Ok, seriously...I have creativity overload.

 I'm exhausted, but my mind won't let my body go to sleep. 

I had SO MUCH FUN today!!!  I spent the day at the Stampin' Up! Regional Seminar in Orlando meeting hundreds and hundreds of new and experienced papercrafters.  I was a "helper", which basically means I went around helping people with their projects when they needed it. I just can't get over the amount of talent out there. In my nine years with the company, I can honestly say I continue to learn as much today as I did the day I joined. Awesome.

I spent the day with 500 of my closest friends, including Amber, who is not only a dear friend, but she is also on my Ink Happens! team.  Amber, being an art teacher, has a natural talent for this craft.

Here is a picture (a poor one) of the seminar during a break.  Each picture shows one half of the room.  As I mentioned above, there were 500 of us so it was hard to get us all in one shot.

 
Oh, take a look at this:

We had "snack time" at 3:00pm and they provided us with these fabulous cupcakes.  Delish!

And finally, here is a photo of one of my swaps. I received some really nice cards in return.  You'll probably see some of them in the near future.  I can't wait to replicate some of them!

 
I'll have to add the "recipe" for this card at a later date.  I'm so tired now I can barely think. 

Thanks for stopping by and letting me share a bit of my day with you!

This has been such an exciting week!  On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of teaching a new stamp class in Clermont, FL.  These women were awesome!  Sometimes I forget what it was like to create something when I was new to papercrafting, but these women reminded me very quickly.  Every so often I would hear, "Oh my gosh!" or "I can't believe I made this" and "This is SO much fun!".  I couldn't agree more - this IS fun.  If YOU are interested in joining me for class in Clermont in April, contact me so I can add you to the class list!   Hurry...space is limited.

The other exciting part of this week has been preparing for the Stampin' Up! Regional Seminar that will be held in Orlando tomorrow, March 26th.  I can't wait!  I love these events!  Stampin' Up! does such a fantastic job with these seminars.  I always come home energized and ready to create.  The creativity at these events are mind-blowing.  I have been busy making swaps (cards that I exchange (aka swap) with other demonstrators).  I expect to come home tomorrow night exhausted, but very, very happy. 

Amidst all this excitement, I still needed to concentrate on preparing for my other class.  Next month we are learning the technique of paper piecing. Take a look:

 
This adorable baby card uses the image from the Slice of Life stamp set, which, by the way is only available until April 30th.  The onesie was stamped on designer scrapbook paper from the Pawsitively Prints paper pack and then cut out and adhered to the card.  Total cuteness!  A little ribbon and a button add dimension and interest.  This card is easily adaptable to a boy or girl simply by changing the color of the button.  It's important to be versatile!  I also used the Big Shot and Square Lattice embossing folder to create that fabulous textured background on the Pear Pizzazz cardstock. 

Come back again on Sunday so you can see one of my swap cards for tomorrow's seminar.  I'm sure I'll have lots of other pictures for you too.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps: A Slice of Life, Teeny Tiny Wishes (sentiment)

Paper: Whisper White, Pawsitively Prints DSP, In color hostess designer pack, So Saffon and Pear Pizzazz

Ink: Basic Black

Accessories: Pear Pizzazz ribbon, button (non-SU), thread.

Every once in awhile I make a card that I deem as "one of my all-time favorites".  Today's card would have to fall into that category. It's not that there is anything fancy or difficult about the card, but I think it's pretty...and it was really easy to make. A recent post by Monica Weaver was my inspiration for this card. Thank you, Monica!

 
 I recently participated in a bulk buy of these metal sheets.  They are awesome!  Super thin and so easy to work with.  They also come in a variety of colors.  They are so thin, you can even cut them with the paper cutter. Once I had the metal cut to size, I embossed it with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder in the Big Shot.  With a light touch of a sanding block, I carefully removed some of the color to give it a distressed look.  I LOVE the look of this in person.

The stamp set, Style Beautiful, has some really stunning images in it that were perfect to use as a background for this card - elegant and vintage looking.  I thought it was a perfect match.  I also used a sponge with Crumb Cake ink to distress the edges.  The sentiment, from the set Teeny Tiny Wishes, was stamped on part of the label from the Decorative Label Punch and embellished with a few pearls.  Crumb Cake seam binding was tied around the bottom to finish the look.  Easy, easy, easy. 

The finished card is 4.25 x 4.25.

Leave me a comment so I know you were here!  I would love to read your comments and feedback.

Thanks for visiting.

Stampin' Up! is truly an amazing company.  They are continuously reaching out to help make the world a better place.  Whether it is a monetary need due to a tragic event or cause they care deeply about, SU! has gone deep into their pockets to help.  And, they're about to do it again.

Beginning May 1st through August 31st, Stampin' Up! will start a new promotion called the Strength and Hope Campaign.  For each set sold during this time, SU! will donate $2 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.  Demonstrators are able to order their sets now. 

 This card uses some of the stamps from that new set. The set will come in a clear or wood mount option.  And, SU! will also offer a digital kit too that will include designer paper and embelishments. I will be posting more about this campaign as it draws closer.  Please consider purchasing this set - it is going to such a worthy cause.  All of us have been touched by breast cancer in one form or another.  Woudln't it be great if we could do our part to eradicate this disease?

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Hope and Strength

Paper: Crumb Cake,Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla

Ink: Crumb Cake, Pretty in Pink

Accessories: Fancy Flower punch, Antique Brads, Victoria Lace, Big Shot, Perfect Dots embossing folder

Thanks for stopping by.

I'm excited to tell you that I have finally had the time to stamp!  And, not just one project, but multiple, so be sure to check out my blog throughout the week!

Today's project is one that I have been working on for Stampin' Up!'s Regional Seminar.  Stampin' Up! is coming to Orlando on March 25th and 26th and I can't wait!! I love attending events hosted by Stampin' Up! - they spare no expense and I always come home feeling inspired and rejuvenated.  I will definitely post pictures of the event.

I am not the originator of this purse.  The idea and directions are from Frenchie.  These are made with one piece of 6x6 designer series paper and they are SO simple. When open, they easily hold mints, gum, mini candy bars, chap stick or anything else that is less than 3" long. Adorable! Cute AND functional - gotta love that.

Here's a peak at the inside:

As I mentioned, I am making this purse to swap at the SU! event on March 26th, so that meant I had to make a number of them.  At the moment I have 16 in four colors: Pear Pizzazz, Concord Crush, Blushing Bride and Poppy Parade. For a little interest, I used the Eyelet Border Punch on Whisper White paper.  The clasp is made with the Large Oval punch and holds the purse shut using a small piece of velcro.  And, of course, for a little bling, I added a rhinestone.

 All of the purses were made with In-color designer paper.  This paper in particular was FREE to me.  How?  The entire pack of 6x6 paper is a hostess gift from SU!  Submit an order of $150 or more and you can select the paper to be yours for FREE.  Click HERE to begin your shopping experience!

Be sure to come back tomorrow to preview a new stamp set.

See you then!

One of my dearest friends moved to Kentucky in January. Her birthday is in a couple of days and I wanted to send her something "fun".  I really love the new Fun Flower die cut from Stampin' Up! and the flowers seemed perfect for my project.

 
All supplies used on this card are current Stampin' Up! products with the exception of the designer paper.  The Enchante dsp retired a few years ago, but I like it so much I was never able to get rid of it.  I hope my friend likes it too. I used a lot of different elements on this card.  Lately I've been drawn to vintage style elements.  The antique brads and crochet ribbon are my favorite, both of which are available for purchase in the Stampin' Up! Idea and Catalog.

Thanks for stopping by!