My niece is getting married in May and I have the privilege and honor of contributing to a scrapbook that her Maid of Honor is putting together (Hi Boots!).  The MoH asked for contributions from various women in my niece's life and what we submitted was completely up to us. Since I am the keeper of the family history and an active member on Ancestry.com I decided to assemble a few pages of her/our family history. 

I was able to print the family trees on card stock and on each page placed photos of the people within that tree.  Thanks to my father who kept a large album of photos from his mom, I have some fabulous photos going back nearly 90 years, or maybe more. My sister-in-law was also able to provide some photos of her side of the family too.  Below is the 2-page layout I made for her family. 

 
While the family tree and the pictures are the real "story tellers" I had so much fun using the Big Shot and some of my Stampin' Up! Sizzix dies to accent these pages. I used two Sizzix alphabets: The large letters are the Serif Essential dies and the smaller alphabet is the Timeless Type dies, both of which are available on pages 207 and 212 of the current Stampin' Up Idea Book and Catalog.  However, if you look close, you will see my absolute favorite accent on these page...the flower!  This is a new Sizzix die for the Big Shot called Fun Flower and is in Stampin' Up!'s Occasions Mini Catalog (page 39). Take a closer look:

Isn't it fabulous? I like how the flowers aren't "matchy-matchy" yet they nest together so beautifully. Love it!

Come back over the weekend and I will show you a few more of the pages I've completed.

Have a GREAT Friday!

 
Yes, it really is the most wonderful time of year! It's time to Sale-a-brate! It only happens once and year and for a limited time only (January 25 through March 31, 2011). For those of you who may not know what Sale-a-bration is (gasp!), it's a great way to earn FREE product.  EVERYONE is a winner with this promotion.  For every $50 you spend, you get to choose from a select group of product which includes stamps, Designer Series Paper, a ribbon and button pack, Decor Elements and more for FREE!

Click here to view the Sale-a-bration brochure.

There are three way for you to earn free products:

Spend: Customers will receive a free Sale-a-Bration product for evrey $50 they spend (before tax and shipping).

Host a workshop: A hostess will receive free Sale-a-Bration product for every $300 in workshop sales IN ADDITION to the regular hostess benefits (excludes on-line orders).

Join: New recruits will receive 15% off their starter kit (standard or the digital kit), plus a special Sale-a-bration bonus bundle valued up to $50!

This really IS the most exciting time of the year!

If you are in the Orlando, FL area and would like to hostess a workshop, call me so reserve a date!

Contact me today if you would like to learn more or to place your order!

Happy Sale-a-brating!

I came across the idea for this cute little number from Becky Roberts.  She comes up with really terrific 3-D items and I knew this would be perfect for my February Stamp Camp in Clermont, FL.  It's the perfect gift to give a friend or a coworker for any occasion.  My box is for Valentine's Day so I embellished it with the Stampin' UP! Love Impressions Designer Paper.

 
The box holds three Ferrero Rocher chocolates.  I've never tried these chocolates before but now that I was about to pass them out to my class I thought I should indulge.  Big mistake!  These little chocolates are DELISH!  I've been doing so well on my New Year's resolution to lose weight...I can't let these darn things derail my progress.  Good thing my camp is scheduled for Feb 8th so I can get them out of the house soon!

The pull-out piece is the card.  It's just big enough to write a simple sentiment.  Here's a look:

The images on the card/tag are from the set Filled with Love. Really, really cute set.  I also added a red corduroy button for interest and tied a bow from white thread.

Enjoy your day!

Thanks for looking!

Happy Friday, Friends!

I am in the process of preparing for my February Stamp Camp with my ladies in Clermont/Orlando. It was suggested to me that we make more masculine cards that can be used for the special boys in our life.  Easier said than done.  I know I'm not the only one who struggles with it so I understand the need for it.  Today's card is one such attempt.

 
I'm not typically drawn to country or farm images, but the Stampin' Up! Countryside set is a really versatile set. The truck used on this card is easy to color and, in my humble opinion, can be for a masculine or feminine card.

I kept the card front simple and I intentionally left off a sentiment.  I let my class participants decide the occasion for the card so I bring  several different sentiments with me. I can think of a few different occasions this would work for.

The coloring of the truck was very simple.  Stampin' Up!'s watercolor paper makes creating beautiful images wicked easy!  I know it will seem I am biased towards SU!'s watercolor paper, but I will tell you sincerely that I have tried to match it with the watercolor paper in the stores and I have yet to find something that is as good or blends as beautifully.  You will not be disappointed with this paper.

 
Back to the coloring...I started by embossing the image in black embossing powder.  I then used markers to add color.  I didn't color it in with markers, I simply added color along some of the edges.  Then, with the aqua painters, I was able to "pull" the color throughout the image. Watercolor paper is very forgiving and can withstand a great deal of moisture without causing the paper to pill.  In the image above, you will notice I was able to add traces of gray and brown to give the appearance of rust.  Removing ink is achieved just by adding more water to dilute the color.

I'll be back tomorrow to show you the adorable treat holder I am making for Valentines. Come back tomorrow to see it yourself.

Until then,

I'm a little delayed in keeping my New Year's promise to myself, but I was determined to get today's project posted before the month ended.  Based on that theory, I'm way ahead of schedule :)

Today's post showcases one of the projects we did last week at my January Stamp Camp in Clermont, FL. It is a calendar propped up by an easel card.  It was a big hit!  The designer paper we used is retired from Stampin' Up!, but I liked it so much and knew the ladies would too.  I was able to incorporate several products including punches, Big Shot dies, ribbon, brads and even a little bling with a rhinestone.  If you are interested in learning how to make this simple, but very cool card, follow this link.

 
One of my favorite things about this calendar is the the mini safety pin and mini tag hanging from the ribbon. Little touches like this add so much to a project.

I have a lot of updating to do on my blog over the next few days, especially with the release of the new mini catalog and the upcoming, biggest sale of the year...SALE-A-BRATION!  If you are thinking about purchasing Stampin' Up! product, Sale-a-bration is the time to do it!  Why?  FREE product! This fabulous sale begins on January 25th. Details will follow shortly.

Thanks for dropping by.