Another Fun Night of Stamping

Last night was our monthly stamping meeting ant my second level upline's house, Gail. If I haven't mentioned this before I must do it now. She is an awesome stamper, a creative genius if you will. I am so lucky to have a few of these wonderful people in my life to inspire me in my stamping endeavors. Gail takes an idea and puts a new and exciting twist on things. I am in attendance each month faithfully along with many others...Shout out to you Donna. You and I are there unless it is a physical impossibility!

We had so much fun stamping such cute, cute handmade gifts. This first photo shows pretty much everything we made and the following photos provide close ups of each individual item. These beautiful totes were first shared with Gail, by another super stamper friend, Donna. Gail added her flair and you can see the end result. We stamped 4 beautiful cards to place in the tote.



The stamp set of the night was the Tart & Tangy stamp set. One of very few that I don't own. We used the marker to stamp technique to add the colorful detail. We also used the Summer Picnic designer series paper. This paper truly reminds of summer and feeds an inner desire to want to go and plan a barbeque... but I digress. Also in attendance were the jumbo eyelets. We used the crop-a-dile to set the brads. I just LOVE this gadget. This I do own and use very often.









The first item we created was these precious baskets all from designer series paper and textured cardstock. The super cute flower on this cutie was introduced by Pam Morgan, one of Stampin' Up!s top sellers and presenter. She presented this while on the Stampin' Up! Cruise. Nooo... I didn't get to go, but my upline's upline, Gail did go and she shared this along with so many other excellent things. Before weeks' end I will create a tutorial to share with you so you can make one of your own. Once you get started you'll be putting a flower on everything.

Paper Prints Notecard Box

This is becoming one of my favorite hostess gifts to create. They are quick, super cute and well liked by the receiver.I've made many but this is the first one I actually had a moment to take a picture of before giving it away to someone. I followed the dimensions given on Stampin' Up!'s demonstrator website after seeing it on the cover of The April, Stampin' Success, a magazine sent out monthly to SU! demonstrators. I'm not sure of my plans for this one but it was fun to make and share with you.

For this little number I used the So Saffron and Almost Amethyst Prints paper along with So Saffron and Very Vanilla cardstock. In addition I used the 5 petal punch, the 1- 3/8" circle punch and a smaller circle punch and the Warmest Regards stamp set. The dimensions for the notecard box are: 9" X 5-1/2", score vertically along long side at 4" and 5". Score horizontally along short side at 3/4" and 4-7/8". Fold box, assemble with sticky strip. Pinch open end of box together, and slide 1-3/8" circle punch halfway over both sides of box. Punch notch. Set box aside. The dimensions for the cards are 4" X 8". Score at 4" and fold in half.
Cute, cute. Give it a try. This could also make a great teacher gift.

A Cosmo Wedding!

Over the weekend I went to the most FABULOUS wedding for a colleague friend of mine, Vicky and her groom, Rick. It was a beautiful wedding ceremony and Vicky was a gorgeous bride. She beamed through the entire ceremony. She and Rick looked so happy together. I almost cried and it takes a lot for me to well up in public. They truly make a lovely couple. Another colleague/friend of mine, Sam, and I went together leaving our hubbys behind. My friend, Sam, introduced me to the delicious drink...A Cosmopolitan! Yum, yum, yummy is all I can say. What a delightful drink. This was my first time ever trying this. I usually go for my regular White Zinfadel or a Kahlua and cream but with a little bubbly peer pressure I went for something a tadbit stronger and it was soooo worth trying. Sam and I had so much fun being carefree and silly together. We danced the night away. It is a rare event that either of us gets out without our children so not only did we have fun celebrating a new union being formed by our colleague and her groom but also took advantage of our "5 minutes peace" from our kids and husbands, with a drink in hand! I am so not the regular drinker so don't think I am a lush or anything. I probably have no more than 6 drinks a year which is why this was such a BIG event for me.

This card uses Stampin' Up! stamps of course.... Love them, love them lots!!! All I use.
I decided to make it simple. I love the look of black and white. It creates such an elegance which is perfect for a wedding card. Hope the happy couple like the card. They are off to Hawaii for 9 days. Lucky couple. I've got to get there soon!
cardstock: Whisper white, Basic Black
Ink: Basic Black, Rose Red and Certainly Celery Stampin' Write markers
Black ribbon and Rich Regal rose brads.

My Stamping Friends

Here are some of my most favorite people to stamp with. Not only are they a fabulous group of stampers, I also work with them! Last Friday a colleagueof mine was the hostess for one of my card classes. We had a blast. I can definitely count on a night to remember whenever I stamp with them. Several of them have hosted a stamping event and/or have attended several stamping events presented by ME! Not only do we spend our time stamping but we have a blast talking, laughing, and kicking back with each other. I have gained so much through my stamping demonstratorship but by far the best end result is the friendships this craft have created. While many things bond us, it was stamping that brought me together with them and I am loving every minute of it.

The ladies stamped the following five cards. Some of these cards are ones they stamped and some are my samples. You will see different variations which is one of the great things about stamping and card classes. You will find that some people will follow your designs to the letter while others will find inspiration in what you present and will take it to a different level making it their own. I love to see when that happens. It is great to see when people stamp outside of your box AND isn't that what stamping is all about? I love it!


This card was inspired by Lauraly. You can find her blog here: http://justgivemestamps.typepad.com/
I used Stampin' Up!'s Enjoy Every Moment stamp set, Ruby Red, and River Rock ink and cardstock. Along with Very Vanilla, and the Ginger Blossom designer series papers. For the scallop look on the card I punched out small circles with a SU punch and adhered them to the back of the flower unit. Lots of fun to create. I precut the circles for my class to help things move along. This was the most involved card of the night.







This card was inspired by a couple of different stampers whos' work I enjoy checking out.
Emily Giovanni whose blog can be found here: http://emilygiovanni.com/?p=1857
and from Debbie whose blog can be found here: http://debbiedesigns.typepad.com/muse_and_amuse/2008/03/mothers-day-mon.html

This was probably our easiest card to create. I used the Certainly Celery Prints paper from SU!, Certainly Celery and Very Vanilla cardstock. Certainly Celery Stampin' Write marker to color in the capital letter of the Defining Alphabet stamp set. These cards are very versatile and can be used to create a special personalized gift for a friend as a set of 3, 5, or even 10. I can think of a few people to create this for. Hmmmm could be you.



I'm loving the elephants!! This card was inspired by Joanne Basile aka basilefamily whos' website you can find here: http://stampedbyhand.blogspot.com/2008/01/double-take.html

For this card I used SU!'s Year After Year, Soft Sky, Whisper White, and Going Gray cardstock, Basic Black ink, brads, and a blender pen. Of course my favorite touch... grosgrain ribbon. The tieing drives my stamping friends crazy but what a wonderful touch a piece of ribbon adds to any project.







You can see the versatility of the Wild About you stamp set as showcased here: My sample card called for the elephant but you can see how the creative stampers in this group decided on the animal that most appealed to them. I love the way they turned out. The wild wasabi is such a beautiful color! I'm wild about the wasabi.














Here's another set of cards from one of my friends. You can see that she chose to stamp the giraffe for her "Wild About You," card. I love the way she stamped the flowers at the bottom of the image. It creates a great look. This card was designed as part of a challenge on Splitcoaststampers.

More Goodies

I got more GOODIES from my secret stamper. She is awesome. I love the surprises each month brings. She stamped these beautiful cards using the Tart and Tangy stamp set from the Occasions mini collection and the Summer Picnic designer series paper. I'm not sure of the sentiment set but I just love it! These cards are so adorable I don't want to send them to anyone. I want to keep them for myself. I just love her creativity! I am being spoiled so much! She even included another of my favorite things, Bath and Body Works body spray and lotion! It smells so fresh and clean. I love their stuff. My husband always comments, "Wow, you got another package!" and then he asks,"Are you sending your person as many things?" My answer is that I definitely am sending my person many treats too! I just can't post or talk about those things here but I will share some pictures after our great reveal in June. I am looking forward to being able to thank my secret stamper because she is AWESOME!!!

Thanks So Much!

This is one of my favorite cards using one of my favorite SU! stamp sets, So Much. A little while back I mentioned the big task of getting my stamping spot "stamp ready" (aka clutter free). One of the problems grew from creating and cutting cardstock for classes and then having remaining (left over) cut cardstock and supplies in a pile. So to help clear things away I had to get busy stamping the remaining cards. Here is one such card theat emerged from the fore mentioned pile. For this card I used the spiral punch, jumbo eyelets, hodgepodge hardware, bashful blue and purely pomegranate cardstock and ink along with very vanilla cardstock, and designer prints paper. This card was fun and enjoyed by my customers. Now I have so many cards sitting around I need to start sending them out to friends and customers. As for any readers out there if you'd like to receive one of my overload cards leave a comment and the first three people to leave a comment wit their email will get a card in the mail from ME! Leave a comment and I will email YOU!

Wild About Challenges

Here is my try at another great challenge. WSC#42
Stampin' Up! Stamp set:Baroque Motifs
Cardstock: Old Olive, Bashful Blue, Naturals Ivory, Purely Pomegranate, Purely Pomegranate designer series prints paper
Ink: Purely Pomegranate
Accessories: Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, Grosgrain Ribbon
This Challenge came from Beate's website. She's a super creative stamper whos' website I visit often for inspiration. You can find her designs and the description of this challenge: here: http://beate.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/
I really had to think outside of my comfort zone to play along. I must say that I would never have created a card on my own with this design BUT I do like the finished product and can see me using this layout for one of my classes. Thanks Beate for for this fun and fabulous challenge.

I'm Wild About Wasabi

Stamp set: Wild Aout You
Cardstock: Wild Wasabi and Whisper White
Accessories: Hodgepodge hardware, striped wild wasabi ribbon

My second Challenge from Splitcoast Stampers! Another fun card to make while using a limited amount of supplies. I just love this ribbon and the look it added to the card. Being a part of these challenges is getting me stamping more often and with a focus. If you haven't tried the challenges yet...You just don't know what you are missing. I encourage everyone to give it a try! There's so much inspiration to be found at that website so give it a visit.

I'm home again from work with my sick little one. It's no fun watching your usually lively little one turn into a lathargic bundle.
he did finally give in to a nap and I got to play with my stamps while he slept... in between doing laundry and tidying up the kitchen.

Loads of Love for The Man In your Life

All materials copyright Stampin' Up!
Stamp set: Loads of Love
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery, Naturals Ivory, Close to Cocoa
Accessories: Jumbo eyelets, brads, hodgepodge hardware, Apricot grosgrain ribbon, 1/2" circle punch
I half punched some of my circles to create a more random look. I put brads inside of the jumbo brads for a different look.
I have found that I have tons of female birthday cards and so very few masculine ones. I am always scrambling when I am in need of a card for a guy so I made it a mission to create a card with the males in my life in mind. Next time I will focus on a card for a little boy. I also have lots of cards for little girls. It's just so much easier to do!

I decided to try the Sketch Challenge on Splitcoast for the first time in my life! It was SO much fun and much easier to accomplish than I thought. I think I may become a regular with this. It really forced me to be creative and form a card so far from my usual! It's something I've wanted to do for awhile but never could find the time. It just so happened that I stayed home from work today because my little one hasn't been feeling well this week. My husband has been away on business. He returns tomorrow. Can't wait! My in-laws have been a huge help this week with my son, picking up and then bringing him back in the evening, while I dropped my other children off and headed off to work. After three days of this I felt my son needed his mama so I stayed home wit hima nd got to stamp while he napped. It was some kind of wonderful!

Well...Looky Here...

Okay so this is not 100% done... but I am getting there! I still have some paper/stuff sorting to do on my computer table but the energy is free to flow again. I can now think abot stamping instead of thinking about how messy it looks. I feel so much better about this space there is even a space on my desk to actually STAMP!! I spent a few hours on Saturday and then again on Sunday trying to tidy up a bit and reorganize with my new file cabinet I got as a Christmas gift. I was on my husband about assembling it. Once he was done it only took me 3 weeks (hee hee) to get it in place. I think it looks better than the white bins I was using before. I have handed those over to my 7 year old daughter whos was more than excited to put them to use for her own scrapbooking purposes. My kids were great during my clean up sessions. They played on their sideor outside while my husband kept an eye on them. A lovely weekend! Now to put the icing on the cake.... More stamping and projects tomorrow... One can always hope.