CS; DSP- Nautical Expedition
Inks: Not Quite Navy
Accessories: Spiral Border punch, Red/White Bakers Twine, 3/4" circle punch

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I'll have a few others for you tomorrow.

Have a great day!

Simply DSP -

2011-06-17T23:56:00.000-04:00

You know...sometimes our designer series papers are just so pretty you need nothing else to make a pretty card. That's just what I did with these two samples. I used the designer series paper as the main focal point of the cards and simply just added a greeting from the Happy Greetings stamp set (wood mount - Item # 123311 $18.95 / Clear mount - Item # 123313 $14.95) which is in the Summer Mini catalog on page 26.. These were super easy to make but I thought they turned out cute and certainly worthy to pass on to someone. Enjoy!

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Happy Greetings

Card Stock: Kiwi Kiss, Bashful Blue, Marina Mist, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White CS; DSP - Beyond the Garden

Inks: Marina Mist, Pumpkin Pie markers

Accessories: 2-3/8" scallop circle punch, Modern Label punch, Big Shot, Circles die #2; 5/8" satin ribbon, dimentionals

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

Hello Blossoms

2011-06-16T23:33:00.000-04:00

Today was a really long day for me. I was tempted not to post today but I didn't want to ruin my two day posting streak. So no long story today, just samples. This was another card we made at my All Occasion Stamp-A-Stack. I used the extra packets to make up additional cards and just for fun decided to change the layout just slightly. Enjoy!

I colored the Hello Blossoms stamp (Item # 123102 on page 7 of the Summer Mini for just $7.95) using Melon Mambo and Chocolate Chip markers and then I used a 1/4" hole punch to make the centers for each of the flowers. I used mini glue dots to adhere those little guys to the flowers... (although some customers struggled to use snail adhesive). Then, I added a pearl to the center of each flower. Cute, cute!

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Hello Blossoms, En Francais
Card Stock: Melon Mambo, Chocolate Chip, Confetti White CS
Inks: Melon Mambo and Chocolate Chip markers
Accessories: 1/4" hole punch, pearl accents and 5/8" Satin Ribbon in Pretty in Pink, dimentionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Extreme Masculine Cards

2011-06-15T23:53:00.000-04:00

How did you like yesterday's cards? There weren't any comments so I'm not sure if you didn't like them or if I lost all my followers... hmm - anyway, I have to tell you that it's been an exciting week at my house. The UPS man either loves me or hates me because I have gotten a Stampin' Up package everyday this week. (My husband has been rolling his eyes too)

On Monday I received my order of the new 2011-2012 Ideabook and Catalog...can you say WOW? It's amazing. Want one? Be sure to contact me for details.

On Tuesday, I received all the ribbon for the ribbon share I hosted. Yes, lots of ribbon to measure, cut and distribute. Did you miss out? Don't worry. I will be hosting another on in July or August for all of the new ribbons in the new Ideabook and Catalog.

Today I received my new catalog pre-order, my new hostess pre-order and my Sale-A-Bration order. Fun, fun, fun! As demonstrators we have the opportunity to pre-order some of the new hostess sets and select products from the new catalog. In addition, we earn FREE product based on our Sale-A-Bration sales and recruiting efforts. These are just some of the perks we get... there are lots more. If you have ever considered being a Stampin' Up demonstrator, I'd love to fill you in on all the other perks and have you join my team. Just ask!

Anyhow - how about a card sample. That's why you're here now isn't it? How about two or three? These cards were made using the "Extreme" stamps found on page 88 of the current Ideabook and Catalog. What I love about these stamps is that they are great for boy cards (and since I have three boys I always need boy cards) and more importantly, they only cost $8.95 each. But if you want them, HURRY...they are going to retire as of June 30.

For all the cards I used the same supplies. Also - I ran the designer series paper through the Big Shot with the embossing folders to add texture. I really love that look because I think it steps the card up another notch.

CARD #1 - Extreme Surfboard - Item # 115173 $8.95

Card # 2 - Extreme Surfboard - Item # 115173 $8.95

Card # 3 - Extreme Guitar - Item # 115328 $8.95

Supplies:
Stamp Sets: Extreme Surfboard, Extreme Guitar, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Card Stock: Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Naturals Ivory CS; DSP - Patterns DSP - In Colors

Inks: Concord Crush
Accessories: 5/8" Black Satin Ribbon, Big Shot, Square lattice embossing folder, Scallop Squares Duo Die, dimentionals

Thanks so much for stopping by again today. I hope you make it a habit.

Have a great day!

SUNNY FUN

2011-06-14T23:27:00.000-04:00

Welcome back...it's good to see you again. I hope you are thinking the same thing about me...that's it's good to see me posting again. It's amazing just how quickly time gets away from you. For me, blogging is usually the first thing to go when life gets crazy. I think I just need a day or two to catch up. Next thing you know it's a month later and I sit here thinking wow, where did that time go? Anyhow, I'm not saying that I'm all caught up and life has settled down any - I'm just saying I'm ready to blog again.

Where have I been? Well, I've been home - being mom to four children and I've been at school working on scrapbooks for 62 kindergartners - and I have back at home hosting stamping classes and back at school working lunches - and back at home running the children to activities. But now, the scrapbooks are finished and today was my last day of work and the kids get out of school Friday and the activities are just about finished and so I blog. Enjoy!

The two cards below are cards I made at my recent All Occasion stamp-a-stack. It's a 10 cards for $20 class and a favorite of my customers. They like to come over and make a pile of cards in one sitting. Both cards were made using the Sunny Fun stamp set that can be found in the Summer Mini catalog on page 16.

CARD #1 - (my favorite) was easy to make. I stamped the flip flops onto whisper white card stock 5 times. The I stamped them 5 more times on brightly colored card stock. I then used my circle punch to cut out a variety of flip flop. Then I lined up the colored flip flops to match the ones on the white card stock. It really makes them pop out and makes for a fun card!

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Sunny Fun, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Card Stock: Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery, Melon Mambo, Whisper White
Inks: Basic Black
Accessories: 1-3/8" circle punch, 1-1/4" circle punch

CARD #2 - another favorite - this card used the same Sunny Fun stamp set and the designer series paper Beyond the Garden on page 23 of the Summer mini catalog. The images were colored in using watercolor wonder crayons and a blender pen. I wanted to use crystal effects to make the image look more "pool like" but it takes long to dry and with an event like this it usually isn't a good idea.

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Sunny Fun
Card Stock: Wild Wasabi, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White CS; DSP - Beyond the Garden
Inks: Basic Black,
Accessories: Water color Wonder crayons, blender pens. scallop oval punch, small oval punch, Pear Pizzaz Poly-Stitched ribbon, button, dimentionals
Thanks so much for stopping by today. I can't wait to show you everything I have made since I've last blogged. I photographed all the cards last night and ended up with 49 photos... see, I told you I have been busy!

Have a great day and be sure to check back everyday again...I'm back to blogging!

Ready to Blog Again... in less than 24 hours

2011-06-13T23:55:00.000-04:00

in less than 24 hours you will see a new blog posting from me. I know it has been two days shy of a full month since my last posting...but who's counting right? The photos of my cards have been taken...all 49 of them. Yes, I have been busy! I will be back with a new post on Tuesday, June 14.

See you then.....

RIBBON SHARE

2011-05-16T20:48:00.000-04:00

I would like to introduce you to my “RIBBON SHARE” – here’s how it will work.

By participating in the ribbon share you get to purchase a portion of ribbon without having to invest a ton of money into buying every roll outright. I will purchase every color ribbon, in every style and then divide them into 3 yard portions. The price for each sampling will vary based on the cost of ordering each set; however, I am also extending a 10% product discount into the final price.

If you participate:

You will receive 3 yards each of every color ribbon in the style of your choice.

You DO NOT have to purchase every “style” – just the styles you want.

But you do have to place your order no later than May 27, 2011.

STYLE #1 – 3/8” Taffeta Ribbon in 13 different colors.

Each roll has 10 yards of ribbon on it and cost $6.95 each.

Therefore, to purchase all 13 rolls of 3/8” taffeta ribbon you would spend $106.33

Ribbon Share price - $32.00 for 3 yards each of all 13 colors of 3/8” Taffeta ribbon.

STYLE #2 – 5/8” Grosgrain Ribbon in 13 different colors.

Each roll has 15 yards of ribbon on it and sells for $6.95 each.

Therefore, to purchase all 13 rolls of 5/8” grosgrain ribbon you would spend $106.33

Ribbon Share price - $19.00 for 3 yards ea of all 13 colors of 5/8” grosgrain ribbon

STYLE #3 – 5/8” Satin Ribbon in 13 different colors.

Each roll has 15 yards of ribbon on it and sells for $8.95

Therefore, to purchase all 13 rolls of 5/8” Satin ribbon you would spend $136.93

Ribbon Share price - $25.00 for 3 yards each of all 13 colors of 5/8” Satin ribbon.

STYLE #4 – 1/4” Grosgrain Ribbon in 13 different colors.

Each roll has 15 yards of ribbon on it and cost $4.95 each.

Therefore, to purchase all 13 rolls of 1/4” grosgrain ribbon you would spend $75.63

Ribbon Share price - $13.85 for 3 yards ea of all 13 colors of 1/4” Grosgrain Ribbon.

STYLE #5 – 1/8” Taffeta Ribbon in 13 different colors.

Each roll has 10 yards of ribbon on it and sells for $5.95 each.

Therefore, to purchase all 13 rolls of 1/8” taffeta ribbon you would spend $91.03

Ribbon Share price - $27.75 for 3 yards ea of all 13 colors of 1/8” taffeta ribbon

STYLE #6 – 1-1/4” Striped Grosgrain Ribbon in 11 different colors.

Each roll has 10 yards of ribbon on it and sells for $9.95

Therefore, to purchase all 11 rolls of 1-1/4” Striped ribbon you would spend $128.81

Ribbon Share price - $39.00 for 3 yards each of all 11 colors of 1-1/4” Striped Grosgrain ribbon.

STYLE #7 – 1/2” Stitched Poly Ribbon in 5 different colors.

Each roll has 15 yards of ribbon on it and cost $8.95 each.

Therefore, to purchase all 5 rolls of 1/2” Stitched Poly ribbon you would spend $52.66

Ribbon Share price - $9.50 for 3 yards each of all 5 colors of 1/2” Stitched Poly ribbon.

STYLE #8 – 5/8” Organza Ribbon in just one color - white

The roll has 15 yards of ribbon on it and sells for $5.95 each.

Ribbon Share price - $1.25 for 3 yards ea of the white 5/8” organza ribbon

***** WANT IT ALL??? GET IT ALL*****

If you were to order every style of ribbon, in every color you would spend $704.71 and that’s a pretty hefty chunk of change…but you can purchase every style “share” and only spend $168.36 (that’s a 76% savings)!

In addition, if you purchase the entire set of ribbon shares, you will receive 3 FREE gifts:

- Two FREE rolls of the Crochet Trim in both the Chantilly and Victoria patterns

- FREE Level 1 Hostess stamp set of your choice

So don’ miss out on this opportunity to get these ribbon shares at very reasonable prices.

If you are not local to me but would still like to participate… you can do so but will need to pay by credit card and I will add $6.95 shipping to your total order to ship the ribbon to you.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Remember, all orders need to be placed no later than May 27, 2011.

DOWNLINE GATHERING - MARCH 2011 - PART 2

2011-04-28T00:04:00.000-04:00

Here are a few more cards from my down-line gathering. These are the last of them, but don't worry...we are going to meet again n May and I will have a whole new batch to show you. Enjoy!

Card #1 - was designed by a fairly new demonstrator... her name is Jean Bard. She is actually my second level down-line and this was the first time I got to meet her. I forgot to ask her how long she had been stamping before she decided to sign on. She seemed to fit right in with the group and e-mailed me to tell me how much fun she had at the gathering... which made me happy of course. I love the card. It's adorable. I love the colors too. (sorry but the photo doesn't do the colors justice)

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Flight of the Butterfly, (and another one but I can't remember which one)

Card Stock: Whisper White, Poppy Parade, Certainly Celery CS; DSP - Sunny Garden, Patterns Designer Series Paper - Subtles

Inks: Certainly Celery, Poppy Parade Classic inks

Accessories: corner rounder, Butterfly punch, scallop punch, 1-3/8" circle punch, 1/8 hole punch,brads, 3/8" certainly celery taffeta ribbon

Card #2 - this card was designed by Sue Shoup. Sue is a first level down-line member and has been with Stampin' Up since 2008. I love Sue's work. She had this really fun design for us to do and I of course messed up, so mine is actually a little backwards. Still cute though...you'd never know if I didn't tell you. Don't you just love how the card opens?

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Well Scripted

Card Stock: Mellow Moss, Whisper White CS; DSP - Greenhouse Gala

Inks: Mellow Moss

Accessories: scallop punch, jumbo scallop punch, Signo white gel pen, rhinestones

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you saw something you liked. Have a great day!

Thank you also to my wonderful down-line for attending my gathering and designing some really fun cards!

SAMPLES FROM OUR GATHERING

2011-04-23T11:01:00.000-04:00

So yesterday I told you that I had a down-line gathering a few weeks back. We really had a fun night of catching up and we stamped some really great cards. Today I'll show you two more.

The first one was designed by Maureen Gold. You can see all the wonderful cards she makes by visiting her blog (by clicking here) Leave her a comment and tell her I sent you. Maureen was my first ever recruit and will celebrate her 7th Stampin' Up anniversary in May.

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Punch Bunch, So Happy for You

Card Stock: Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Pear Pizzaz, Whisper White CS; DSP - Green House Gala

Inks: Pumpkin Pie, Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip classic inks

Accessories: Two step Owl Punch, Two Step Bird Punch, dimentionals

The second card here was designed by Karen Urbisci another recruit of mine. She too is a great stamper. You can pop on over to Karen's blog by clicking here... again, tell her I sent you. Karen has been with Stampin' Up for almost 5 years now.

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Friends Never Fade
Card Stock: Cherry Cobbler, Marina Mist, Sahara Sand, Whisper White CS; DSP - Petals & Paisleys
Inks: More Mustard and Old Olive markers
Accessories: wall paper textured embossing folder, Big Shot

I've been very lucky to be find a great group of ladies that are great stampers and great friends. It's just a bit unfortunate that we are all so busy with our lives and our children that we don't get to hang out as much as we'd like too.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you saw something that inspired you to go stamp.

Have a great day!
\

DOWNLINE GATHERING - MARCH 2011

2011-04-22T18:02:00.000-04:00

Back in the end of March I held a little get together for my first and second level down-line members. We hadn't seen each other for ages and I had acquired two new recruits so I thought it would be a great opportunity for visit.

I ordered pizzas, some of the gals brought desserts and everyone brought a shoe-box share. I love events like these because we get to stamp and enjoy each other's company without having to teach the class. I love teaching my stamping classes but sometimes I like having someone else prepare the projects.

For those of you who do not know what a shoe-box share is...well, it s when you design a card, cut all the paper and place all of the supplies to make that card into a shoe-box type container. Everyone who attends the event bring along a box filled with their card and supplies. Once at the event, we pass the boxes around the table until everyone has had an opportunity to make all of the cards. It's a work at your own pace type of event, and you leave with a bunch of different cards. It's really kind of neat since you only had to design one card.

So this adorable card was designed by Donna Hustedde who is in my first level down-line.

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Heard from the Heart

Card Stock: Poppy parade, Pear Pizazz, Whisper White CS; DSP - Sunny Garden

Inks: Poppy Parade

Accessories: Heart punch, white signo gel pen, 3/8" white taffeta ribbon, rhinestone jewel

Thanks so much for stopping by today... have a great day!

ANOTHER ANNIVERSAY

2011-04-21T21:54:00.000-04:00

About a month ago my husband and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary. We met back in 1986, started dating in 1987 and married in 1992. It's been a wonderful 19 years together. To celebrate, we headed down to Atlantic City for dinner. We never go there really but we had been lucky enough to win a gift certificate to a restaurant in one of the casinos and decided our anniversary was the night to use it.

I had planned on taking photos of the food and desserts and decor so I would have a nice long blog post...but once in the restaurant I was embarrassed to photograph the food and sadly although the presentation looked nice I was disappointed in the meal.

Anyhow - here are two cards. Both are nearly identical. The first one is the one I made my husband for our anniversary - the second is one I made for the shoebox share for my down-line gathering. Can you find the slight difference between them? Enjoy!

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Bliss, Fundamental Phrases, Tiny Tags
Card Stock: Sahara Sand, Basic Black, Not Quite Navy, Naturals White CS; DSP - First Edition
Inks: Basic Gray
Accessories: tearing edge, crumb cake binding seam, mini vintage tags, vintage trinkets, jewelery tag medium

So - were you able to find the two slight differences? The words on the two cards were different. On one card the words were "LOVE" and "XO"; On the other card the words were "friends" and "4U";

I hope you enjoyed these cards. Stop back later for a look at the other cards we made at my down-line gathering.

Have a great day!

Easter Blossoms

2011-04-19T06:00:00.003-04:00

Today I have my fourth and final March stamp Club project to show you. It makes me think spring - Enjoy!

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Easter Blossoms
Card Stock: Whisper White, Basic Grey CS; DSP - Sweet and Sour Specialty paper
Inks: Basic Grey and Rose Red classic inks, Black Staz-On;
Accessories: tearing edge, oval scallop punch, oval punch, Basic Black 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon, scallop nestabilities, pearl jewels, dimentionals, 2-way glue, dazzling diamonds, aqua painters

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope to see you back here soon!

Elegant Bliss

2011-04-18T06:00:00.010-04:00

Finally I am back to samples... here is the third card we made at my March stamp club. This one I really like. It's very simple and yet very elegant. It's easy to duplicate and can be use for some many different occasions.

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Bliss
Card Stock: Naturals White, Soft Suede, Bashful Blue CS
Inks: Soft Suede
Accessories: Frames Tulips Embossing folder, Big Shot, Antique brads, Crumb Cake 1/2" seam binding

Thanks so much for visiting today. Come back soon!

THE WINNER IS...

2011-04-16T23:48:00.000-04:00

First - I would like to thank everyone who helped me celebrate my 10 year anniversary last Saturday and everyone who took part in my One Day Only Special Promotion. As stated the first 10 people who placed an order received a FREE gift and this is what they will get.....

Secondly, the winner of the GRAND PRIZE bundle is....

Here is a photo of the bundle of products Ruth won. Congratulations Ruth! Enjoy!

Would you all like a close up of everything included? OK....

Stampin' Up! memo pad and holder and key chain calculator

Medium Sized Whisper White envelopes and Ice Cream Parlor ribbon and buttons

2 Stamp Sets

Wood Mount - Priceless

Clear Mount - Apple Blossoms (Level 2 Hostess Set)

Pretty Cool bundle of products wouldn't you say? Make sure you play next time for your chance to win a prize. I will be in contact with the winners...

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Have a great day!

RUN ON BIRTHDAYS

2011-04-10T22:19:00.000-04:00

There has been a huge run on birthday parties lately. My younger two sons attended two birthday parties this weekend and they are going to two more next weekend. That's four parties in a seven day period. I am in high demand for children's birthday cards.

I made out fairy easy with the gifts. I took the boys to the store to choose a gift and when we realized that the toy they wanted was on sale they quickly decided that they wanted to give the same toy to the other three children as well. So it was one stop shopping and we purchased the same gift for all four parties.

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Punch Bunch

Card Stock: Pear Pizzazz, Pacific Point, Whisper White CS; DSP - Celebrations

Inks: Real Red, Pacific Point

Accessories: square scallop punch, Pear Pizzazz 1/2" stitched-poly ribbon, polka dots embossing folder, Big Shot, dimentionals

Luckily for me I had a few of these birthday cards on hand from my March stamp club. They worked perfectly. Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF STAMPIN' UP!

2011-04-09T00:56:00.000-04:00

Today I am celebrating 10 years as a Stampin' Up demonstrator...wow! I can't believe it. So far, this has been a wonderful experience for me. I have met many new people throughout the years and have made so many new friends. I honestly believe making the decision to become a Stampin' Up demonstrator 10 years ago was one of the best decisions I could have made. It's been a fun journey and one I look forward to continuing.

In honor of my 10th Anniversary, I am having a ONE DAY SPECIAL PROMOTION that ends at 11:59pm tonight. To participate all you have to do is place a minimum $20 order before 11:59pm on Saturday 4/9/11. Please e-mail the order to me at jmic91@comcast.net On-line orders will not qualify.

So - what is the ONE DAY SPECIAL PROMOTION?

Well....when you place a minimum $20 order you will get the following:

1) You will receive a 10% discount on your entire order.

2) The first 10 people who place an order will receive a FREE gift from me.

3) For every $10 of your order, you will have your name placed into a drawing for a FREE bundle of Stampin' Up products. (If you spend $30 you will have your name entered 3 times).

It's just that simple.... place a minimum $20 order...get a discount... get a FREE gift...and get a chance to win a bundle of products.

So - don't forget....you must e-mail me your order before 11:59PM tonight (4/9/11). On-line orders do not qualify because the computer will not generate your discount.

Thank you everyone for your continued support of my business. I look forward to celebrating many more years with you all.

Have a great day!

MARCH STAMP CLUB - PROJECT #1

2011-04-07T20:51:00.000-04:00

So about 2 weeks ago I had my March stamp club and as usual we made four projects. I really should take photos of my stamp club ladies because we really do have a lot of fun. I really liked the projects we made this time around and I hope the girls in the club did as well. Enjoy!

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Easter Bloosoms, Tiny Tags
Card Stock: Very Vanilla, Sahara Sand, Baja Breeze CS; DSP - Springtime Vintage
Inks: Sahara Sand
Accessories: Vintage Flower Adornments, Crochet Trim ribbon, Vintage Trinkets, tags punch

Put my blog in your "favorites" and be sure to check back every day. I have three more cards from stamp club to show you. I also have six cards from my demonstrator down-line meeting to show you. I also have a special announcement to make on Saturday April 9th.... so if my math is correct that's 10 days of new posts. How exciting for you. 10 day of new ideas and inspiration. Of course, by then I will have new projects thati have made to show you. So, yes...I am back on track of posting.

Thanks for stopping by today. Have a great day!

SPECIALS AND PROMOTIONS

2011-04-06T15:46:00.000-04:00

you know it's been way too long since you posted to your blog when it takes you four times to actually get the password correct. It's sad really... how quickly time gets away from you. I knew it had been awhile since I had posted but didn't realize it had been three weeks. YIKES!

Anyhow - there are so many things going on right now. There is so much going on right now with Stampin' Up! and I want to make sure you are aware of all the current promotions.

1) GRAB BAGS - while supplies last...you can order a Stampin' Up grab bag filled with a surprise assortment of discontinued products.

a $5 grab bag has a $20 value; a $10 grab bag has a $40 value; a $15 grab bag has a $60 value;There is no minimum amount to spend. There is no limit to the number of grab bags you can purchase. You may not return or exchange any products...all sales are final. These grab bags seem to be a huge hit and are going fast. remember they are only available "While Supplies Last". You can order them directly through my demonstrator business web site by CLICKING HERE

2) Spring is Blossoming... Spring is Blossoming with Sneak Peek products from the upcoming 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog. You can get these brand-new products in one of two ways:

When you spend $20 on any products from any current catalog you are eligible to purchase both the Four Frames stamp set and the Designer Series paper. Both are pictured below. For a better view of each product, CLICK HERE

Stamp Set: Four Frames Item #123440 Wood Mount $20.95 / Item # 123442 Clear Mount $15.95

Designer Series Paper: Paisley Prints: Item # 122367 $9.95

If you would like to try to earn both of these products for FREE - then all you have to do is be a hostess of a Stampin' Up home party with sales of $350 or higher. Contact me directly to book your date!

3) Autism Awareness -

A very good friend and customer of mine hosted an Open House for Autism Awareness. The demonstrators and consultants involved all agreed to donate a portion of their profits to support this wonderful cause. Unfortunately, I was not feeling well and was unable to attend the Open House. Although I have made a personal donation to her in support of Autism, I wanted to do more.

So - I am offering a stamping bundle that will appeal to both stampers and non-stampers and I am giving 100% of my profits to support my friend for her efforts in this cause that is near and dear to her heart.

What does the bundle include? The bundle includes a personalized stamp and an ink pad in your choice of color.

What do I do with a 3 line personalized stamp? This personalized stamp could be used for a return address stamp (for the non-stampers) or for a hand-stamped by stamp for the stampers to personalize their projects. It could also say your family names so come Christmas time you don't have to write out each and every greeting card, just stamp your names in them. Although these stamp are shown as return address stamps, they can be printed to say anything that's not vulgar or offensive. The sky is the limit... do you run a business? how about "for deposit only"; or a child's name? what child doesn't like to put their name on everything? are you a teacher? how about "sign here" or any other phrase you find yourself constantly writing.

Can I view my stamp choices? Absolutely. CLICK HERE and go to pages 146-147 to see all your choices.

Can I view my color choices? Again, absolutely. CLICK HERE and then go to page 5 to see all of your color choices.

How much does this bundle cost? The stamp and ink pad together cost $25 and that includes S/H charges as well as 7% NJ sales tax. ( if by chance you choose one of the less expensive stamps I will adjust the price for you)

How much money gets donated to Autism Awareness? $5 from every bundle sold will get donated directly to my friend who will turn it over to the Autism Awareness organization she works with each year.

How do I order? Send me an e-mail with your choice of stamp, what you want it to say and your choice of ink pad color.

How do I pay for it? You can mail me a check, drop off cash or call me with a credit card.

When do you need the order by? I would like to submit the order to Stampin' Up by Monday 4/11/11; so if you could get back to me by Sunday 4/10/11 that would be great. that gives everybody a few days to check their e-mail and think about it.

I do have some new samples to show you and I will get to that later in the week. In the mean time, I hope that you take advantage of some of these wonderful specials and promotions.

Thank you in advance for your business!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

2011-03-17T22:31:00.000-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone... I really had great intentions of stamping a few St. Patrick's Day cards, but as usual life got in the way and I never got them finished. Truth be told...I never got them started, so all I have to show you this St. Patrick's Day are the cupcakes I made today for my children.

I spent the afternoon in the kitchen making dessert for my kids - with an Irish twist to it. I felt I needed to make up for not having prepared an Irish meal for dinner. I really wanted to make Irish potatoes for dessert but none of my four children like them...which means my husband and I would have ended up eating them all and we really don't need that. So, I decided on green jello and chocolate cupcakes with homemade green icing.

We sat down for a very, very non-Irish dinner of tacos which required me to bring in some kind of green...so I allowed my children to have diet 7up to drink with dinner to which I added a couple of drops of green food coloring. My goodness the excitement of a green beverage.

After dinner the kids had their choice of cupcake or jello...I went with the cupcake...my husband went for the bowl of leftover icing. Both were delish!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

MY BABY TURNS 9

2011-03-11T07:07:00.101-05:00

So today is a big day in my house... my baby turns 9 years old! I can't believe it...where has all that time gone? It seems like not too long ago I was sick with worry. The pregnancy with my fourth child was a little difficult. It had a lot of ups and downs and a couple of false labors. When the big day finally arrived and Michael came into this world he did so struggling to breath. I'll never forget it. He was whisked away to the nursery and I wasn't allowed to be with him. It was a hard 48 hours that just got worse. Michael was placed on a respirator and then transferred to The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. It was there, almost 60 hours after his birth that I held him in my arms for the very first time.

Day 2 in the NICU

Day 7 in the NICU

Day 9 in the NICU - the day before coming home

Michael spent 10 days in the NICU at CHOP - he was so small and helpless. His sister and two brothers were so happy when he arrived home safe and sound. It's amazing to look back on the photos of him in the NICU.

Today Michael is a strong healthy boy and today we celebrate his birth and his life. We also thank the doctors and the nurses who took such great care of him those 9 years ago so that he could be here with us today to celebrate being 9. Thank you CHOP!

So I made this 12x12 scrapbook page of to show off the many faces of Michael. Isn't he just adorable?

Happy, Happy Birthday Michael! I love you very much!

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

MONOGRAMMED NOTE CARDS

2011-03-10T07:00:00.031-05:00

Here are two cards I made recently. One I made at the birthday party I did a few weeks back and the other I made at a class I held at my house. I liked how these cards turned out but I always wonder....if I am sending a monogrammed card, should it have my initials on it or the initials of the person I am sending it to? What are your thoughts?

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Headline Alphabet
Card Stock: Very Vanilla, Basic Grey, Riding Hood Red; DSP - Love Letter
Inks: Riding Hood Red
Accessories: 5/8" Grey Satin ribbon, pearl jewels, Itty Bitty Shapes punch, dimentionals

Feel free to leave me a comment about what you would do.... send your initials or the initials of the recipient?

Thanks for stopping by today, I hope you saw something that inspires you to create something fun.

Have a GREAT day!

ANOTHER COPY CAT

2011-03-09T07:00:00.002-05:00

The inspiration for today's card was again from two different sources. I first saw this card on page 25 of the Occasions Mini catalog when it first came out and made a mental note to make it. To see the original click here.

Then, while reading Diana Gibbs blog one day I saw that she too was inspired that same card and she made her own version of it. To see Diana's card you can click here.

So I had a class with a few good friends and thought it was time to make the card. As you can see from the two cards that inspired me, the layout and design is almost exact...I just added designer series paper and swapped out butterflies and moved them around a bit. Enjoy!

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Perfect Punches
Card Stock: Basic Grey CS; DSP - Love Letter, First Edition
Inks: Basic Grey Classic ink
Accessories: Jumbo Oval punch, scallop oval punch, vintage wallpaper embossing folder, Beautiful Wing embosslits, Big Shot, 3/8" Kraft taffeta ribbon, vintage trinkets, dimentionals

I loved how this card turned out. I need a few get well and sympathy cards and I think if I just swap out the words this would be perfect! Thank you very much to Stampin' Up for providing a wonderful sample for me to use and thank you to Diana Gibbs for also inspiring this card.

Thanks for stopping by to visit today... I hope you are inspired to stamp something fun as well.

Have a great day!

EMBOSSED VELLUM

2011-03-08T07:08:00.004-05:00

okay - so, while blog hopping I found another beautiful card made by Gretchen Barron and I just loved it and had to try it out. I give 100% credit to Gretchen for the idea. So thank you Gretchen. She has such wonderful ideas. If you would like to see the cards she made that inspired me...then click here.

This card was so fun and easy to make. It's perfect for using up all those smaller pieces of designer series paper that you have left over. its also the perfect layout and design for any occasion. Enjoy!

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Card Stock: So Saffron card stock, Vellum; DSP - Greenhouse Gala
Inks: Early Espresso
Accessories: scallop oval punch, large oval punch, small oval punch, Elegant Bouquet embossing folder, Big Shot, 3/8" daffodil delight taffeta ribbon, 1/8" early espresso taffeta ribbon, dimentionals

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit today. I hope you saw something you liked.

FAUX PRESSED FLOWERS

2011-03-07T21:37:00.000-05:00

Wow - I can't believe it has been so long since I have blogged. I knew I had taken a few days off but didn't realize it had been a week and a half. I'm so sorry. Did anyone even notice? According to my counters, people are still coming to visit so I hope that's a good sign that people are at least interested in what I'm making.

So today's card is one that was inspired by multiple different sources. I first saw this technique in the Splitcoast Stampers Newsletter I get and thought "how cool". Which is where I CASED the design from. Thank you Ana Harada for the idea and design.

Then I was blog hopping and I saw that Gretchen Barron had done the same technique on a few of her cards. You can see one of Gretchen's cards by clicking here. So, I thought I would try to make one of my own. It was surprisingly easy to do. Enjoy!

Supplies:
Stamp Sets: Pocket Silhouettes
Card Stock: Crumb Cake, Perfect Plum, Very Vanilla CS; DSP - Patterns Designer Series pack
Inks: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: paper flowers (these were not stampin' up), brads, lattice embossing folder, Big Shot, 5/8" Very Vanilla Satin ribbon, 1/4" Very Vanilla 1/4" grosgrain ribbon

I really had fun with this card. I even made sure I ordered some extra paper flowers from Stampin' Up. then, while out this weekend I picked some other paper flowers from the local craft store that I'm excited to use. However, if you scroll through Gretchen's blog you will see how you can use this technique with shapes other than flowers. Thanks again Gretchen and Splitcoast Stampers for the inspiration.

Like I said before, I didn't invent the technique, and I cased the design from splitcoast stampers - so if you would like to follow the tutorial for this card, click here.
Thanks so much for stopping in today. I hope you saw something you liked.

BIRTHDAY PARTY CARDS

2011-02-24T07:07:00.000-05:00

I was asked to be the "entertainment" at a birthday party for a friend of mine and of course I said yes. The birthday girl was turning 12 years old. There was a group of eight 11-12 years olds and they all made 5 cards. For a little while in the beginning I wasn't sure they were having fun because the room was silent except for the thud of the stamps. Then I realized that they were just all "zoned" into the projects and didn't want to be distracted by talking or joking or laughing. It was so funny to watch...I completely understood where they were coming from too because when I create and design something, I don't talk to anyone. I shut everyone out...them once the card is designed and ready to go, I can sit and chat and laugh and stamp and assemble. It's just my way.

One of the cards we made that day was the same fun birthday card with the candles that we made at my birthday extravaganza class. You can see that card here...no need to re post it. The second card we made was also another from the birthday extravaganza. You can see that one by clicking here. the reason I used both of those cards was because they were easy fun cards that I knew little girls would like to give one another.

Then we made a Mother's Day card, a Father's Day card, and a monogrammed note card. All were pretty quick and easy cards, at least for this group. Enjoy!

Mother's Day Card -

Supplies:

Stamp Set: All Holidays

Card Stock: Pink Pirouette, Wild Wasabi, Very Vanilla CS; DSP - Springtime Vintage

Inks: Basic Grey

Accessories: jewels - pearls, scallop edge border punch, paper flower, dimentionals

Father's Day Card -

Supplies:
Stamp Set: All Holidays
Card Stock: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Baja Breeze, Naturals White CS; DSP - Elegant Soiree
Inks: Soft Suede
Accessories: 1/4" gross grain ribbon, deckle scissors, dimentionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you saw something you liked. Have a great day!

SPECIAL GUEST POSTING

2011-02-23T05:21:00.000-05:00

I have a customer who became a very good friend of mine over the years and has recently moved. I was so very sad to see her go and I have missed her being at my classes. I do think of her often, every day in fact for multiple reasons. For one, I have a set of chairs from her. They are sitting room chairs and while I wanted them for my bedroom, they have taken up residence in my family room and everyone seems to enjoy using them.

My friend's name is Debby. She is a very good stamper and just the other day I received this hand stamped new address card from her and I wanted to share it with you all. Enjoy!

I just love the printed paper she used. Those trees are so cute. I'd show you the inside but I don't want to reveal her new address to everyone...

Anyhow - Debby, thank you so much for the card. Thank you also for being a good customer but more importantly, thank for being a great friend. We all miss you. Enjoy your new home!

BIRTHDAY EXTRAVAGANZA - CARD #10

2011-02-21T05:39:00.001-05:00

Well, we made it. Today is the very last card from my birthday extravaganza class. I think it's very elegant. It is something I would give to a special girlfriend...Which one did you like best? Which one would you make?

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Bring On the Cake
Card Stock: Whisper White, Basic Grey, Pink Pirouette
Inks: Basic Grey
Accessories: 5/8" satin ribbon, Extra Large decorative label punch, vintage wall paper embossing folder, Big Shot, Rhinestones (fire), dimentionals

BIRTHDAY EXTRAVAGANZA - CARD #9

2011-02-19T05:36:00.001-05:00

Well, we are winding down on the cards from the birthday extravaganza but don't worry, I have had two other events since the birthday class so I still have plenty of projects to show you. The colors for this card were inspired by my daughter's gymnastic team colors. I was making those cards for her state meet and decided to stay with the same color theme.

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Upsy Daisy
Card Stock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Melon Mambo CS
Inks: Melon Mambo classic ink
Accessories: Jewels - basic pearls

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Have a great weekend!

BIRTHDAY EXTRAVAGANZA - CARD #8

2011-02-18T05:28:00.001-05:00

Today's card is another card that could be used for any aged boy. As I said, with 3 boys in the house I always need a birthday card appropriate for a boy. I know some of these cards are not highly technical to make, but you need to remember that the day of the class everyone made 2 each of all 10 cards for a total of 20 cards. They also made a perpetual birthday calendar so there was a lot of stamping, a lot of projects and it made for a very long day for everyone. I thought it was best to just keep the cards fairly quick and very simple. Enjoy!

Supplies:
Stamp Set: After Thoughts (Hostess Set)
Card Stock: Poppy Parade, Concord Crush, Confetti White CS
Inks: Poppy parade and Concord Crush markers
Accessories: Tearing edge, 1-3/4 Circle punch, dimentionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope this card inspired you to make something fun. Have a great day!

BIRTHDAY EXTRAVAGANZA - CARD #7

2011-02-17T05:23:00.001-05:00

For today's card, I had a young boy in mind... again, you don't see too many of these. I have three young boys and I always need little boy cards. Stampin' Up's "Extreme" line is perfect for just that. You can find the entire selection of "extreme" stamps on page 88 of the Big Idea Book and Catalog. They are all priced at just $8.95 each and I believe well worth the investment.

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Extreme Skateboard
Card Stock: Marine Mist, Not Quite Navy, Pumpkin Pie, Confetti White CS; DSP - Green House Gala
Inks: Not Quite Navy
Accessories: 1/4" Always Artichoke gross grain ribbon, sponges, dimentionals

Thanks for stopping in today!

BIRTHDAY EXTRAVAGANZA - CARD #6

2011-02-16T05:12:00.002-05:00

Today I have another masculine birthday card...I really like this stamp set too. You can find it in the Mini Occassions catalog. Enjoy!

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Plane and Simple
Card Stock: Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Naturals White CS; DSP - Elegant Soiree
Inks: Chocolate Chip classic ink
Accessories: 5/16" jumbo brad, 1/16" hole punch, dimentionals

Thanks so much for stopping by again today. I really do appreciate the traffic. I would love for you to leave me comments once in a while about the cards you see - or about cards you would like to see.

Have a great day!

BIRTHDAY EXTRAVAGANZA - CARD #5

2011-02-15T05:00:00.003-05:00

Today's card is another masculine birthday card. I find it is more difficult to create a masculine card and yet I always need them. Enjoy!

Just as an FYI...to get the two different colors on one stamp I inked up the stamp using Baja Breeze classic ink. Then I used a blender pen and removed the ink from the golfer. Then, I used a Soft Suede marker to re-ink the golfer. it's a little bit time consuming if you are making multiples but I really like the look.

Supplies:
Stamp Set: On The Green
Card Stock: Baja Breeze, Sahara Sand, Soft Suede,Very Vanilla CS; DSP - Elegant Soiree
Inks: Baja Breeze classic ink, Soft Suede marker
Accessories: 5/8" jumbo brads, 1/8" early espresso taffeta ribbon, spiral border punch, blender pens, dimentionals

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you found something to inspire you.

BIRTHDAY EXTRAVAGANZA - CARD #4

2011-02-14T05:42:00.001-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day to you if you are one who celebrates love today. Are you hand stamping your Valentine's? Blog hopping looking for inspiration? What are your plans for dinner tonight? I'm not sure what I am making for dinner yet, but I do know there will be brownies and ice cream for dessert.

Today I have another birthday card from my class, not a Valentine...sorry, (perhaps it is because I haven't made mine yet). Anyhow - enjoy this masculine birthday card.

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Lovely As A Tree, On Your Birthday
Card Stock: Garden Green, Crumb Cake, Naturals White CS; DSP - Woodland Walk
Inks: Chocolate Chip classic ink, Chocolate Chip, Garden Green markers
Accessories: 1/4" taupe gross grain ribbon, 1-1/4" square punch, 1-3/8" square punch, 3/4" circle punch, 1/16" hole punch, 5/16" jumbo brad,

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Be sure to check back tomorrow for another masculine birthday card. in the mean time, go give someone you love a hug and a kiss...after all, it is Valentine's Day!

BIRTHDAY EXTRAVAGANZA - CARD #3

2011-02-09T06:59:00.001-05:00

Today's card is another female birthday card from my class. It also uses some new product available in the new Occasions Mini catalog. You can view the catalog on the right side bar and if you want to purchase anything, just let me know. Enjoy!

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Create a Cupcake
Card Stock: Always Artichoke, Sahara Sand, Rose Red, Naturals White CS; DSP- Springtime Vintage
Inks: Rose Red, Sahara Sand classic ink
Accessories: Build a Cupcake punch, scallop border punch, scallop oval punch, large oval punch, Itty Bitty shapes punch pack, 3/8" taffeta ribbon in whisper white, pearls, dimentionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

BIRTHDAY EXTRAVAGANZA -CARD #2

2011-02-08T06:35:00.001-05:00

Today I have the 2nd birthday card from my big class last weekend. This card also uses the Bring on the Cake stamp set. This is a new stamp set that you can find in the Mini Occasions catalog. Enjoy!

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Bring On the Cake
Card Stock: Whisper White, Rose Red, Pretty in Pink CS;
Inks: Basic Black classic ink; Pretty in Pink, Rose Red and So Saffron markers
Accessories: scallop trim border punch, 2" circle punch, 2-3/8" scallop circle punch, lattice embossing folder, Big Shot, 5/8" white satin ribbon, dimentionals, rhinestones

FYI: the ribbon isn't really crooked...it was the angle of the photo that makes it appear that way. I swear, in real life the ribbon is straight!

Have a great day!

BIRTHDAY CARD EXTRAVAGANZA - CARD #1

2011-02-07T18:50:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I held a Birthday Card Extravaganza class. I was so excited about this class. I designed 10 different cards and every one was going to make 2 of each card for a total of 20 cards. Then, I designed a perpetual birthday calendar and everyone was going to make one of those. It was a lot of prep work to design the cards and cut all of the paper and then to make up all of the packet for every customer, (for that I enlisted the help of my three boys). But in the end it was well worth it. The class was a huge success and everyone seemed to love the cards and the calendar. I'd like to send out a special shout out "thank you" to my good friend and fellow demonstrator Donna Hustedde for arriving early and helping with all of the last minute issues. Thanks Donna!

This card started out with just the 5 strips of color behind the "Happy Birthday" piece. But then I happened to visit Kristina Werner's blog and saw this card and decided it would be fun to make those strips of color candles. So I whipped out the dotted scallop ribbon border and turned them into candles. To make the flame, I punch a heart out of So Saffron card stock and them cut the heart right down the middle...and viola, I had two flames. Thanks so much Kristina for the fabulous idea!

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Bring on the Cake

Card Stock: Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White CS;

Inks: Basic Black classic ink; Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo, Wild Wasabi markers

Accessories: dotted ribbon scallop border punch, pinking hearts border punch, small heart punch, polka dot embossing folder, Big Shot

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you see something you like.

SHIMMER PAINT

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

This is the last card we made at Lynn's workshop and I have to say, this is my favorite. It was really fun to make. Lynn had requested that I make something using shimmer paint, so my brain went to work thinking about what we could do because I very rarely use shimmer paint. This is what I came up with and everyone loved it.
Party Version - this is the card everyone at the party made.

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Pocket Silhouettes
Card Stock: Whisper White, Basic Gray, Basic Black CS; DSP - Love Letter
Inks: Basic Grey classic ink; Frost White Shimmer Paint
Accessories: scallop oval punch, large oval punch, 5/8" Very Vanilla satin ribbon, 3/8" Basic Black taffeta ribbon, mini glue dots, neutral buttons, dimentionals

I guess the adhesive seeped through the black ribbon which is why it looks out of place and not perfectly lined up. Why don't I notice these things before I take the photo? It seems like I find all the imperfections after I take the photos and download the them to my computer.

Have a great day!

Home Party Projects -

2011-02-04T22:04:00.000-05:00

So last Friday night I did a home party for a customer named Lynn. Everyone seemed to have a great time. Lynn had requested to see a few different techniques so I whipped up three different cards. The best thing about home parties are that there are all levels of stampers who attend. I love the reactions I get from everyone when they see something done for the first time...they have that "wow" moment.

CARD #1 - Versa Mark (used to stamp the bird)

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Punch Popourri, Bring on the Cake
Card Stock: Baja Breeze, Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla CS; DSP - Springtime Vintage
Inks: Baja Breeze Classic Ink
Accessories: Scallop Edge punch, 2-3/8" Extra Large Scallop Circle punch, 2" circle punch, 2-step Extra Large bird punch, 5/8" satin ribbon in Early Expresso

CARD #2 - 2 Step Stamping

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Awash with Flowers, Pocket Silhouettes
Card Stock: Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Gray CS; DSP - Pumpkin Pie Patterns
Inks: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie Classic inks; Wild Wasabi markers
Accessories: 1/8" taffeta ribbon in Pumpkin Pie
Thanks so much for stopping by today. I will post the 3rd card we made tomorrow. Be sure to come back to visit...it's my favorite!

Have a great day!

JANUARY STAMP CLUB - PROJECT #4 + BONUS CARDS

2011-02-03T21:12:00.000-05:00

So today I have the last card from the January stamp club to show you. I also found a few cards from a class I had back in December that I never blogged about. BONUS!

January Stamp Club #4 - This card can easily be made into a masculine birthday card

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Nature Walk,
Card Stock: Not Quite Navy, Chocolate Chip, Naturals White CS;
Inks: Chocolate Chip and Not Quite navy classic ink
Accessories: Chocolate Chip stripped ribbon, small oval punch, large oval punch, lattice embossing folder, Big Shot, dimentionals

This card here, I made in my "Fancy Card Class" that was held back in December. I just never got around to posting it. Sorry. I hope you them!

CHRISTMAS CARD #1

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Snow Swirled

Card Stock: Real Red, Garden Green, Brushed Gold, Very Vanilla CS;

Inks: Real Red, Garden Green

Accessories: Nestabilities, Jumbo Oval Punch, Modern Label Extra Large Punch, 1/8" hole punch, gold brads, gold glimmer brads, dimentionals

CHRISTMAS CARD #2 - this card was inspired by a card i received. I added the layer of red card stock and the red card stock behind the dsp and the rhinestones.

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Bells and Boughs, Seasonal Sentiments
Card Stock: Old Olive, Real Red, Whisper White CS; DSP - Old Olive Patterns Designer Series
Inks: Basic Black, Old Olive classic ink; Old Olive and real red markers
Accessories: dotted ribbon scallop border, rhinestones, dimentionals

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you liked the cards I featured today and that it inspired you to create something fun!

have a great day!

JANUARY STAMP CLUB PROJECT #3

2011-01-31T07:40:00.001-05:00

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. I hosted a Birthday Extravaganza card class. We made 20 birthday cards and a perpetual birthday calendar. I had a full house and it was crazy and chaotic and wonderfully exhausting. But before I show you those cards I need to finish showing you the cards from my January stamp club. Enjoy!

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Because I Care hostess set
Card Stock: Perfect Plum, Old Olive, Whisper White CS; DSP - Patterns
Ink: Black Classic Ink (should have used Staz-On); Watercolor Wonder Crayons
Accessories: White Organza ribbon, vintage wall paper embossing folder, the Big Shot, shimmer paints, dimentionals

As you can see both cards are the same. one I played with color a little bit. I used the water color wonder crayons to color in the flower but because I didn't use Staz-On, the black in smeared a bit. Then I decided to try to make it shimmery so I coated it too heavily with shimmer paint. you might not be able to tell from the photo...but I know.

Thanks for stopping in today. I hope you found something you like here. Have a great day!

JANUARY STAMP CLUB - PROJECT #2

2011-01-28T23:20:00.000-05:00

I just returned from a home workshop and and everyone really seemed to love the cards we made..which makes me very excited to show them to you...but, I have to finish showing you the January Stamp Club projects first. Here is project #2 - ENJOY!

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Just Believe
Card Stock: Concord Crush, So Saffron, Whisper White CS; DSP: printed patterns dsp
Inks: Concord Crush and Wild Wasabi markers
Accessories: Oval Scallop nestabilities, Beautiful Wings Embosslit Die, Big Shot, 1/2 " Stitched Poly-Ribbon in Crushed Grape, dimentionals, glue dots

I hope you enjoyed today's card. Be sure to stop back often for more samples. I have plenty to show. We made three tonight at the home party I did and tomorrow I am hosting my Birthday Card extravaganza class. I designed 10 cards for that class. I think I might even have a few cards left over from before Christmas.

Have a great day!

JANUARY STAMP CLUB - PROJECT #1

2011-01-27T22:30:00.000-05:00

Well, last week I held my first stamp club of 2011 and it was very nice to get back to stamping. This time around I have two new ladies to the group and I think they really enjoyed themselves. Andrea was our hostess and was in charge of snacks...WOW - best snacks ever!

Anyhow - here are two versions of one of the cards we did. Obviously, both card are identical layouts, I just used the "flip" side of the designer series paper. Enjoy!

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Just Believe

Card Stock: Basic Black, Very Vanilla CS; DSP: Love Letter

Inks: Basic Black

Accessories: Eyelet Border Punch, neutral buttons, mini glue dot

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you saw something that inspired you to create something fun!

Have a great day!

JANUARY BLUES - JANUARY NEWS

2011-01-24T16:55:00.000-05:00

January is such a hard month for me. First of all, I HATE to see the Christmas season come to end. My house looks so discombobulated during the "un-decorating" process (which by the way takes way longer than the "decorating" process). Personally - I am still in the un-decorating process and I have decorations and boxes and tissue paper everywhere. UGH! Besides, it's just so depressing to put away the Christmas decorations because the house looks so empty afterward.

January is so cold and it feels dark and dreary. I find I feel very tired in January and my days seems shorter. I just don't get enough accomplished. I feel like I spend the entire month of January playing catch up. Am I alone in this feeling or do you feel this way as well?

Anyhow - my daughter competed in the NJ State Gymnastics Competition this weekend and I designed an 8 x 10 page for the patron booklet and I designed a 5 x 7 card for her as well as each of the girls on her team using My Digital Studio.

Souvenir Booklet Ad - 8x10 Layout -

Front of Card - 5H x 7W Landscape -

Inside Top Half of Card - 5H x 7W landscape

Inside Bottom half of card - 5H x 7W -

These pages were so fun to make and everyone seemed to really like them. I hope to be working with the Digital Software more frequently.

I had the 1st stamp club gathering of 2011 this past Friday night - so I have a handful of cards I will be blogging about this week. And my Birthday card extravaganza card class was rescheduled due to illness so I have 10 additional cards to show you from that as well.

So - what's the news? Well, for starters, I am going to start blogging again and more frequently that i had been. and more importantly, I'm going to have more samples to show you.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you see something that inspires you! Have a great day!

Happy New Year 2011!

2011-01-08T19:48:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! Happy 2011 to you all!

I know I haven't posted since well before Christmas but if you remember I had that little incident with my laptop and my favorite hot beverage... then Christmas and all the holiday festivities arrived and as much as I love stamping and blogging, I love my family even more so I purposely neglected my stamping and my blogging and everything business.

I hope Christmas in your house was amazing! Christmas in our house was amazingly WONDERFUL. We attended church Christmas Eve so we were able to stay home in our jammies all day Christmas. In the morning, we opened presents from Santa and then we popped a turkey into the oven. Then we opened our gifts to each other. It's so fun to see what the kids get for each other and they are so excited about their choices. Then we hung out and played games and ate a delicious turkey dinner and never left our house.

Our Christmas tree this year I have to say was one of our best. It was officially 12 feet tall and had the perfect shape. My husband was so very proud. These photos don't do it justice really.

We enjoyed an after Christmas snow storm. We hosted a Christmas party for family, friends and neighbors and my husband and I catered the entire feast ourselves. This year we had 77 people in attendance - wow! It was a lot of work but we really enjoy opening our home to everyone. It's such a magical season and we are blessed. I just realized while writing this post that I did not take one photo during our Christmas party... bummer!

I spent a wonderful week with my husband and kids. It was refreshing not being on any type of schedule. No school, no homework and no other activities really held us to anything concrete. We spent many nights sitting in front of the fire, playing board games, playing the Wii, and watching movies. Life is good!

Ok - so back to my laptop - and the little incident with my coffee...(still makes me sad...I loved this laptop)... I thought my laptop was fixed and then suddenly one thing after another started breaking down and my husband, (God Bless his persistence), kept fixing and replacing all the "little" things...and so now I'm back up and running and it feels good!

As for my stamping business - I am excited to host some wonderful classes this year and to provide you all with a variety of samples. The only class I have coming up in January is my big Birthday Card Extravaganza. We will make a perpetual birthday calendar and 20 birthday cards. I'm very excited about this class because I will have the opportunity to stamp with some very good friends whom I haven't seen in ages. I'm also excited to have 20 different cards to show you all when it's over!

My full list of classes, special events and stamp club list will be up and posted to my web site by February 1st...so please check back for that.

Thanks for staying with me - I appreciate you all.

Happy Winter!

Snow Swirled - Again

2010-12-10T22:47:00.001-05:00

How about another fancy Christmas card? I loved this class! This card was also made using the Snow Swirled stamp set. ENJOY!

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Snow Swirled
Card Stock: Whisper White, Brushed Silver, Marina Mist; DSP - Bridal Collection
Inks: Marina Mist
Accessories: Scallop Square punch, 1-1/4" circle punch, 1/8" Black taffeta ribbon, 1/8" Marina Mist taffeta ribbon, 3/8" Black taffeta ribbon, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Big Shot, pearls, dimentionals
Thanks so much for stopping by!

Snow Swirled

2010-12-09T22:17:00.000-05:00

Okay - so how about an update on my laptop... right now it is finally working again. Some of the keys are a little bit sticky but for the most part it turns on and runs and all of my data is safe. I'm not sure how long it's going to last - but at least I don't need to purchase a new laptop right before Christmas.

So - how about some Christmas cards? A few weeks back I held a "Fancy" card class. I only had a handful of people attend, but we really had a great time and they seemed to really love the cards. I hope you like them as well.

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Snow Swirled
Card Stock: Whisper White, Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, Brushed Silver
Ink: Encore Silver
Accessories: Silver Embossing powder, scallop trim border, red taffeta ribbon, Finial Press embossing folder, Big Shot, rhinestone, glimmer brad,
Thanks so much for stopping by today! Thanks again for your patience. I hope you have enjoyed my cards.

BIRTHDAY PARTY PROJECTS #3 & #4

2010-12-01T20:47:00.000-05:00

Okay - soooo...we heard back from the computer repair place and apparently my computer is not fixable. The good news is that the hard drive is fine and all data has been saved to another computer. The bad news is that I will need a new computer. So, you now know what I will be asking Santa for this Christmas. I'm so frustrated.

Anyhow - here are the other projects we made at the birthday party a few weeks ago. ENJOY!

Project #3 - CANDY HOLDER

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Card Stock: Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise CS; DSP - Pumpkin Pie Patterns DSP
Inks: Tempting Turquoise
Accessories: Small Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, 1/4" turquoise gross grain ribbon, staples, pixie stix

Project #4 - CHRISTMAS GIFT TAG / BOOK MARKER

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Four the Holidays

Card Stock: Sahara Sand, Riding Hood Red; DSP - discontinued pattern

Inks: Riding Hood Red

Accessories: Pinking Hearts border punch, ornament punch, 1/8" taffeta ribbon, 1/4" gross grain ribbon

I hope you liked the projects. Actually, the gift tag/book marker was a project I also did for a home party. The guests seemed to like it. For those willing to give it away, it is a Christmas gift tag. For those who don't like giving away their creations... it's a book marker.

Thanks for stopping by again today. I will try to post as regularly as possible but I ask that you be patient until my computer is replaced.

Have a great day!

BIRTHDAY PARTY PROJECTS #1 & #2

2010-11-29T15:39:00.000-05:00

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and I do hope you did as well. The good news is that it was a very relaxing long weekend with my family. The bad news is that I didn't get to blogging. Anyhow - here are a few projects for you to enjoy.
I recently was the entertainment at a friend's birthday party. A few weeks back a friend's daughter celebrated her 11th birthday and they asked me to come and do crafts for the kids. So I did. There were 18 girls in attendance and I had them each make 4 projects. The projects doubled as their entertainment and their party favor. The kids seemed to enjoy stamping and the mom really loved not having to plan the crafts.

PROJECT #1 - Birthday Card - I wanted to have the girls make something they could use so I thought a birthday card to give to another friend would be great. The girls seemed to like this project.

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Girlfriends
Card Stock: Pink Passion, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper white CS; DSP - discontinued pattern
Inks: Basic Black and Pink Passion ink; Markers to match designer series paper
Accessories: Scallop Circle punch, 1-3/8" circle punch

PROJECT #2 - Christmas Card - I wanted to do another really simple card that the girls could make.

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Seasonal Sentiments
Card Stock: Glorious Green, Real Red, Whisper White CS; - DSP - patterns dsp
Inks: Real Red
Accessories: Snowflake punch, rhinestones,

So - I am still without a computer. I use the kid's computer when they aren't on it - but I get an earful from them. It's not as nice as mine was but I guess I can't complain. We called the computer store and they don't have any news for us yet. Ugh! That can't be good.

Thanks f or stopping by today - I hope you saw something you liked.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING -

2010-11-25T13:06:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I hope you have a wonderful day. I am thankful for my family, my friends and my life in general. Everything right now is well and i feel very blessed. Today I have a few cards for you, so enjoy!

CARD #1 - Happy Thanksgiving - The three cards below are the exact same design, but I chose to use different patters of the designer series paper on each. Also the scallop edge border on each card is in a different position.

I used the "poppin pastel" technique on this card. Thanks to my friend Donna Hustedde for the idea and inspiration. I stamped the image in versa mark and then dusted various colors of pastels on it using cotton balls. You can get a variety of shades depending on how much chalk you use. All three cards below use a different amount of chalk to show you the different looks. ENJOY!

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Days of Gratitude, Thankful For
Card Stock: Soft Suede, Olds Olive, Very Vanilla CS; DSP - Autumn Spice Specialty Designer Paper
Inks: Soft Suede classic ink; Versa Mark
Accessories: pastel chalks, eyelet border punch, pinking hearts boarder punch, 5/8" satin ribbon, glitter brads, 1/8" hole punch, dimentionals.

CARD #2 - Bright Blessings

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Bright Blessings Jumbo Wheel
Card Stock: Really Rust, Early Expresso, Old Olive, Naturals Vanilla CS; DSP - Autumn Spice Specialty paper
Inks: More Mustard Classic ink
Accessories: tearing edge, jumbo handle, smooch spritz, crochet trim, 1/8" taffeta ribbon

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you Thanksgiving Day is wonderful.

FINALLY - NEW CARDS

2010-11-23T16:37:00.000-05:00

Well, today is the day I begin blogging again. No, my computer isn't working yet. It is still in the shop being "diagnosed", but I was able to get photos of my cards loaded onto the kid's computer so I can blog. I'm so excited because I really missed blogging.

Just because I haven't been blogging doesn't mean I haven't been stamping. I have had many events recently and I have a ton of cards to show you. Since Thanksgiving is this week, I am going to start with Thanksgiving cards. So, enjoy them!

CARD #1 - French Foliage - Both of these cards use the same supplies, there is just a slight change of ribbon. i think I like the top sample better.

card measures 5-1/2" x 4-1/4"

Supplies:
Stamp Set: French Foliage
Card Stock: Old Olive, Soft Suede, Daffodill Delight, Naturals Ivory
Inks: Old Olive, Canjun Craze, Daffodill Delight, Sahara Sand classic inks
Accessories: 1/16" hole punch, brad, 5/8" burgundy gross grain ribbon, eyelet border punch, lattice embossing folder and the Big Shot

CARD #2 - DAYS of GRATITUDE - this card was one of the make and takes I made at the Baltimore Regional Seminar.

this card measures 4" x 4"

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Days of Gratitude
Card Stock: Canjun Craze, Early Expresso, Whisper White CS;
Inks: Old Olive, Canjun Craze classic ink;
Accessories: 3/4" circle punch, pearl

CARD #3 - my card which was inspired by the above make & take...

this card measures 5-1/2" x 4-1/4 "

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Days of Gratitude
Card Stock: More Mustard, Canjun Craze, Old Olive, Early Expresso, Very Vnilla CS; DSP - Autumn Spice Designer Specialty paper
Inks: Canjun Craze, More Mustard classic ink
Accessories: 1/2" Stitched Poly-Ribbon, Button, glue dot

Thank you for being so very patient. I hope you liked the cards I made. Be sure to check back everyday for new cards and ideas.

Have a great day~!

Soon Hasn't Arrived Yet!

2010-11-18T19:49:00.000-05:00

Okay - so when I said "SOON" I meant the next day, but as you can see...SOON hasn't arrived yet. I had every intention of getting cards up but apparently, I need to be careful what I promise. First my camera malfunctioned. Then I misplaced the new batteries I purchased for the camera and had to go out and buy new ones. Then, I diligently took photos of about a dozen cards to blog about. Then, it happened.....

The horrible, messy, incredibly stupid incident of November 2010. I made myself a cup of coffee and sat down at my desk to check e-mail and I proceeded to spill the entire cup of piping hot coffee all over my laptop and my desk. I shut the computer off immediately. Then I turned off the surge protector to make sure there was no power whatever to the laptop. Then I tilted the laptop to "drain" all of the coffee out of it. This took multiple tries. Then I turned the laptop over and toweled it dry making sure all the ports were coffee free. Then I turned it upside right again and let it air dry for 24 hrs.

My husband tried unsuccessfully to restart the laptop. He took it apart and was able to remove the hard drive (which did have dried coffee on it) and download all of my data onto an external hard drive. WOW - what a relief that the data was retrievable because for 24 hours I was afraid it was not.

So - now I wait. We are taking the laptop to professional so they can tell me whether or not it can be fixed. I really hope so. I can't afford to buy a new laptop right now. Seriously though, I loved this laptop. My husband bought it for me a few years ago for our anniversary. He had it custom built just for me. I just loved everything about it.

Anyhow - I don't know if the steps I took to clean up the coffee helped or hurt. I don't know if I should have done things in a different order or not, what I do know is that the dang cup of coffee was filled to the top and completely drenched the laptop.
So, I will ask you once again to be patient with me while I sort this mess out. I will be back to posting as soon as possible.

On a good note, I have been very busy with classes and events and have a ton of stuff to show you. I'm very excited so please keep checking back.

Thanks -

New Cards coming tomorrow.....

2010-11-10T17:26:00.000-05:00

Don't give up...new cards are coming soon....tomorrow in fact will be the day you visit my blog and will see new cards and ideas. I have two different stamping events this weekend so I have plenty of things to show you. Thanks for being patient!

See you soon!

NEW CLASSES AND EVENTS

2010-11-04T22:37:00.000-04:00

New classes have been added to the "EVENTS" page on my demonstrator business web site. Be sure to check it out. I would love yo have you join me for some stamping!

Have a great day!

Halloween Projects - Day 3

2010-11-01T06:00:00.002-04:00

Yes, I know Halloween was yesterday, and I hope you had a really fun time celebrating, but I still have two more projects to show you from my class last week. These are the final two projects and instead of cards, we made something 3D. My guests seemed to like that change. I hope you enjoy the projects.

Project #1 - 3 x 3 Candy Corn Sweet Centers

This project measures 3" x 3"

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Sweet Centers, Happy Harvest
Card Stock: Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie
Inks: Pumpkin Pie Classic Ink; Black Staz-On
Accessories: 1-3/4" extra large circle punch, 1/8" hole punch, brads, Pinking Hearts border punch

Project #2 - Pixie Stix Treat Holder

This project measures 2-1/2" W x 6-1/4" H

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Seasonal Sentiments

Card Stock: Basic Black, Tangerine Tango, Old Olive CS; DSP - Wicked Fun Specialty paper

Inks: Tangerine Tango

Accessories: Pumpkin Pie taffeta ribbon, Modern Label punch, black rhinestones,

I think both projects are pretty self explanatory, but it you need the exact dimensions, just let me know. I'll gladly measure them up and shoot you a reply.

Have a great Monday and thanks for stopping by!

Halloween Projects - Day 2

2010-10-31T10:00:00.002-04:00

Happy Halloween - if it is indeed Halloween when you read this and you celebrate the Halloween Holiday. My family does celebrate Halloween and my children are anxiously waiting to head out trick-or-treating. Here are two more cards we made at my Halloween class last week. I loved these two. They are indeed my favorites. It's not that I didn't like the other two, it's just that I like these better. ENJOY!

CARD #1 - Have A Wicked Halloween

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Wicked Cool

Card Stock: Old Olive, Perfect Plum, Whisper White CS; DSP - Patterns Perfect Plum DSP

Inks: Basic Black Classic Ink; Old Olive Marker

Accessories: Pear Pizzaz 1/2" Stitched Poly Ribbon, 1/2" Lace Trim, Scallop Oval punch, large oval punch, dimentionals

CARD #2 - Fright Night

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Midnight Raven, Web wheel

Card Stock: Canjun Craze, Basic Black, Whisper White CS; DSP - Wicked Fun Specialty Paper

Inks: Basic Black Standard Ink Cartridge; Canjun Craze Classic Ink

Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, 3/8" Satin Old Olive ribbon, dimentionals

Thanks for stopping by today! Now go enjoy your Halloween.

Halloween Projects - Day 1

2010-10-30T20:28:00.000-04:00

Last week I held a Halloween class and we made 6 different projects. i think my guests had a good time and liked all of the projects. I was happy because I had a new handful of guests attend the class. I love stamping with all of my customers but it makes me especially happy when new people attend. So, here are two of the cards we made during the class. I hope you like them.

CARD # 1 - Spider Web

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Batty For You

Card Stock: Whisper White, Old Olive, Basic Black CS; DSP - Patterns DSP - Old Olive

Inks: Basic Black Classic Ink

Accessories: Web embossing folder, Big Shot, scallop circle punch, 1-3/8" circle punch, 5/8" Grey satin ribbon, 1/8" Pumpkin Pie taffeta ribbon, silver cord, dimentionals

CARD #2 - Pumpkins

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Inspired By Nature, Autumn Harvest, All Holidays

Card Stock: Garden Green, Tangerine Tango, Naturals White CS

Inks: Garden Green, Tangerine Tango, Summer Sun, Basic Black classic inks; Creamy Caramel marker

Accessories: Lattice embossing folder, Top Note die, Big Shot, 1-3/8 circle punch, sponge dauber,

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you saw something you like, but I also hope you come and stamp with me soon.

Have a great day!

Christmas Stamp-A-Stack 2010 - Card #5

2010-10-29T22:14:00.000-04:00

Today is the last of my Christmas Stamp-A-Stack cards. This should have posted a few days ago but I never finished writing it up and instead it sat in my drafts folder. Both cards are exactly the same, it's just the lighting is a bit different. Anyhow - ENJOY!

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Jolly Old Saint Nick
Card Stock: Garden Green, Real Red, Naturals White CS; DSP - Deck the Halls
Inks: Basic Black, Sahara Sand classic ink; Real Red markers
Accessories: eyelet border punch, tearing edge, 5/8" certainly celery satin ribbon, blender pen

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Stamp-A-Stack 2010 - REtakes of Card #1 & Card #2

2010-10-27T06:30:00.001-04:00

I know you have seen both of these cards already, but I tried to take better photos of them. I'm not quite sure I accomplished that - but here they are anyhow. I didn't re-type the supply list, if you would like to see that, please click here - or scroll down to Friday, October 22, 2010.

Card #1 - Dasher

Card #2 - Holly

Hope these photos were a little better than before. Have a great day!

Christmas Stamp-A-Stack 2010 - Card 4

2010-10-26T06:36:00.016-04:00

Today I have another card from my Christmas Stamp-A-Stack class. Again, the cards are exactly the same with the exception of the coloring. I chose to color the coat on one card brown and the coat on the other card green. I apologize for the grainy photos. I'm still working on that issue. Enjoy!

Supplies:
Stamp Set: Greeting Card Kids
Card Stock: Riding Hood Red, Always Artichoke, Sahara Sand CS; Watercolor paper, DSP - Deck the Halls
Inks: Black Staz-On Ink, Chocolate Chip Classic Ink
Accessories: Water colored pencils, blender pens, 5/8" Ivory Satin ribbon, dimentionals

After the class, I was putting the extra packets of cards together and I thought this card really would have looked a bit nicer if I had run the Always Artichoke piece of card stock through the Big Shot using the wallpaper embossing folder. Always an after thought right?

So -am I crazy or are the photos grainy? Also - see how the colors in the top photo are completely different than the colors in the bottom two photos? I can't get true colors.
Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you see something you like!

Christmas Stamp-A-Stack 2010 - Card 3

2010-10-25T22:35:00.000-04:00

First off, let me tell you I am having huge issues with my camera and my lighting and I am very, very frustrated. You can't purchase regular normal light bulbs anymore. They are all fancy and energy efficient and they are supposed to reveal the natural light. I purchased all of the above light bulbs and they are NOT VERY bright. I am convinced that I must be going blind because none of the 6 packages of light bulbs I have purchased are bright enough for me.

In addition - all of my photos are turning out grainy. I don't know if I have hit a button and mistakenly changed a setting or not, but I am having issues getting nice clear photos of my cards all while showing their true colors. Again, major frustration. OK - enough of me complaining.

Here are two different versions of the same card. The slight difference is the punched trim on the left hand side. One the top card I used the scallop trim border. On the bottom card I used the eyelet border punch on both sides of the designer series paper strip. Enjoy!

These cards both measure 5-1/2" H x 4-1/4" W

Supplies:

Card Stock: Rose Red, Wild Wasabi, Very Vanilla CS; DSP - Sweet & Sour Specialty; Deck the Halls

Accessories: Polka Dot embossing folder, Big Shot, Ornament punch, scallop trim punch, eyelet border punch, dimentionals.

Thanks for stopping by today. If you have any suggestions on how to fix my light bulb or camera situation, feel free to let me know. Have a great day!

Christmas Stamp-A-Stack 2010

2010-10-22T23:21:00.000-04:00

I know it's has been a week since I have posted but my camera was acting funny and I couldn't get good photos of my cards. It was so frustrating. I was able to get some "okay" photos today but I'm still not 100% satisfied.

Anyhow - last weekend I held my annual Christmas Stamp-A-Stack (which I think was huge success) and I wanted to start showing some of the cards we made. I try to make the cards for my Christmas Stamp-A-Stack fairly simple so they can easily be recreated. My thought is if you see something you would like to use as your Christmas card, then you aren't going to want it to be too complicated - especially if you are making multiples. Enjoy!

CARD #1 - Dasher Merry Christmas

This card measures 5-1/2" W x 4-1/4" H

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Lovely AS A Tree, Dasher, All Holidays

Card Stock: Rose Red, Soft Suede, Naturals Ivory CS

Inks: Soft Suede, Rose Red

Accessories: tearing edge, 1/8" hole punch, brads, dimentionals

CARD 2 - Holly Christmas

This card measures 5-1/2" W x 4-1/4" H

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Occasional Quotes

Card Stock: Very Vanilla, Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler CS; DSP - Deck the Halls

Inks: Cherry Cobbler

Accessories: Modern Label punch, Victoria crochet trim ribbon, dimensionals

See what I mean about the photos not being right? They are not crisp and clear and bright. I'm not quite sure if it is the camera or the lighting or what. Anyhow - thanks for stopping by today and I hope you saw something you like.

Have a great day!

Stamp Club Card #1 & Baltimore Regional Swap

2010-10-16T23:09:00.000-04:00

Okay so you all know that I went to the Baltimore Regional back on October 2nd. Well, one of the things we demonstrators do is swap card fronts. Swapping is how we share our ideas with other. For those of you who don't know, here's how it works. I would design a card and make "x" number of copies of that card, but I would make just the card front. Then I would trade my card front for other card fronts made by other demonstrators to exchange ideas. It's fun but it is a lot of work. Well, I had intended to make 100 swaps for Baltimore. I only finished 50 of them but that's okay.

So while I was designing my swap for Baltimore I made this card. I really liked the card but then when I thought about making 100 of them I realized I would never get them finished in time. So, I decided that this card would be used for one of my October Stamp Club cards.

Card #1 - October Stamp Club project

This card measures 5-1/2" H x 4-1/4" W

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Inspired By Nature, Occasional Quotes, Punch Potpourri

Card Stock: Always Artichoke, Cajun Craze, More Mustard, Confetti White CS

Inks: Always Artichoke Classic ink; More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Basic Black markers

Accessories: 1/4" Always Artichoke gross grain ribbon, 2-3/8" extra large scallop punch, 2" circle punch, sponge, dimentionals

Card #2 - Baltimore Regional Swap

This card measures 5-1/2" H x 4-1/4" W

Supplies:
Stamp Sets: Inspired By Nature, It's Your Birthday
Card Stock: Always Artichoke, Cajun Craze, More Mustard, Confetti White CS; DSP - More Mustard
Inks: Always Artichoke, Cajun Craze Classic Ink
Accessories: 1/4" Artichoke gross grain ribbon, scallop circle punch, 1-1/4" circle punch, 1-3/8" circle punch, spiral border punch, dimentionals

As you can see there are not too many differences between the two cards. But the top card took much longer to make because I had to stamp the bird then punch him out. Then for the sentiment, I used two different markers to color the words - which is time consuming. For the stamp club that is fine because everyone makes their own cards...but for swapping, I didn't want to have to do that 100 times. So I changed it up just a little bit and I think it looks just as nice. What do you think? Which card do you like best?

Well, thank so much for stopping by today. I hope you saw something you liked and I hope it inspires you to create something fun. Have a great day!