4/29 Mojo Makes My Day!

I've been busy lately . . . has that ever happened to you? Creating gets put on the back burner? Of course, I make time to make creating a priority but sometimes even my highest priorities get shuffled around as life keeps on happening - changing - and filling my schedule! My kids, three beautiful daughters, seem to take most of my time. I still home school one of them but as of Monday we have finished sixth grade, finished MN State testing requirements and all we have to focus on now is upcoming ballet and piano performances. She is the easy one.
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My eighth grader has about a 1,000 forms that need filling out and faxing in for various upcoming events, high school registration and future class options that require testing, teacher recommendations and travel. The upside on the travel is that while she is busy doing whatever, I go off and sit in a Caribou to read. Ahhh. That is a nice benefit. My ninth grader is also a whirlwind of activity at this moment. She definitely seems to have the most events on the family calender and since she can't drive yet - - - there go I as well.
More time for reading while I wait. Sometimes that involves hungering down in a parking lot. Not nearly as pleasant as sitting in a Caribou. But, I digress. YOU want to hear about the card - am I right?
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Well, to save my sanity, I HAD to create today and since I am again on a limited time budget, I turned to a sketch challenge. Hardly any thinking involved. Click HERE for the most recent Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge. I didn't even stamp to put this challenge together. Well, actually I did - but it was about six months ago! I made that image - didn't think it was working for me at the time so I threw it into my "maybe I can use this later bin." Later came today.
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Here are the supplies:
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Stamps: Inspired by Nature (111656) on the dormant list
Paper: Old Olive (100702), Basic Black (102851), Whisper White (100730), Urban Oasis DSP (113978)
Ink: Old Olive (102277), More Mustard (103162), Basic Black (101179)
Accessories: Vintage Brads (109109), Stamp-a-ma-jig (101049), Old Olive 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon (109054), Basic Jumbo Grommets (114348), Dimensionals (104430)
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4/23 Great Grads Card

I decided to make another Color Throwdown card today using the Challenge Colors of Real Red, Basic Black and Barely Banana. I decided that these colors might make a very nice graduation card. A pretty simple design . . . but sometimes that is a nice change of pace . . . and easier to mail. This will be one of the cards that my club members will get to make in May.

Supplies -

Stamps: Great Grads (114976)
Paper: Real Red (102482), Basic Black (102851), Barely Banana (102701), Jackpot DSP (113995)
Ink: Basic Black (101179)
Accessories: Star Punch (109045), Large Star Punch(110710), Dimensionals (104430) for popping up the large star

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4/23 Simple Flower Birthday

Here is my card for this week's Color Throwdown to use Real Red, Basic Black and Barely Banana. I've always loved bright, bold colors so I was off and running pretty quickly with this challenge. I used the Big Shot to make my flowers with the Simple Flower Embosslit. I just love how Embosslits cut and emboss at the same time!

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I used the Circle Scissors to cut my circle from our white cardstock vellum. I love how thick this vellum is . . . makes it super easy to work with. The black paper on this card is from the Jackpot Designer Series Paper pack.

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Supplies:

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Stamps: Stem Sayings (115078)

Paper: Real Red (102482), Barely Banana (102701), Jackpot DSP (113995), Cardstock Vellum (101856)

Ink: Basic Black (101179)

Accessories: Big Shot Machine (113439), Simple Flower Embosslit (114514), Circle Scissors (112530), Black 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon (109027), Vintage Brads (109109), Bold Bright Brads (106957), Soft Subltes Brads (106954), Dimensionals (104430), Mini Glue D0t(103683)

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4/22 True Blue Friend

Blue is my favorite color. I have a blue kitchen and dining room to prove it. I also make a lot of blue cards. The In-Colors this year have been fabulous for a stamper like me - - - two awesome blues to play with: Pacific Point and Baha Breeze. Together they are out of this world!

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I created this True Blue Friend card with the Mojo Sketch that you can see just above. The Mojo Monday Blog is HERE. I think it turned out really well if I say so myself. The butterfly accent . . . which was meant to represent any kind of accent on the sketch . . . had me reaching for my Great Friend set. I'm such a literal girl. This is the first time I've used the frame that comes with this set and once it is cut out, it fits perfectly inside the coordinating die-tag from Matchbox Bigz XL Die. I love that!

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Here are the supplies I used:

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Stamps: Great Friend (113792)

Paper: Baja Breeze (111352), Pacific Point (111350), Naturals White (102316), Urban Garden DSP (112042)

Ink: Pacific Point (111837)

Accessories: Baja Breeze Striped Grosgrain Ribbon (111375), Scallop Border Punch (112091), White Gel Pen (105021), Dimensionals (104430), Mini Glue Dot (103683), Big Shot Machine (113439), Extended Cutting Pads (113478), Matchbox Bigs XL Die (114890)
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4/16 Soaring!

My daughter's piano teacher wanted me to create a couple of cards for her students to let them know that she was proud of them. I did a few of these owl cards that you can see HERE. And then, I wanted to do a different kind of card with some pink for the teenage girls. Isn't it cute?? My three daughters loved it! I would be amiss not to mention that I was inspired by Karen Rose's card at SCS which you can see HERE.

The sentiment is from Stampendous and I've had it a couple of years now - not sure where I picked it up. The ribbon is from Michaels, but I don't think they carry it anymore. I did make some of them with a black sheer ribbon using white dots which is also very cute and I know that Michaels has that style on hand, as I picked it up last night.

Supplies:

Stamps: Special Blessings (113411), Baroque Motifs (113490), sentiment from Stampendous
Paper: Basic Black (102851), Pixie Pink (105121), Whisper White (100730)
Ink: Pixie Pink (105212), Basic Black (101179)
Accessories: Eyelet Border Punch (113692), ribbon from Michaels

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4/15 Color Throwdown Challenge

How about a Color Throwdown? I'm a Katie Come Lately to this weekly challenge, but thought that maybe today would be a good day to give this challenge a try. The challenge colors were Basic Gray, Ruby Red (I subbed Riding Hood Red) and Baja Breeze.

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This is what I came up with! I love it!! And, it's truly a ten minute card because it uses the awesome Urban Garden DSP and a couple of punches in conjunction with the new Occasions Mini Catalog stamp set called Oval All. This is a long card designed to fit into the Small Open End Whisper White Envelopes (107286) that SU sells.

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Here are the supplies I used to create this super quick card:

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Stamps: Oval All (113790)

Paper: Baja Breeze (111352), Whisper White (100730), Urban Garden DSP (112042)

Ink: Riding Hood Red (111836)

Accessories: Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon (111365), Large Oval Punch (107305), Scallop Oval Punch (114889), Ruby Red Marker (100075), Dimensionals (104430)

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4/15 SCS Sketch Challenge

This morning the Sketch Challenge at SCS uses a large center panel. I immediately thought it would be a great place to show off a background stamp that I love, but haven't used as much as I thought I would. The background is called Tres Chic and it has so many wonderful words on it like Create, Hope, Family, Imagine, Enjoy and Genuine, to give you just a sampling. I stamped the background with Kiwi Kiss ink directly onto a piece of designer series paper that had a very light tone on tone design from the Urban Garden DSP pack. The strips of background paper behind the main panel are also from Urban Garden.

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Stamping the background was the only stamping I did on this card. I cut a couple of flowers out from the background paper and layered them together to give my stamped panel a focal point. I used a square rhinestone brad and dimensionals to give the flower some pop.

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Here are the supplies I used:

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Stamps: Tres Chic (109258)

Paper: Not Quite Navy (101722), Baha Breeze ( 111352), Urban Garden DSP (112042)

Ink: Kiwi Kiss (111835)

Accessories: Rhinestone Brads Ice Squares (109113), Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon (109064), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

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4/14 A Sweet Easter RAK

I have wonderful customers and this mother daughter duo gifted me with some sweet treats in honor of Easter! Thank you so much, Carolyn and CindySue . . . you have no idea how much your kindness means to me.

4/13 Mother's Day Card

I needed a little Mojo today to get my week started off right! When I saw the sketch, pictured at left, I wasn't really sure what to do with it. So, I turned to another challenge and the Latenight Stampers group wanted to see 3-D flowers. Well, flowers got me thinking . . . I've always wanted to try creating a background with die cuts. . . so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to try that out!

I started by cutting out a whole bunch of lacey flowers using the Baskets & Bloom Bigz XL die with my Big Shot Machine.
I picked Tempting Turquoise because I love the way it looks on white. I also used my Big Shot machine to create some texture on my squares that I used to accent one of the flowers. I used the Stampin'Up Backgrounds I to make the textured background dots.

I layered the squares with Pacific Point and also used that color as my card base. I popped the accent flower up with a dimensional cut down just a bit. The accent brads on the flower and on the bow are from the Jumbo 5/16" Neutrals Brad assortment.

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You can see on the left how I finished out the inside of the card and a pictured below is a close up of the accent flower.

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Stamps: All Holidays (114916)

Paper: Pacific Point (111350), Tempting Turquoise (102067), Whisper White (100730)

Ink: Pacific Point (111837)

Accessories: Big Shot Machine (113439), Baskets & Blooms Bigz XL Die (113484), Extended Cutting Pads (113478), Texturz Plate Stampin'Up Backgrounds I (114512), Texturz Impressions Pad (114614), Texturz Silicone Rubber (114615), Jumbo Brads 5/16" Neutrals Assortment (112534), Pacific Point Striped Grosgrain Ribbon (111370), Mini Glue Dots (103683), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

4/10 And yet another Manly Card!

My Make It Manly Card Camp is soon coming up and I have to share another manly card that my customers will be creating when we get together. This card is cased from Stephanie Luman. I thought it was one of the cutest cards I'd seen using this set. I really didn't change a whole lot - a few colors/papers . . . why mess with perfection? lol! Thanks, Stephanie, for the awesome inspiration.

Stamps: And Many Mower
Paper: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, So Saffron, Almost Amethyst, Jackpot DSP, Certainly Celery DSP
Ink: StazOn Black, Real Red, So Saffron
Accessories: Sahara Sand Marker, Blender Pen, Real Red Marker, Vintage Brads, 1" Double Stitched Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon

24/7 Stampin'Up Shopping at my Stampin'Up Website!

4/9 April Demo Meeting

When I came across THIS POST on the blog called Share~Inspire~Create by Mercedes Weber, I knew I had found the perfect little bunny basket to gift my team members with in the month of Easter. I also made a few to give away to nieces and nephews when we get together for Easter dinner this Sunday. The plastic eggs filled with M&Ms are only a $1 at Walmart and they fit perfectly in the basket along with a little Easter grass. Super, super CUTE! Thank YOU, Mercedes, for sharing your great idea with us.

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The basket part is made from a 6 inch square of paper scored at 2" on each side. You can see how to fold the ends up into the basket shape on this picture.

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The circles are cut with the Circle Scissors at 11 centimeters. You will need the following punches:

1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Large Oval Punch, Wide Oval Punch, and the Heart to Heart punch.

I made blue bunny baskets for the boys and pink ones for the girls. Yes . . . I'm the good auntie this Easter!

This next card is the Make and Take that my downline Katherine Narog provided the design and supplies for. We all learned about coloring our pretties flowers with the AquaPainters and everyone got to use the new Scallop Oval Punch that is new in the Occasions Mini Catalog.

Look at these Creative Crafters Stamping to Share! L to R: Mary Rindal, Debby Filiowich, and Jen Boesel. Debby and Jen joined my downline group during SAB.

And, now to the other side of the crafting table! L to R: my fabulous upline Shanna McLaughlin, myself (will I ever take the fleece off?LOL!), Kathy "T" Trussell, Katherine Narog and Mary Kiley. "T" and Mary also joined my team during SAB.

Mary Rindal, blessing my group in all ways with her positive and extremely creative presence, gifted me with this awesome journal which I plan to use for listing supplies I need on my next order. (I'm always planning that next order, aren't you?!) Thank you, Mary. The "K" charm is positively lovely and adds the perfect touch to this journal. The "K" is from the set called Lovely Letters and the sentiment is from the set Define Your Life.

And above is the card that my upline Shanna gave to all of us at the meeting. I love the texture on this card and how fun to have a sample of this Great Friend set from the Occasions Mini.

And lastly, look at this fantastically cute triangle box that Katherine Narog gave to each of us!! I just LOVE this. She said she got the template from the SU Demonstrator Website. Ah, the perks of being a demonstrator! Katherine used the set called ABC Images and the word set called All Holidays to create this cute 3-D Easter gift.

4/8 Regionals and a Starter Kit Special!!

I am hosting Easter this year and I've been doing a little cleaning lately. It's cut into my stamping and blogging time!! But, I'm going to let the dust settle a little bit, let the clothes wrinkle a while longer in the washer and tell you a bit about Regionals in Mpls this weekend. I attended the Saturday session and wow - what fun! You can see a few of my tablemates pictured above. Sitting down on the left is my wonderful upline Shanna McLaughlin and our friend Sheryl Rafferty. Standing on the left is my downline Katherine Narog, I'm in the center and my adopted downline Mary Rindal is on the right. I'm in my cozy wool sweater that I think I've worn twice a week since the end of September. I'm a baby about the cold and I didn't want to take any chances in the possibly drafty convention center!

Look what I discovered as I walked about looking at all the sample boards . . . my little Sock Monkey card was on display!! I was so tickled!

And look . . . the next board over and I found another one of my cards on display!! Wanted in Pink. How great is that?? Of course I had to have my picture taken . . . as it's kind of a big deal to me! You can see close ups of these cards on THIS POST.

And, I know this is amazing . . . but I have ANOTHER awesome starter kit special to offer you! Even better than the one Stampin'Up offered during Sale-a-bration! I can't hardly believe it either! Here are the details:

As an attendee of the Minneapolis Regionals, I can offer you $50 off the Stampin'Up Starter Kit! What a FANTASTIC deal!! That's just $149! It's truly out of this world and if you've been thinking about it . . . . please contact me!! To sweeten this already amazing deal, I will gift you with a stamp set or tool of your choice priced at $30. And, since the Stampin'Up quarter is just beginning, you would have until September 30 to meet your minimums!! Yup, I can't think of any reason not to do this, can you? lol! See my side bar listing out the questions I had when I first became a demonstrator. Maybe you have some of the same questions. This special offer is valid only through April 20 and the paper work must be mailed in and received by then.

4/7 Great Friend LNS Color Challenge

I recently joined a yahoo group called Late Night Stampers. Although anyone who knows me well knows that I hardly ever stamp at night! lol! Well, this group is highly enthusiastic about all things Stampin'Up and I am excited to be a part of their caring and sharing. This is my first entry to their weekly challenges.

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The Color Challenge took its wings from this inspiration piece. We were to design a card or project using the following colors: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Sahara Sand and Very Vanilla. This is what I came up with:
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Isn't it a beauty?? I really love its elegance . . . although that wasn't necessarily the look I was striving for when I started out. It's fun when a card turns out better than expected. The longer I look at it, the more I like it! I put a little picture to on the side here to show you how I finished out the inside . . . something I do with every card I create.

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Supplies:

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Stamps: Great Friend

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Baha Breeze, Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla, To the Nines DSP

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Baha Breeze

Accessories: Matchbox Bigz XL Sizzix Die, Big Shot Machine, Kraft Taffeta Ribbon, Button Latte, Pretties Kit Half Back Pearls, Dimensionals

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Shopping 24/7 at my Stampin'Up Demonstrator Website!

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