As a little welcome gift, everyone who attended the Ink Happens! team meeting on Sunday received this envelope with filled with chocolate.
This pattern came from my friend and upline, Pennie McCallum. Interested in making one too? Pennie has the pattern and the simple directions on her blog. They're easy to make and a lot of fun too!
Happy Stamping!
One of the cards my guests made over the weekend featured Sale-a-bration product and images from the Collage Curios and Mixed Bunch stamp set. The color combination of Island Indigo and Tangerine Tango pop off the white background and draws attention to the beautiful, little butterfly in the middle of the bottle cap. A simple, bright card that can be used for nearly any occasion.
The designer series paper (called Sycamore Street) and the ribbon/button pack are two of several items you can earn for FREE when you spend $50. But, hurry! This is for a limited time only! Sale-a-bration, the biggest promotion of the year, will end on March 22, 2013.
Click below to look at all the products you can earn for FREE!
Enjoy your day. Thank you for visiting!
I had such a great weekend. On Saturday, I had a fantastic workshop at Holly's and was able to showcase some great Sale-a-bration product. We had a lot of fun. And, I was so pleased that Holly and two of her guests decided to join the Stampin' Up! family. A big, warm welcome to Holly, Paulette and Celina. You'll hear more about them soon.
On Sunday, we had our Ink Happens! team meeting. While not everyone could make it, the 7 of us had a great time. We celebrated new members, an anniversary and had an opportunity to catch up on SU! happenings and then...CREATED!
Paula and Loty decided to re-join the Stampin' Up! family in January. I am honored to have them on my team of awesome demonstrators.
Amber celebrated her 5 year anniversary with Stampin' Up! this month. She, too, was given a crown of jewels! Congratulations, Amber!
Cristina, Cassandra and Loty busy creating.
One of the highlights of our get together was the dessert that Loty made. Holy cow! Not only was it absolutely delicious but the presenation of it was incredible! It was, by far, the best fruit parfait I have ever had! To show you how resourceful Loty is, can you guess what she made her tray from? She decorated the Cutie Orange container! It was SO pretty.
A close-up...
Paula and me enjoying the parfait.
Interested in joining this fantastic group of women? We would love to have you! We know how much fun it is to stamp and create with friends - the more the merrier.
There is no better time than now to come aboard. With Stampin' UP! offering an additional 25% more to your starter kit - at no additional cost to you - why wait? It's never been easier to (or more exciting) to be a part of this great company. Ready to be a part of my stamping community? Contact me or simply Click Here.
Thanks for stopping by!
If you've been crafting for as many years as I have, you may have drawers of supplies and embellishments like I do. Too embarrassed to show you what they actually look like, I did attempt to clean and sort through them the other day. I happen to come across these puzzles:
I had several packs of them that I bought on clearance at least a year ago. I always had good intentions of using them right away but, like a lot of other craft store finds, they end up in the dark chasms of my craft drawers.
Armed with determination, I set out to stamp something pretty. I pulled out two favorite stamp sets, Field Flowers (#122862-C, #122760-W) and Hello, Doily (#122847-C, #122845-W).
The doily stamp really helped fill the space and is such a pretty background for the flowers. I wanted to have some ink on each piece of the puzzle so placement was key! Overall, I'm pretty happy with the results.
My ladies attending my March Stamp Camps will be doing this as a bonus project. One less thing in my craft stash!
Thanks for visiting!
A long holiday weekend has afforded me the opportunity to spend more time in my craft room. I love when that happens! With some free time on my hands, I reached for a new stamp called Swallowtail (#129216-C, #129213-W). I'll admit, it's a little intimidating at first because of it's size but once I started playing with it, I liked it!
The detail in this stamp is so beautiful. Because of that I wanted to keep the rest of the card simple. To add just a little color, I added three paper flags using the Print Poetry paper pack (#129312). I also added a layer of Raspberry Ripple card stock to coordinate with the sentiment and a sweet little button with linen thread. And finally, for some added interest, I took out the Color Spritzer Tool (#107066) from my "Cool Tool" box and spritzed Raspberry Ripple ink from a marker to the card.
We are just about half way through the biggest and best promotion of the year...Sale-a-bration. If you haven't taken advantage of this great deal, now is the time to do so. For every $50 you spend, you will earn FREE stuff! Yep, I said FREE! Read all about it.
Have a great day.
Today's post was completely inspired (and encouraged) by my friend and fellow demonstrator, Holly Krautkremer. She makes scrapbooking look so fun and easy!
I am in the process of working on a scrapbook of my beloved pup, Kayla, who passed away from cancer a few months ago. Armed with a scrapbooking magazine and a cup of coffee, I came across a sketch that really appealed to me. So, I went to work to create a 12x12 page that showcased the beautiful, brown eyes that always melted my heart.
The sketch is simple, but allows my sweet girl to be the focus of the page. The fun colors and patterns in the Sunshine and Sprinkles designer series paper (#126922) pops off of the white background. I added a few flowers created with the Big Shot and the Blossom Party Original die (#115971) for some dimension. And that was it. Simple. Easy. Stress free.
Does this sketch look familiar? If you saw yesterday's post you might see the resemblance. Take a look at the side-by-side comparison:
Same sketch! I actually made the scrapbook page first. It didn't take long before I realized what a great card layout it would make too. I was really surprised how quickly both of them came together.
I know so many card makers that are intimidated by scrapbooking. I was one of them!
Keep it simple. Don't stress out over a layout or sketch or the amount of embellishments you have. As my friend, Holly, says, "Just have fun!"
Enjoy what is left of your weekend. Make some time to create something memorable!
Welcome to the weekend and to my Saturday Share. This bright, Spring-like card showcases the Sunshine and Sprinkles designer series paper (#126922). This paper just makes me happy! With so many patterns and colors, this paper pack can be an excellent addition to your paper collection.
I've paired the paper up with the For the Birds stamp set (#126405 - W, #126407 - C). This all-occasion stamp set is perfect for those who enjoy coloring. With so many coloring options to choose from, there is a technique for everyone.
I stamped the image in Black Stazon ink (#101406) - required anytime you are going to do some type of coloring. Stazon ink is fast-drying, solvent ink. Solvent ink is also waterproof, fade proof and perfect for stamping on non-porous surfaces. In this case, the Stazon ink will not bleed when I color the image.
To color my happy birds and the rest of the image, I used Blender Pens (#102845) and my ink pads. The blender pens are easy to use, easy to clean and come in a pack of three, dual-tipped pens. These will last a very long time.
I hope you are able to take time this weekend and create something fun. Be sure to come back tomorrow so I can show you the scrapbook page I made using this same paper!
I don't mean to brag.
Wait...
Yes, I do. I totally mean to brag!
Why?
I got a handmade Valentine from my husband!
Technically it's not the first handmade card I've received from him, but it is the first one he made by himself. The previous card, ironically, also a Valentine, was also made by the dog. This time around he was completely on his own.
When the Dude, You're Welcome Kitcame out, I bought one for my husband thinking that he would embrace the idea whole-heartedly. NOT! It was met with ambivalence and not nearly the excitement (or at least gratitude) that I was hoping for. So, for the past month or so it has sat on my shelf collecting dust. I was resigned to the fact that I would most likely be the one using it - perhaps to make a card for HIM.
So, yesterday morning, I went to pull out the kit and begin creating a fabulous Valentine for my husband. But, I couldn't find the stinkin' kit!! Where the heck did I put it? I looked everywhere! Now, mind you, my craft room can be a little chaotic at times and to "misplace" items is not all that uncommon, but I do eventually find them. Nope, not this time.
I suspect you know the ending. At some point yesterday he came in to my room, grabbed and put it in his briefcase to take to work.
He was very proud of his work - and frankly, so was I. He described in detail what he had to do to create this. From inking the stamp and making sure it was inked completely, to trying to clean the stamp when he was done. I told him how impressed I was with the pink accent. He told me it's a highlighter and he had an option of yellow or pink - and went with the pink. Gotta work with the materials you have and, at work, highlighters were the only source of color.
So, there you have it. If you buy the kit, it does get used...eventually. And, honestly, this card means more to me than any Hallmark I could ever get. Going forward, my husband will know exactly where to find the kit - just in case he is motivated to make another in the future. I won't count on anything too soon, but at least now I all that all things are possible!
Thanks for letting me brag!
Interested in the Dude, You're Welcome Kit? You can get it here.
Have a great day.
Happy Valentine's Day!
I have to admit something...we don't really make a big deal about Valentine's Day. It's not that I don't enjoy the day or believe in the concept of celebrating love, I just don't like how commercialized it is. And, don't even get me started about the price of flowers these days. So to make life easy, my husband and I make a pact that we will not buy any gifts for Valentine's. However...I'd love a handmade card! We'll see how that goes.
To make things more interesting, I am scheduled for another oral surgery today. I won't bother sharing the details except to tell you this has been a 4-month ordeal. By the time this is all over, I will be a qualified dentist, endodontist and oral surgeon. Sadly, many of the nurses at the various offices know my name. That truly is a sign that I am there too often. It could be a little tough to enjoy a nice dinner tonight, but I will do my best.
I'm bringing some treats to my favorite dental personnel today. Everyone, including the receptionist, medical biller and to my favorite nurse, Tonya. Maybe if I give them some sweets they'll get this mouth issue resolved once and for all! So here's what I'm bringing:
This concept is an oldie but a goodie. Wrap some chocolate nuggets with 1"x3" strips of More Amore designer paper and package it in a nice cello bag with a cute topper. Done! A quick and easy way of creating something special.
Wishing you a day filled with love...regardless of who you spend it with.
Thanks for stopping by!
DID YOU KNOW....
According to History.com approximately 150 Million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine's Day the second most popular card-sending holiday after Christmas.
I had a lovely surprise waiting for me in my mailbox today. My friend and upline, Pennie McCallum, sent me this fun and bright card. The colors are so cheerful, it put an automatic smile on my face.
Does that stamp look familiar? If not, perhaps you're not aware of Stampin' Up!'s new single stamps. For a limited time only, 10 single stamps, with never-before-released images are available for purchase. Click her to see all 10 images. These stamps are only available through March 31, 2013.
If you like the ability to buy just one stamp versus an entire set, single stamps are a perfect option for you. Inexpensive and versatile, any of these stamps are a great addition to you collection.
And, don't forget, Sale-a-bration is in full force! For every $50 you spend (including any single stamps) you earn a Sale-a-bration item for FREE. This is a great opportunity to get the biggest bang for your buck. Would you like to host a stamping party? Hostess' truly get spoiled during Sale-a-bration with even more additional product. Contact me to book your party today!
Have a GREAT day!