Good morning stampers,
I hope that everyone had a wonderful & happy Thanksgiving Day! Now that everyone is stuffed, who's ready for some card making? This would make the perfect weekend to relax and start making your Christmas cards (this is, of course, after you finish your shopping early this morning!). We're putting up the decorations today while listening to Christmas songs on the radio - I know, that should be ipod not radio, but I'm old-fashioned!
Do you remember the card I posted that was stamped with the Medallion background stamp? Well this is another very versatile stamp. Here it is stamped as a Christmas wreath:

I used Old Olive and Real Red classic ink pads and cardstock, 1" Double-Stitched grosgrain ribbon in Real Red (brand new this year), and Holiday Best stamp set. Holiday Best is only one of the many hostess sets that can be earned for having a workshop with me. This one comes with a set of 4 stamps.

Check back tomorrow when I'll share the projects that I made on Thanksgiving Day. Hint: not only cards but some fun little gifts to share!

Happy Stampin'

Hello fellow stampers!
Well I know that I have been MIA for awhile but I have been very busy lately. Besides just dealing with 'life', I had to finish the scrapbook that I was working on for my brother. It was a small look into his life with photos from his childhood through adulthood. I won't reveal his age but he has just become a second time GREAT grandfather!
During this time I also got the chance to meet a group of wonderful people at Friendship West Baptist Church in Dallas. I wanted to share with them the creative world of card-making. Sending a hand-made card to someone you care about says so much more than buying a generic commercial card that anyone can buy & send. In this world of hurry up and get it done, it's nice that there are some people that can still take the time to make cards and gifts with their own hands and give with their hearts. (Or at least buy hand-made!)
So I am back and ready to share some of the things that I have been working on. I do want to say that I do case things that I see sometimes and will try to give credit when I can. But sometimes I will make something that I cased way back when and just don't remember (I can't remember what I had for breakfast THIS morning!) but if I do please feel free to email me. Thanks!
Today is all about the punch - the Ornament Punch! It can be found in the Holiday Mini catalog on page 25 (item #116794).

I love punches but I had my doubts about this one since I thought it could only be used at Christmas. But oh was I wrong! First I will show you a traditional use:

These are both stamped with the Delightful Decorations stamp set (also in the Holiday Mini - item #116517) and then punched out with Ornament punch. I love stamp sets and punches that coordinate. It makes life so much easier! I stamped the first one with untraditional colors. The second one is done in very traditional colors. I also used Baroque Motifs (#113490) and All Holidays (#114916) stamp sets on the second card. Baroque Motifs is one of my favorite sets because it is so versatile.

Now here is an all occasion card that also uses the Ornament punch:

Noticed the vase? Yes, that's the same punch! See how easy it can be to use it year round? Sometimes you just have to think outside the box! Other supplies used on this card: For All You Do stamp set, Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Series paper, Soft Suede, Dusty Durago & Whisper White cardstock, Old Olive, Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry classic ink pads and Soft Suede Stampin' Write marker. I used a technique called stamp kissing on this card. Book a workshop and I can teach you and your friends do this easy trick on your next set of hand-made cards!

Friday I'll have some more cards to share.

Until then, have a very Happy Thanksgiving and be safe!

Happy Stampin'

It's almost midnight and I am still working on a set (a rather large set) of Thank You cards for my sister-in-law. I promised to have them ready for her when we get to Houston tomorrow and I am only half done :-( ! I knew that I should have started on them earlier but I always do my best work under pressure. Plus, I couldn't pick just one design. While making one, I would think of another design that might be good. And then another... So in the end, my SIL will get several different Thank You's to send. I will try to get a photo of them and post it when we return. I am looking forward to seeing my whole family all together again. It's been too many years. We will be celebrating my brother's 70th birthday (and, yes, there is a VERY huge age difference between the two of us - smile) and we are hoping that it's still a surprise to him. I am also working on a mini scrapbook album of his years growing up to give to him on Saturday but I'll be bringing it back home so I can add the photos of his party to it. It's going to be a long night!

I wanted to post a photo of the birthday card that I made for my brother before I left. This is a technique that my upline showed me (thanks, Ellen) last year and I am just getting around to doing it. I ordered this stamp, which is retired now, just to do this. It is called the Soot Technique and it is done with glossy paper and a candle flame! The outcome is so cool and so different.

 

I hope that you enjoy it. Have a great weekend!

Hello everyone. I really need to be making a birthday card for my big brother who is turning 70 today - Happy Birthday! - (wow, that is so hard to believe, and, yes I know that I am late), but I can't stop making Christmas cards! I will be having a Christmas card class soon and I thought that I had all the cards that I needed for the class designed and ready to go. But then I think of another idea and then another and then another and then... Well, you know. Anyway, I wanted to share one of the Christmas cards with you.

This one is made with the new set from the Holiday Mini Catalog that just came out this week. I used colors to make it have a little retro feel. The set is called Delightful Decorations (#116517) and the exciting part is that there is a punch that coordinates with it - the Ornament Punch (#116794)! I must admit that I was a little worried about getting a punch that was just for Christmas, BUT, I have found that this is a very versatile tool and I will be posting more samples of projects that use this punch in the future. Thanks for looking and Happy Stampin'

The New Holiday Mini is here!

Here it is - the new 2009 Holiday Mini Catalog! There are some GREAT things in this mini. Check out the Sweet Treat Cups and the new Sweet Centers stamp set to go with it. Can you image the possibilities! Not just for Halloween but for any and every occasion. Hey, all of you teachers out there, this would be a wonderful project for your kids to do or just something that you can give to the class!
There is something for everyone and every holiday - Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas (check out the Holy Family stamp set on page 23!). The new Designer Series Papers are so lovely and unique. And Stampin' Up! has teamed up with Build-A-Bear to offer a wonderful line of BAB stamping and scraping products - everything from stamps to specialty paper and dies for the Big Shot.
I couldn't resist the new Shimmer Paints offered in the Mini and I was anxious to try them out. So here is a simple card where I just die cut the snowflakes and used a dauber to add the Frost White Shimmer Paint to Whisper White cardstock and the Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint to Melon Mambo cardstock. I hope you can see the effect in the photo. It adds the perfect amount of shimmer.

 

See, a Holiday card doesn't need to be in the traditional colors. Try something a little different! Here I used Whisper White, Melon Mambo (new In-Color), and Bashful Blue. Are you having trouble coming up with new color combinations? Try the Color Combo Chart on the right. Just click, pick a color or two that you want to try and the Color Combo will do the rest and show you all of the color combinations that you can use. Give it a try!
I'll have more tomorrow - Happy Stampin'

Good morning all. Before I get any thing else done today, I wanted to let you know that there is a new card project & gift project up and available. You can find the link here on the right. I challenge everyone to make at least one of these and email me and let me know (with a photo if possible). Come on - let's get creative!
There is also a new Hostess promotion starting today! Have a workshop totaling $250 or more (so easy to do) and receive one item from the 2009 Holiday Mini for only $10!!! (Offer excludes hostess sets & My Digital Studio). So I know that this is just what some of you need to get motivated and book that workshop:-)! What could be easier - an afternoon with a few friends and FREE stuff! Call or email me today.
Later today, I will put up the link to the new Holiday Mini and post a photo of one of my holiday projects (No, it's not too early & Yes, I really do have some holiday projects already made!)

My First Card

Here is my first card share (YEA!). I am so excited to post this for you. It is such a simple card to make but it turned out so beautifully - note the pat on the back :-)! This was stamped with the new Medallion background stamp with Certainly Celery ink. This stamp is so versatile. I've done so much with it already and each card is completely different so keep an eye out for it because you will see it again.

Come back tomorrow for your first look at the new Holiday Mini Catalog and some new cards!

Welcome...

...to my new blog. I actually started one once before (over a year ago!) and I only posted a few times. Now I have redesigned it and I am looking forward to sharing creative ideas and getting you excited about paper crafting. I hope that you will visit often and share my blog with your friends and family. Don't forget to bookmark it and please feel free to leave comments. I am very excited about blogging but I am also very new at this (it took me weeks just to get this far!), so please excuse the little bugs and kinks that may sometimes appear - I am still learning. I promised myself that I will learn how to keep improving my blog and to keep things updated, fresh, and interesting. You never know what may pop up - new cards, techniques, info on classes, Stampin' Up! specials, my own specials, helpful tips, new products...the list goes on! And if you want to share your love of stamping and card making with others, why not host a workshop? Then you will earn exclusive stamp sets, free merchandise, and get the new 2009/2010 Idea Book & Catalog! Just email me for details. Take a look at the catalog (the link is on the right) and contact me when you are ready to order.
BIG REMINDER - the new HOLIDAY MINI CATALOG is coming out tomorrow (September 1)! I will have the link up soon so keep watching.