Fall Pumpkin

Here's a fun and easy decoration for fall. I used 12 - 1" X 6" strips of retired DSP to make this little guy. As much as I love this pumpkin, I REALLY love the leaves. They are SO easy and look SO cool. Punch the cardstock using an oval punch, score in half lengthwise and run folded through a crimper. The texture this technique gives is awesome! Give it a try!

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Paper: DSP Patterns Pack - In Colors (retired), Always Artichoke
Accessories: Crimper, Crop-a-dile, Grosgrain ribbon, brads
Punches: Oval Punch

I'm Back!! It's a Boy!!

Hi again! I'm back to blogging now after taking a few months off to have a baby. My new little man was born in May and I've been busy not only with him, but getting my daughter ready for kindergarten this year, too. Now that we're getting into routines again, I thought I'd get back to posting the many projects that I've been working on. I'd hoped to start posting again in August, which turned into September and then suddenly October. Phew! Time does fly by!

It's hard to see, but one of the last projects I finished before my little guy arrived (2-1/2 weeks early) was the shirt my daughter has on in the picture. Stores don't really sell 'Big Sister' shirts in size 8, so I made one for her. I used scrap material and cut all the letters out with my Big Shot and the Serif Essentials Alphabet dies. I ironed the letters onto the shirt and 'voila', there was a shirt for her to wear and show how proud she was when she came to visit us in the hospital. I wish I'd taken a picture right after it was finished when it was clean and ironed, but I didn't get a chance before I had to quickly pack her a bag to go to grandma's so I could go to the hospital. These days, the shirt is well loved (i.e. well-worn) and doesn't look as good as it once did.

Thanks for visiting again!

Easter Carrot

This carrot was done in my recent Big Shot class using the Petal Cone die. It is a combination of many different ones that I've seen around. I especially like the crimped paper on top.
I'm definitely using the Petal Cone die more than I thought I would. Now that I see how versatile it is, I am loving it!

Hopefully in this picture you can see the texture that was added to the 'carrot' part using a texture plate.

I hope you all had a great Easter!
~Enjoy!

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Paper: Pumpkin Pie CS, Very Vanilla CS, Old Olive CS
Stamps: For You Flower
Inks: Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Big Shot, Petal Cone Die, Backgrounds 1 Texturz Plates, Basic Rhinestones, Very Vanilla Seam Binding, Gold Brads, Crimper, Paper-Piercing Tool, Mat Pack
Punches: Fancy Flower Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch

Counting Sheep

OK - these little guys are TOO cute! As soon as I saw these, I just had to try them... So, we made them at this month's stamp club and I just love them! Many thanks to this posting for the idea and instructions!


I made a small herd to give away to my daughter's preschool teachers for Easter gifts.

~Enjoy!

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Paper: Whisper White, Going Gray (retired), assorted colors of scraps
Accessories: Big Shot, Two Tags Die, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Basic Pearls
Punches: Scallop Circle, Large Oval, Boho Blossoms, Two-Step Owl (for nose), Word Window, 3 Flower Punch (retired)
Extra: Googlie Eyes

Big Shot Class - Felt Flower Keychain

I LOVE MY BIG SHOT!!! I had a Big Shot class yesterday for my customers & downline. I wanted to show a lot of different things that you can do with the Big Shot. Here is one of the projects we made... Felt Flower Keychains. (I got the original idea from this blog.)


I actually made a batch of these late last year for a swap with my Stampin' Up! friends. We do an annual gift exchange and this is what I chose to make. Super fun and super easy!
I was happy that the Stampin' Up! buttons even matched the felt I had purchased!

Tip #1: I folded a piece of red felt over the 3rd largest flower on the die and put the fold line just below the top of ONE of the petals. That created the place to hold the key ring.
Tip #2: I sewed the button onto the pink, orange and top layer of red felt ONLY. Then I used mini glue dots to secure the two red layers. Doing it this way ensures there are no stitches showing on the back side of the keychain. Nice & clean!

Let me know if you have questions!

~Enjoy!

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Accessories: Big Shot, Flower Folds Die, Big Designer Buttons - Candy Cane (Holiday Mini 2010), Mini Glue Dots
Other: Felt, Key Rings, Thread

Gift Card Holder/Card

This is a fun (and easy) gift card holder that doubles as a card. I got something similar to this in a swap at Leadership and I just had to try it. We did this version recently at one of my Stamp Club meetings. Here it is completely closed...

Just slide the belly band off and it open as follows...

Isn't that fun? And there's plenty of room to write a greeting!
~Enjoy

Don't forget to check out the Clearance Rack!! It was recently updated and, boy, are there some great deals on there... Hurry before they disappear!

Stamps: Just Believe, Something to Celebrate (level 2 hostess - Occassions Mini 2011)
Paper: Poppy Parade, Peach Parfait, Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Sunny Garden DSP
Ink: Pear Pizzazz, VersaMark
Accessories: Scallop Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Word Window Punch, Clear Embossing Powder

Pop-Up Card

We made this fun card at our group meeting this month. I'm an avid blog hopper, so of course I CASED the idea from someone. The directions for this one are found on Patty Bennett's site here.

Here's how it opens & the inside...

I wish I had taken a picture of everyone's card. They all came out great! Each one was a little different - they chose designer paper from the Ice Cream Parlor DSP (FREE during Sale-a-bration) and card bases from the colors used in that paper (Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Peach Parfait, Old Olive, Pacific Point).

Thursday is the last day to place an order and get FREE Sale-a-bration benefits. Click here to learn about Sale-a-bration & place your online order before it's too late!!!

~Enjoy!

Stamps: Punch Bunch (SAB), So Happy for You (SAB)
Paper: Old Olive, Whisper White, Ice Cream Parlor DSP (SAB)
Ink: Melon Mambo
Accessories: Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon, Scallop Square Punch

Clean & Simple Downline Swap Card

For our March group meeting, I sent my downline a challenge to make a card to swap with our group based on a Clean & Simple Sketch. Here is the sketch...


And here is what I came up with...

I love how simple this card is. Aside from the sketch, it all started with leftover butterflies that I had from making this swap card. I also used my Color Coach to come up with the combination of Chocolate Chip, Wild Wasabi & Pretty in Pink. I definitely recommend using a Stamp-a-ma-jig for the Trendy Tree stamp set. It makes image placement a breeze!

If you're interested in joining my group and getting in on the fun, contact me or click here for more information.

~Enjoy!

Stamps: Trendy Trees
Paper: Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Wild Wasabi, Pretty in Pink, VersaMark
Accessories: Big Shot, Beautiful Wings Embosslit Die, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Basic Pearls

Bunco Party Project #2

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!! I hope you enjoyed the bookmark card. It was cute and easy to make. Here is the other project we made in between rounds at my first Stampin' Up! Bunco Party! This project was inspired by the box found here.


Contact me if you'd like to get on my email list for the next Bunco Party!!

~Enjoy!

Stamps: Punch Bunch (Sale-a-bration)
Paper: Real Red, Marina Mist, Very Vanilla
Ink: Marina Mist
Punches: 1 3/4" Scallop Circle, 1 3/8" circle, 1/16" circle
Accessories: Very Vanilla Seam Binding, Gold Brads

Bunco Party Project #1

Last week I had my first ever Stampin' Up! Bunco Party! It was a great Girls Night Out and we had a lot of fun. In between rounds, we stopped to make 2 projects. The first one was this card with removable bookmark. It was inspired by the cards found here and here. The card actually uses Old Olive, but the first picture doesn't show that very well. Sorry!


~Enjoy!

Shop online 24/7 - click here. Don't miss out on Sale-a-bration!!!

Stamps: So Happy For You (Sale-a-bration), Party Hearty
Paper: Old Olive, Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Ice Cream Parlor DSP (Sale-a-bration)
Ink: Melon Mambo
Accessories: Big Shot, Two Tags Die, Basic Pearls
Punches: 1 3/4" Scallop Circle, 1 1/4" Square (retired)

Lingerie Themed Stamp Club

The hostess for my February Stamp Club really wanted to make these fun cards for her month. We had such a fun time and all of the cards came out so cute. We used the template found here. Here are the top and bottoms that I did...


This is the corset I made using the template found here...


This is a collage of all of the different tops/bottoms & corsets that were created that night. Although I made my cards with Stampin' Up! papers, I had everyone bring their own designer paper/ribbon that night to make their lingerie however they wanted. We ended up with some pretty wild cards here!!!


Contact me if you are in the Albuquerque area and would like to be a guest at our next monthly stamp club meeting.
~Enjoy!

Catalog CASE - Just Believe

At my last group meeting, I challenged everyone to do a catalog CASE (copy and show everyone). My purpose for this was to show them what a great resource our Stampin' Up! catalog is. This is the card I did to swap with the group. I changed only a few things from the original card (page 97 of the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog) - for example, I paper pierced the outside edges (instead of sewing them).

Click here to see more of the Idea Book & Catalog.

~Enjoy!

Stamps: Just Believe
Paper: Early Espresso, Old Olive, Very Vanilla
Ink: Crumb Cake Classic Ink Pad; Early Espresso, Old Olive Stampin' Write Markers
Accessories: Very Vanilla 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, 1-3/4" Circle Punch, Paper-Piercing Tool, Mat Pack, Color Spritzer Tool

Amour Valentine Card

Here is the other card that we made in the workshop last week. Each guest left with two finished Valentine's cards. I got the card idea from one I saw at a friend's house that she received in a swap. I did not get a name, so I do not know who to give credit to. But once I saw it, I instantly fell in love with it! Here's my version (I think I only changed the sentiment...)


I did my own thing with the inside. I wanted the workshop guests to have a place to write since the card base was black.

I hope you like this one! I liked it so much that I gave one to my husband for Valentine's Day, too.

~Enjoy!

Stamps: Clearly for You
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Red Glimmer Paper
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Big Shot, Framed Tulips Embossing Folder, Heart to Heart Punch, Full Heart Punch, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Whisper White Organza Ribbon

Heart Treat Valentine

I had a hostess last week who wanted to do a workshop with each guest leaving with two finished Valentines. She definitely wanted one card to use the Heart Treat cups. Here's what I came up with based on this idea...


Here's the inside...


The closed card is 3X3 plus a little extra for the slider. I love making a slider door, so the recipient can get to the candy without destroying the card. I used DSP that is currently available on the Clearance Rack.

Contact me to book YOUR workshop today!

~Enjoy!

Stamps: Got Treats, Something to Celebrate (Occasions Mini, Level 2 Hostess Set)
Paper: Real Red, Very Vanilla, Sending Love DSP
Ink: Real Red
Accessories: Very Vanilla Grosgrain Ribbon, Full Heart Punch, Decorative Label Punch, Modern Label Punch, Corner Rounder Punch, Heart Treat Cups

Preschool Valentines

Happy Valentine's Day!


These are the fun Valentines goodies that my daughter and I put together for her preschool class. I thought these cards were pretty cute and they came with the suckers. My daughter colored them and signed her name while I added who they were 'to'. We included a rolled up activity book and a heart shaped crayon.

I got the idea for the heart shaped crayon from the Family Fun magazine a few years ago and I love making them. I always end up with several crayons in my 'mom' purse from different restaurants, so we save them in a baggie and use them for this craft with some silicone molds. I should probably get some different shaped molds to make these for different times of the year!











Hope you all have a great Valentine's Day!!
~Enjoy!

Free Rub-Ons - Look what I did!

Stampin' Up! sent demonstrators a sample of the Valentine's Rub-ons with the first demonstrator order from Dec-Jan. I wasn't sure what to do with them until I saw these and these using Hand Sanitizer... What a FANTASTIC idea!

So, I made these...


I gave them as a booking incentive at my hostess appreciation event in January. My daughter's preschool teachers will also be getting them in their Valentine's goodie bags.
I got the bottles of Hand Sanitizer at a local grocery store - they were $1 each. Gotta love that! The label on the front was just a sticker that easily peeled off. I'm sure they would look better without the back label, but that one proved to be a little more difficult to remove. I still love the way they turned out! What do you think?

You can order these Rub-Ons from the Occasions Mini Catalog. Click here for more info or to order online.

~Enjoy!

Leadership 2011 Roommate Gifts

When I went to Nashville, I had only met my roommate online. We emailed a couple of times and hoped for the best. Turns out we had a GREAT time together (not hard to find nice people at a Stampin' Up! event)! We stayed up WAY too late each night talking until we couldn't talk anymore...not hard for me to do (ask my hubby). :)

We made each other gifts so I thought I'd share what I got from her and what I made for her.
Here's what she made...


Beautiful, isn't it? She had some cards and other goodies in the bag and a nice sentiment inside the card. I love it! You can see more of her work at HERE.

Here's what she found on the pillow in our hotel room when she arrived...


I made a notepad holder using Stampin' Up!s Clear-Mount Stamp Cases and Sunny Garden DSP. The notepads come 5"X8", which is too long, so I had the local office supply store cut it down to 5"X7". I used a 10- 5/8" X 7" piece of DSP for the outside of the stamp case. For more info on making these, check out this great video found HERE.
I found the idea for the chocolate nuggets HERE (scroll down). I LOVE this idea! I used slightly different dimensions - I think it was 2-1/4" X 5" with 5 nuggets. I also used the Wilton Pretzel bags, but I did not end up trimming them since I used the ribbon at the top.
I also added a felt flower key chain which we both used as bag tags. I'll have more on this project later...

~Enjoy!

Sale-A-Bration Starts Today

What is Sale-a-bration, you say? It's the BEST time of the Stampin' Up! Year!!! You can get FREE exclusive products with every $50 purchase, by hosting a qualified workshop or signing up to be a demonstrator. What is better than FREE products???

Dates: January 25-March 31, 2011

Promotion Details
Sale-A-Bration--is here! This year there are four great Sale-A-Bration sets to choose from--as well as a Designer Series Paper & Quick Accents pack, a Ribbon & Button pack, digital downloads, and Décor Elements!
There are three ways to earn free products:

Spend: Receive a free Sale-A-Bration product for every $50 you spend (before tax and shipping)!

Host: Receive a free Sale-A-Bration product for every $300 in workshop sales*, in addition to regular hostess benefits!

*Note: This benefit is only available on qualifying customer, demonstrator, and workshop orders. Online orders do not qualify.

Join: New recruits will receive 15 percent off their Starter Kit (Standard or Digital+), plus a special Sale-A-Bration bonus bundle valued up to $50!


Click Here for more details!!!

Nashville Memento Mall

Here's a picture of all the goodies that I got at Memento Mall at Leadership. I was so excited to see a T-shirt - they sold out at Convention last year and I really wanted one. Also, since I'm such a big coffee drinker, I could not go wrong with a Stampin' Up! Coffee mug!
List of items shown: Stampin' Up! Shopping Bags, Presto Patterns Travel Mug, Designer Series In Color Magnetic Bookmarks, Stampin' Up! Logo Banner, Stampin' Up! T-shirt (Rich Razzelberry), My Digital Studio Professional Print Product Sampler (only showing the scrapbook).

~Enjoy

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Back from Nashville!

I just got back from Stampin' Up!'s Leadership Conference in Nashville, TN. I had a such a good time and learned so much! I can't wait to go again next year!
Here is the card that I made to swap with other demonstrators. I got some really great cards in return.


I used the Color Coach to find the "Dynamic Duo" for each color that I used. I inked the flowers with the Perfect Plum Ink Pad, added some Elegant Eggplant with a marker and then colored in the stem & leaves with Wild Wasabi & Garden Green Markers. Before I stamped the image, I used a sponge dauber and dabbed some Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint on the flowers (you can't see it well in the picture). When the card was completed, I used the mixture of alcohol and Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint in a spray bottle and sprayed 'glitter' all over the card. I love the sparkles! I just wish you could see it more in this picture!

~Enjoy

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Stamps: Because I Care (Hostess Level 1), Just Believe
Paper: Elegant Eggplant CS, Very Vanilla CS
Ink: Perfect Plum Ink pad, Elegant Eggplant Marker, Wild Wasabi Marker, Garden Green Marker
Accessories: Big Shot, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Modern Label Punch, Word Window Punch, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint (with and without alcohol)
Misc: Oval Wood Frame (from Local Craft Store), alcohol