11/26 How to Shop Now!

Today is the first day of the great sale that SU is having through December 1. How do you shop now? Just click on the 24/7 sign in the upper right hand portion of my blog which takes you to my SU website. Now click on the Shop Now button in the upper right hand corner. After that page loads, look on the left hand side of the page and click on Specials. Then you will see a SU shopping cart full of Stampin' Up goodies. Click on that and you will be in the product bundles!!

I'm really excited about some of these awesome deals. I am definitely ordering a bundle or two myself. The All in the Family Bundle is a fantastic deal as is the Manly Man's Bundle!! Just can't beat 50% off!! If you haven't already purchased the Curly Label Punch, but you've had your eye on it . . . now is the time - 30% off! wow!

Check out the Turquoise Tins . . . these are my very most favorite ways to package my projects when I am on the road. I can put all my project supplies in one and off I go. They are just the perfect size for a card project. They also make great storage containers for extra cards. I have one that I keep markers in, another one that I have all my embossing powders in, and another one that holds stamped images and half-finished cards.

I personally use the SU Ribbon Storage System. At 20% off, it's a great deal!

Hostess Benefits apply to these orders as well . . . so if your shopping list takes you to at least $150, you will get to choose a Level One stamp set as well pink out $15 in additional merchandise at no cost to you! Don't worry, you will be prompted each step of the way as you enter your online order so you won't miss out on anything!

Well, that's all for now! Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

11/25 Holiday Extravaganza Sale

I love to shop from home and I'll bet that many of you do, too. Well, hang onto your mouse because SU is launching its first ever online Holiday Extravaganza Sale!

This sale will begin tomorrow on November 26 and continue through December 1. There will be product bundles discounted anywhere from 20 to 50 percent! Details on the discounted product bundles will be announced when the sale begins on November 26. Quantities of discounted bundles are limited, so you should place orders online early. To shop online, just go to my SU website and click on the Shop Now button in the upper right hand corner.

If you prefer to have me place your SU orders for you instead of ordering it yourself through my online website, you will have to contact me tomorrow on November 26. I can assist you again on December 1st, however, I'm afraid many of the items promoted in this sale will already be sold out as supplies are limited.

Check out my Stampin'Up website for all the details on November 26. Click on the Shop Now button in the upper right hand corner. After the page loads look on the left hand side of the page for the word Specials. Click on that and several pictures will come up. Click on the Shopping cart loaded with the SU goodies and that will take you to the product bundles pages - then shop away!!

Gift Giving Guide - Looking for something For Her, for Teens, for the Beginner, etc. Use this guide to help you with ideas for your Holiday Shopping List.

Holiday Gift List- Need a gift for under $25, under $50 and so on. Check out our Holiday Gift List to help you narrow down your shopping list.

11/24 Rediscovering Rose Red

I know this probably looks more red on your screen than Rose Red . . . I just couldn't get the color right in PhotoShop Elements. But IRL . . . it's a beautiful Rose Red and I am so pleased with how this card turned out.

I wanted to play in Beate's weekend sketch challenge . . . that you can read about here. I chose Rose Red and Basic Gray to work with. It's such an elegant combination. I decided to use the stamp set called Bloomin' Beautiful for several reasons . . . I've not used it in a while and it had an image that seemed to fit the main panel on the sketch challenge.

I started by stamping my background with Floral. I used Bordering Blue ink because I didn't want it to stand out too much. I colored the flowers with an AquaPainter with ink from the lid of my ink pads. I LOVE this method of coloring and I use it almost every time I color something. I created darker areas on the blossoms with dabs of Bravo Burgundy. This panel is surrounded with a skinny mat of Bravo Burgundy.

Beate has a circle accent in her sketch. I achieved the circle with a gorgeous designer brad from the Filigree Assortment pack. They are almost too pretty to use and I find myself hoarding them just a little always asking myself is the card "worthy" enough for a Filigree brad . . .?? LoL! Guess this one was! I attached this brad to a Round Tab punch that was first stamped with a stamp from Totally Tabs.

When the card was almost together, I could sense that it didn't seem quite done to me. So, I grabbed some Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon and just added a single strip of it around the card. Ahh, done! Thanks for stopping by my blog today!


Supplies I used on this card:

Stamps: Floral, Bloomin' Beautiful, Totally Tabs
Paper: Basic Gray, Rose Red DSP, Bravo Burgundy, Confetti White
Ink: Basic Black, Rose Red, Bravo Burgundy, Bordering Blue, Garden Green, Going Gray
Accessories: Dimensionals, Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon, Round Tab Punch, Filligree Brad, AquaPainter

11/23 RAK from a Friend!

I have a stamping friend named Debra Tack from the state of Washington. Every once in a while she'll pop something in the mail to me and SURPRISE a beautiful card shows up in my mail box! I was so excited to get this card from Debra yesterday. Isn't it beautiful? The teeny tiny leaves are so adorable. The punched pumpkins so sweet. And, I just love the Baroque Motif stamped in the background. Thank you, Debra, for such a sweet card. Your card is such a treasure - just as your friendship is to me!

11/23 Happy Heart Valentine

This card is gorgeous in person . . . the camera truly doesn't do this card justice! I love pink, black and white together. These colors always put me in a happy mood! I used the set called A Happy Heart.

The big scallop is made by using the slit punch. I haven't used that particular technique a lot since getting the Scallop Edge punch. Some cards need bigger, bolder scallops though and that's when I go back to making them the old fashioned way.

Have a happy Sunday!!

Supplies for Happy Heart:

Stamps: A Happy Heart

Paper: Pink Passion, Basic Black, Whisper White

Ink: VersaMark

Accessories: Big Shot Machine, Top Note Die, Black Grosgrain Ribbon, White Embossing Powder, Heat Gun, 1" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Dimensionals, Slit Punch, Photo Corner Punch, Black Fine Tip Marker

11/23 Simple Scandinavian Holiday

This is the perfect card to make if you have limited time and you want to keep things FLAT. There are no dimensionals on this card and you could easily skip the rhinestone . . . obviously I can't resist even just a little bit of bling!!

I was going through my folder of leftover Ski Slope designer paper and decided to play with a few scraps. This is what I came up with. I used a sentiment from Snowfall. (A set that retired much too soon in my opinion!) The base of the card is made from Riding Hood Red paper. The tree is stamped on Whisper White with Riding Hood Red ink. The "bling" is from SU's Rhinestone Circle Brads. I just popped out the rhinestone and applied it with a glue dot.

Simple and sweet and GREAT when you are stamping with limited time . . . like I always seem to be doing lately!

Supplies for my Simple Scandinavian Holiday card:

Stamps: Scandinavian Season, Snowfall (retired) Paper: Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Ski Slope DSP Ink: Basic Black, Riding Hood Red Accessories: Circle Rhinestone Brads in Ice, Glue Dot

11/19 More is More!

I used the card on the left at my clubs this past month and I made the card on the right to show how you can take a nice card and add the WOW factor to it. More is More!!

The card on the left uses watercolor paper and then I pulled the color out into some of the white space. Watercolor paper is so easy to work with and it's fun. For the card on the right, I used the same pulled watercolor technique, but instead of stamping my Scandinavian tree onto watercolor paper, I stamped it on Whisper White. The pulled color is lighter . . . so the card has a "whiter" feel. To accent this whiteness, I embossed the Scandinavian wheel along the left edge and added dots from my white gel pen to the centers of my scalloped edges and to the corners of my image panel.

Here are the supplies I used on my cards:

Stamps: Scandinavian Season, Scandinavian Wheel
Paper: Pacific Point, Real Red, Whisper White, Watercolor Paper
Ink: Pacific Point, Real Red, Whisper White Craft
Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, Ticket Corner Punch, Pacific Point Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, White Gel Pen, White Embossing Powder, Two Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds, Bold Bright Brads, Dimensionals, Aqua-Painter

11/17 Rub On Samples

Ok, I'll be the first to admit that I'm not much of a Rub On fan. I seem to rub them every which way but the right way. Could that be lack of patience? Lack of persistance? Lack of skill??? Well, I decided that I would do my best to master this technique and I created two Rub On cards. Now, if I were a fan of making many unique one of a kind cards . . . I think I would be won over. But, I like to repeat my efforts. Afterall, if I make the effort in the first place . . . it's nice to be duplicatable. Rub Ons are not like stamps . . . I can't use them over and over and that my friend is what I find so frustrating. I tried the Rub On band wagon. Now, I'm going to get off. I'm quite the party pooper, aren't I? And the sun is shining!! Whatever.

Supplies for the Santa Cheer card which is semi cased from page 11 in the Holiday Mini:

Stamps: Winter Post
Paper: Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Naturals White
Ink: Riding Hood Red
Accessories: Jumbo Pewter Eyelet, Crop-a-dial, Tag Corner Punch, Old Saint Nick Rub Ons, Alpine Ribbon Originals

Supplies for the HoHoHo card:

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Stamps: Pictogram

Paper: Kraft, Riding Hood Red, Ski Slope DSP

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Stamp-a-ma-jig, White Gel Pen, Real Red Marker, Chocolate Chip 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, Old Saint Nick Rub Ons

11/16 Fun with Retired Sets from SU!

I love an Inspiration Challenge and late this morning after church with a steaming coffee nice and close to my computer, I came across the Splitcoaststamper Inspiration Challenge. I decided to go for it and made one of the quickest cards ever! Then, I had to go off and do other things and now I'm back in my stamp room hoping to make a quick post before running off again!!

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I based my card on the felted throw. I was immediately reminded of a retired SU set called Ferns. I used the frame from my Top Note Die Cut that I cut in my Big Shot Machine.

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Supplies for my Inspiration Challenge card:

Stamps: Ferns, Essence of Love (both of which are retired)

Paper: Chocolate Chip, More Mustard

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Mat Pack with Paper Piercing Tool, Earth Element Brads, Top Note Die Cut, Big Shot Machine, Stamp-a-ma-jig

I also sell my cards and some of my most popular cards are ones featuring coffee and hot cocoa - especially in the winter months so I decided to make a few quick coffee cards today, too. This card uses designer paper from Making Memories. I'm not sure where I picked up the Satin Ribbon . . . but the color is so creamy - perfect for this card. I attached the bow with Mini Glue Dots. The coffee cup is stamped onto vanilla shimmer paper that I found in my stash. I sponged around the image and colored it with an Aqua-Painter. A very quick card.

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Supplies for my Coffee Card:

Stamps: Espressoly for You (retired)

Paper: Close to Cocoa, Brocade Blue, non SU

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Brocade Blue

Accessories: Dimensionals, non SU ribbon

11/15 Rock-a-Bye Baby

I can't believe it . . . two posts in one day!! I haven't done that in a while!! I decided to try making a card using the Sketch Challenge that you see on the right. You can go straight to Beate's Fresh and Fun blog to read all about it and to see examples of how other people interpreted this sketch.

I decided to incorporate an idea into my card that I've had ever since I got the Sizzix die called Swirly. I always imagined using it with a boat and today I had my chance. I let my swirl line spill across the whole width of the card. I also added a sentiment panel.


Supplies I used on this card:

Stamps: Nursery Necessities
Paper: Brilliant Blue, Real Red, YoYo Yellow, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White
Ink: Brilliant Blue
Accessories: 1/4" Square Punch, Swirly Sizzix Die Cut, Key Tag Punch, Dimensionals, Markers: Real Red, YoYo Yellow, Tempting Turquoise, Glorious Green

11/15 Scandinavian Tea Bag Holder

I love to make Tea Bag Holders and here is one that I created for my Equal Opportunity Hostess Night on December 9. Equal Opportunity Hostess Nights occur on the months when I do not have scheduled club events. EOHN are set up just like club nights and everyone is welcome. This is a great opportunity for people who are wondering if they would like being part of club to come to an EOHN and have a club-like experience. We will make two cards . . . one of which will feature a technique with a technique take home "how to" card, a non card item . . . in this case the tea bag book and every one has the opportunity to make a Charity card which is then donated to a local befrienders group.

We need at least six people signed up to attend who commit to purchasing $25. This amount may go lower is we have more than six people signed up to attend. At the beginning of the event, I will hold a drawing to see who our hostess will be. The sales totals will not be closed out until 2-3 days later to allow our hostess to get additional outside orders. I'm really looking forward to our first EOHN! Let me know by December 3 if you can come!

Here is a side view picture of the Tea Bag book. I wanted you to see how the layers have been popped up with dimensionals - just the cutest extra touch!

Here is an inside picture of the tea bag book. I've made similar books in the past based on THIS template . . . however, I've modified this one just a bit. The cover is 3 1/2" square and that extra quarter inch does a better job at hiding the tea bags tucked inside. I also added a quarter inch to the inside foldover, making it easier to tape or glue.

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Supplies I used to create this tea bag holder:

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Stamps: Scandinavian Season, All Holidays

Paper: Pacific Point, Old Olive, Real Red, Baja Breeze, Ski Slope DSP

Ink: Real Red, Pacific Point

Accessories: Old Olive 5/8" Grosgrain, Pewter Jumbo Eyelets, Crop-a-Dial, Ticket Corner Punch, Sponge, Dimensionals, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Linen Thread

11/13 KWerner Color Challenge

I love color challenges and Kristina Werner always posts a fun one every week. I haven't been participating lately, but today I had some time and decided to check out her latest. You can see it by clicking HERE. I also posted the inspirational photo and color swatches above.

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I wasn't in the mood to make flowers, so I decided to go with an older stamp set long retired called Along the Shore. The sentiment is also long retired from a set called All Year Cheer II.

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I stamped the image twice for a softer, dreamier look. The first time I stamped it, I used Old Olive ink. The second time I stamped it, I inked the image up in Sahara Sand and offset it just a smidgen thanks to my Stamp-a-ma-jig. Then, using a technique that I taught my club members this month called Pulled Watercolor, I used my Aqua-Painter t0 pull the color from the stamped lines into the image on just the clouds and the chair. The grasses I left alone.

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I loved how this card turned out. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog!

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Supplies I used:

Stamps: Along the Shore (retired), All Year Cheer II (retired)

Paper: Sahara Sand, Certainly Celery, Very Vanilla

Ink: Old Olive, Sahara Sand

Accessories: Vanilla Hodgepodge, Earth Elements Brads, Old Olive 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, AquaPainter

11/11 Envelope Tea Bag Holder

My clubs are making Envelope Tea Bag Holders this month. They are so quick and simple to do. I got my idea for this from page 3 of the Fall Winter 2008 Catalog Sampler. Here are the steps to creating the envelope holder.


Step One: Seal your envelope.

Step Two: Insert your tag punch as far as it can go along the short side of the envelope and punch out. It will look like this:


Step Three: Reinsert your punch but only as far as you need to in order to clip the tab off evenly. It will look like this:


Step Four: Clip off the the little tag tips that are left over from your initial punch. See picture below:

And, that is all there is to it as far as creating your envelope tea holder. All you have to do now is decorate and your done!

Supplies for the Envelope Tea Bag Holder:

Stamps: Puns from the Past Paper: Naturals White, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip, Bella Rose DSP Ink: Riding Hood Red Accessories: Naturals White Envelope, Striped Ribbon from Alpine Ribbon Originals, Dimensionals, Tag Punch, Scissors, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Scallop Edge Punch

11/7 Frosty on the Ski Slope

I had a workshop this past week with several new stampers . . . they were very experienced scrapbookers . . . just not so much with stamping. This is one of the cards we did that night. Isn't little Frosty on the Ski Slope DSP just the cutest? I've always loved the Merry & Bright set - and coloring snowman is just a breeze since all you really have to worry about is the hat and the scarf!! Blender pens are great for that.

Do you ever wonder why I post a bit sporadically? Take three kids times three activities per kid times seven days a week and then add in carpooling, babysitting, cooking, cleaning, laundry and well - you get the picture!! It's just been a REALLY busy week and one of the few that I've gotten very little stamping time in. I'm feeling the withdrawal so badly right now!! Oh well, I know eventually I'll get caught up. Or not!! I sincerely hope your day is a happy one with a little bit of stamping time worked into it!!

Supplies for my card:

Stamps: Merry and Bright
Paper: Old Olive, Basic Black, Real Red, Naturals White, Ski Slope DSP
Ink: Basic Black, Baja Breeze, Real Red
Accessories: Blender Pen, Old Olive 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch