More from Santa's Workshop

Here are some ideas for quick and easy gift packaging.

The four little bags on the bottom are gifts for my Primary class. They're celophane bags with a few pieces of candy and some Oriental Trading Company toys. The topper is made from Top Note die cuts of Dashing Designer Paper (retired) and Real Red and Old Olive cardstock. They're decorated with the snowman from Deer Friends inked with markers and punched with the 1 1/4" round punch mounted on 1 3/8" round punchies of Old Olive and scalloped punchies of Real Red.

The tins on the top are sold at Michael's in several different sizes. These are filled with yummy chocolate candy, but you can put all sorts of things in them. I covered the sides of the bottom with strips of designer paper and the top with cardstock. I use Stampin' Up's glue sticks when I alter tins like this, it works very well. I cut the cardstock for the top a little bigger than the top and clipped the corners so it would bend over the edges easily. Then I put sticky strip all around the edge to make sure the cardstock would stay down, and put ribbon over that. The tops are decorated with stamped images cut out with the Coluzzle Cutting System and colored with markers, with a line of Gold Stickles on the outside of the image. The one on the left is Elzybell's Sleeping Angel, on the right is Fluffles Stocking.

Hopefully I'll be able to get to church on Sunday to give the kids their gifts. They had to cancel church last week because of bad weather and unsafe road conditions, and its only gotten worse since then. Here's a picture from a coworker's house. You have to remember, we live in northwest Washington state. We generally have one or two snowy days a year, and often don't get enough to build a snowman. There's enough here to build a snow army, but it's too cold and dry to build anything!

Christmas in the Black

Long before I discovered stamps I was a knitter and crocheter. I haven't done much for years, but started again this fall. I will be keeping it up, I'd forgotten how much I enjoy it, and the results.

I'm doing a Christmas stocking secret sister swap with a group on SplitcoastStampers. The gal that I sent to requested a black stocking, I couldn't find one at the store so I decided to make one. I fell in love with this yarn when I saw it in the store, it really turned out well. She's also a Twilight fan, so I altered a journal and pen set with a Twilight series theme. The journal is covered with black cardstock sprayed with glimmer mist, the rose, from Wild Rose (retired) is stamped on Shimmery White Cardstock and "Sparkle" from Warm Words (retired) is embossed in silver on it. I cheated on the pen, no stamping. It's covered in black cardstock with a rose sticker on it, then covered with Stampin' Up Micro Beads and Sticky Strip.

I still have more stamping and crocheting left to do, so back to Santa's workshop for me...

Shimmery, shimmery Christmas

I love Shimmerz! So far I only have two colors, Golden Wheat and Burgundy, but those are perfect colors for some elegant Christmas gifts. They twinkle beautifully in real life, my scanner just doesn't do them justice. Shimmerz are so easy to paint with! They're already liquid, easily colored with a paint brush. Unfortunately, I don't have a good paint brush (yet). I used a Stampin' Up blender pen and it worked beautifully.

Stamps: Stampabilities House Mouse - Mouse Elves. Stampin' Up accessories: Purely Pomegranate (retired), brushed gold and whisper white cardstock; gold organdy ribbon (retired); Watercolor Wonder Crayons, aquapainter, blender pen. Other: Shimmerz paints, Palette Noir Black ink.

Now, back to the workshop to work on some more gifts...

Snow, snow, snow...

A good portion of the country is having some pretty severe winter weather at the moment. We even have an inch or two of snow here in balmy Skagit County, Washington. Wait, did I say balmy? According to the weather station on my computer it's 20 degrees outside. (That's -6 Celsius.) Brrr!

This card isn't going to warm anyone up. But, it's simple and elegant, and great for a last minute card. It also works with many different color combinations, so if you are in a hurry and need to make several, they don't have to all be identical.

The stamp is from Stampin' Up's Punches Three hostess set, which will be retiring on January 17th. Don't miss out on your chance to earn it! The stamp and the background squares are punched with the Stampin' Up Scalloped Square punch. Other Stampin' Up supplies used were Pacific Point, Whisper White and Brushed Silver cardstock; Pacific Point Classic Ink and Versamark Ink with Clear Embossing Powder and an embossing tool, and my favorite new toy, the Sizzix Big Shot. The snowflake brads are non-Stampin' Up from my stash.

The embossed background is done with the Cuttlebug Snowflake Embossing Folder. This is the first time I've tried embossing folders in my Big Shot and I love the results. It makes a great impression in just a few seconds. I'm really hoping Stampin' Up will have some exclusive embossing dies in the new catalog. Only a few weeks and we'll know!

With the coming new catalog we also have a new retirement list. If you haven't seen it yet, hop on over to my Stampin' Up to see it, or let me know and I will email you a .PDF of it. For the first time ever, Stampin' Up is having a sale on retiring stamps, too, so don't let any of your favorites get away. All retiring stamps are 10% off, and Stampin' Up is also giving all orders of $70 or more free shipping. It's a great time to stock up on stamps or supplies!

We interupt our regularly scheduled programming...

to bring you Achievement Days!

Achievement Days is an activity program in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for 8 to 11 year old girls. I'll be helping them make these two pages on Wednesday. It was a challenging assignment - simple enough for beginners, not too subject limited, and I had to have enough supplies for all the girls to make nearly identical to make. Lucky for me, Stampin' Up's Sale-a-Bration 2007 included a Simply Scrappin' Kit (Just Delightful) and I stocked up on it. The page on the left is for the girls to give their parents, the example features my granddaughter Leah who is now 3 1/2. The page on the right is a total CASE of a page on the Simply Scrappin' Kit label. It's for the girls to keep in their Achievement Days notebooks. It will be up to them whether to make it about a particular activity or Achievement Days in general.

Speaking of SAB - Sale-a-Bration 2009 is coming up from 2009. If you aren't on my mailing list but would like to be please let me know and I will see that you get a mini catalog. Free rubber is always fun!

How Was Your Black Friday?

Mine was great! What little shopping I did was online in the morning. So, no lines to deal with or parking problems. (Although one site did have a major problem that they're still trying to straighten out.) I relaxed and crafted most of the day. It was great!

Everything here uses predominately retired Stampin' Up product (three different kinds of designer series paper, three stamp sets, and retired In Color ink and cardstock), or non-Stampin' Up. Remember, when you are investing in those stamps that they really are an investment, they'll last forever and you'll get years and years of use from them.

The flower on the journal is from the Stampin' Up Pretties Kit, it's painted with Golden Wheat Shimmerz! I recently discovered Shimmerz paint, through two Secret Sister type swaps I participated in. Both of them requested Shimmerz, which I had never heard of. With two requests in as many weeks I figured it must be a great product, so I had to get one for myself, too. I am so glad I did! I love how easy they are to use, and how they shine! I definitely need some more of these! Lucky for me - and you - Shimmerz has a brand new online shopping cart, and they are celebrating by having a fabulous Black Friday sale now through early Monday evening. Check it out! I know I'll be looking again.

Speaking of Black Friday sales, there is still a day left in Stampin' Up's Holiday Extravaganza sale. I know some of the bundles are already sold out, but there are still some great deals there. If you haven't had a chance, hop on over to my Stampin' Up website and check them out. You'll receive your 2009 Spring and Summer Idea Book and Catalog free with any order over $35.00.

Holiday Extravaganza!

The Holiday Extravaganza sale is here, and it is awesome! From November 26 to December 1, get up to 50% off select Stampin' Up! products. Find the perfect present for all the stampers and paper crafters in your life - or just stock up for yourself!

Get All in the Family, Family Accessories and the matching wheel for 50% off! This is great for so many cards, kids projects, scrapbooking. The Manly Man's bundle, also 50% off, has many, many sports stamps. Stamp sets for four different seasons and holidays for 40% off. Something every scrapbooker needs - a complete set of upper and lower case letters for 40%. Punches, embossing supplies, designer series paper, chipboard sets - there is something for everyone here! And place your order through my website or by calling me personally, and receive a free Spring and Summer Idea Book and Catalog in January. See all the great deals for yourself by clicking here, or go to my Stampin' Up Website and click on shop now.

You Lift Me Up

This is another simple card from a sketch layout, this one from Splitcoast SC160. The "You Lift Me Up" sentiment is by Stampabilities, it seemed perfect for a card for one of the most inspiring women I know. And, the layout highlights a large sentiment very well. Other items in the card: Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Taken with Teal, Apricot Appeal and Whisper White; Bali Breeze Designer Series Paper (retired), Taken with Teal Classic Ink. The glittery ric rac is from my stash, I don't know what brand.

The Holiday Extravaganza sale starts at the stroke of midnight tonight (mountain time). I'll post the details as soon as I have time in the morning, but you can find them out by going to my Stampin' Up website even earlier. Stampin' Up will be offering discounts on up to 50% on select bundles, the bundles will be limited to stock on hand, so you'll want to check them soon. And, don't forget, place an order of $35 or more through me or ordering online through my website and you will automatically receive a free Spring and Summer Idea Book and Catalog and free shipping on a qualifying order in January.

Sketch Challenged

I often have an image I want to play with and then try to find a layout that will work with it. This time I did it the other way around. This particular sketch (Splitcoast Sketch Challenge SC155) has intrigued me everytime I've run across it in my sketch book. I'm usually using a large image that won't work with it, though. So today I decided to start with the sketch and look for stamps it would work with it. This is my first try. I'm going to have to try it again, as it seems to be missing something, I'm just not quite sure what. There are some gorgeous samples in the Splitcoast Stampers gallery.

Ingredients: Stamps: Eastern Blooms, Hugs and Wishes: Cardstock: Pixie Pink, Pink Passion, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip Patterns Designer Sries Paper. Ink: Pink Passion and Chocolate Chip Classic Inks. Accessories: Corner Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch. Everything on this card is a current Stampin' Up product.

Eek, It's a Mouse!

I've been meaning to stamp all week, but just haven't made it to my desk, it's been difficult today, too. But, I got to rock one grandbaby, and read stories and watch a movie with another, so it's been great!



This House Mouse stamp, featuring Amanda and Muzzy, is called "Light Wrap." I have several House Mouse stamps, they are really fun and easy images to watercolor. I stamped it on Stampin' Up watercolor paper with Pallette Noir Black hybrid ink, colored with Watercolor Wonder Crayons and Twinkling H2Os and an aquapainter. The cardstock is Chocolate Chip and Baja Breeze. Accessories: 1" Double-stitched Baja Breeze Grosgrain ribbon and non-Stampin' Up snowflake brads.



Check back Wednsday for details on Stampin' Up's Holiday Extravaganza sale. We don't have the details yet, but have been told it will feature great discounts on holiday bundles. You won't want to miss out!

A note from Santa's workshop

I've been busy this weekend getting little gifts ready that need to go in the mail tomorrow. Now that I see it all in one spot it doesn't seem like as fruitful a weekend as I would have liked, but I didn't take pictures of the laundry and dishes and other stuff I did. (Other than church, everything else was boring!)

Left to right and front to back: A post it note holder and altered "band-aid" tin made with the Secret Garden Simply Scrapping Kit and Groovy Guava double stitched ribbon (both retired). A chipboard star ornament with stamped centers of a snowman and Santa from Holiday Tag Team (retired). A squash book covered with Dashing Designer Series Paper (retired), stamped with
Heritage Holiday on a wreath made with the leaves from the Sizzlet Birds and Blooms dies. A post it pad made with Maine Blueberry Designer Series Paper, stamped with Smarty Pants. And in the very front, a beaded pen and altered lipgloss made with Bella Rose Designer Series Paper and Very Vanilla/Kiwi Kiss double-sided Satin Ribbon. Can you tell I love Stampin' Up's Designer Series Papers?

The second picture is the squash book partially opened. It's a great mini book made from three sheets of cardstock, two coasters or pieces of scrap cardboard (I've used old cereal boxes). They make a great gift, especially for people with limited living space, as they are just 4" square. Contact me if you'd like directions for these, or anything else you've seen here.

Have a great week!

Cardinal Christmas

It seems only fitting that my very first Christmas card this year should be made with Cardinal Christmas. Stampin' Up had a stamp set in the Holiday Mini a few years ago that had a beautiful cardinal in it, but the stamps had words on it so I didn't buy it, and I've kicked myself for it ever since. I was so excited to see this gorgeous set in this year's mini. I just got it yesterday, and I love it!

This is a very simple card and goes together in just minutes, and would be quite easy to make multiples of. Ingredients: Stamps: A Cardinal Christmas, Itty Bitty Backgrounds. Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, Brushed Silver, Shimmery White. Stampin' Up accessories: Silver Elastic Card, Coluzzle Cutting System. Non-Stampin' Up: Pallette Noir Black ink, Copic markers. The elastic makes the silver cord great for a card like this, I tied it tight so it wouldn't hang loose and was still able to move it around easily until I found a position I liked.

Have you started your holiday shopping yet? Now is a great time to shop with Stampin' Up and me. Rubons are 20% with minimum purchase through November 30th, the Country Living Holiday Collection Stampin' Kit available for a limited time only and the Holiday Extravaganza sale coming up November 26th through December 1st. And don't forget, place a $35 order through me or my website and receive your Spring and Summer Idea Book and Catalog free in January, as well as free shipping on a future qualifying order.

Clipboard Picture Frames

I found these clipboard picture frames on one of my favorite blogs. Erika Marten is an amazing artist. I've learned a lot from reading her blog and recommend it to everyone.

I think these clipboards will make great Christmas presents, I'll be making them for almost every adult on my Christmas list. I CASEd these from the picutre Erika posted, and I'm very happy with the way they turned out. I used the Friends and Flowers Simply Scrappin' Kit (a retired hostess gift) on the one on the right, Lovely Lilac Prints (also retired) with Summer Sun, Lovely Lilac and Always Amethyst cardstock on the left, the flowers were cut using the Stampin' Up exclusive Birds and Blooms Sizzlits Die pack. I love how different they look, and the endless possibilities for decorating them.

A special reward from me to you: Place a $35.00 Stampin' Up order with me personally, in a workshop, or through my website anytime between now and the end of the year and receive a 2009 Spring and Summer Idea Book and Catalog, and free shipping on one $35.00 or larger order in January, 2009. This offer is available to everyone in the United States. If you're local I'll deliver the catalog when I get it, if you aren't I will priority mail it to you. Contact me with your order, or if you have any questions. Happy Stampin'!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Another card created thanks to a cardsketch! This is SC122 from the weekly card sketch challenges on Splitcoaststampers. The challenges are one of my favorite sources for ideas. Check them out, if you haven't already!

Used in this card - cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip Patterns designer paper and Watercolor Paper. Ink: Pallette Noir Black (non-Stampin' up). Accessories: Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter. Brads from my collection, manufacturer unknown. Stamps: Window Dressing and Holidays and Wishes.

Window Dressing is great set. There are several images that fit in the window besides the still life, a little girl, a cat, flowers and snowmen. I've had a lot of fun with it. And, it's a hostess set - you can only get it free. It will retire with the current catalog on January 18th, 2009, though. Contact me if you'd like to find out how you can get this, or any other of our hostess sets, free.

Morning Happiness

This card is for a Secret Sister from a swap I'm participating in on Splitcoast. Such fun!

I love the Morning Soft stamp set! It's a beautiful image and perfect for coloring. The size does make it a bit challenging for me, but I like how this turned out.

Stamps: Morning Soft, Warm Words (retired). Inks: Pallette Noir Black, Stampin' Up Bashful Blue. Cardstock: Brilliant Blue, Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Watercolor Paper. Accessories: Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter, Brushed Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, Bashful Blue Taffeta ribbon, sponge. I don't have a Designer Label Punch (yet), so I trimmed the cardstock to fit the label holder.

Tomorrow I have one more Secret Sister card to make, then I will be concentrating on Christmas for the next several weeks. If there is anything in particular you are interested in seeing, please let me know!

Snappy Bold Birthday

I love this stamp set! It came out about a year and a half ago. I'm a little slow sometimes, so I just got it. (Which means it will probably retire in January.) That's okay, though, it also comes with Santa hat and "jingle shells" stamps, so I should be able to get lots of use from it over the next two months. And it will be going in to my permanent collection.

This card is for a birthday club I belong to, "Bold Bright Birthdays." Each package is supposed to contain something we made which uses the Bold Bright family of colors from Stampin' Up. It's my least favorite color family, so these cards have been a real challenge for me. In this case, I new what stamp set I wanted to use, decided the crab should be Real Red and looked for a card sketch that would fit the image. I stumbled on a great book that I'll be giving as a Christmas gift, Cardmaking Sketchbook, this layout is from that book. I NEED that book!

Stamps: Crab and Company. Cardstock: Real Red textured cardstock, Yo Yo Yellow and Whisper White cardstock, Azure Designer Paper (retired). Ink: Stazon Black. Other: Bold Bright and Neutral Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aqua Painter and Crystal Effects. The crystal effects don't show in the scan, they're on the crabs eyeballs.

Stampin' Up and Country Living magazine have teamed up again with a great holiday offer. Click on the My Stampin' Up Specials link for details of this adorable set - diecut chipboard and designer paper, cardstock, uncut designer paper, cord, adhesive, inks and stamps all together in one kit. If you'd like more information, please contact me. Also, watch for details on Stampin' Up's Holiday Extravaganza sale from November 26 to December 1.

Happy Halloween Birthday

I have a very good friend whose birthday is tomorrow, unfortunately she won't get her card until the day after. I really need some belated birthday stamps! I don't think I've gotten one ready on time in months ... maybe years.

I received an October prize package full of Halloween confetti that was the inspiration for this card. I've been picking up and rescuing little plastic spiders, spider webs and circles all month because they were too cute to lose! Most of them were saved for this year, but I had to make shaker card for now. I wish I'd chosen better colors for the cat's body, but it's still cute.

Stamps: Haunting Halloween and Hugs and Wishes. Cardstock: Basic Black, Orchid Opulence, Whisper White. Ink: Black Stazon, Basic Grey. Other: Stampin' Up Markers and Scalloped Border Punch. Non-Stampin' Up Twinkling H20s, Acetate, Halloween confetti, and 1/8" foam adhesive strips.

Happy Birthday Stampin' Up!

I'm still suffering from major stamper's block. I'm hoping that "forcing" myself to stamp a little every day will help clear it up. I really do love to stamp, but get so frustrated with myself sometimes! Thank goodness for new rubber and card sketches!

This layout was from Stamper's Showcase (a Stampin' Up feature just for demonstrators) several months ago, I've used it several different times with varying colors, designer paper and stamps. It's a great basic layout! The stamp is from Crazy for Cupcakes, which I just got. It's stamped with Versamark and embossed with black embossing powder. I colored it with Copic Markers and Liquid Metal. The cherries are "Candy Corn" Stickles. I used Whisper White, Ruby Red and Not Quite Navy cardstock, the designer paper is Not Quite Navy from the Patterns hostess pack in the current Stampin' Up catalog.

This year is Stampin' Up's 20th anniversary. We're celebrating by giving YOU the presents. There are only a few days left in this sale, it ends Friday. Until then, if you spend $20 on any stamps or other supplies, you can purchase on seven different birthday stamp sets at 20% off. Check out the Stampin' Up website or contact me for details.

Also, there's a super special for hostesses through November 30th. Hostess a $350 workshop and receive your choice of any one stamp set from the fall and winter catalog sampler in addition to regular hostess benefits. When is a good date for you?

Twinkling Halloween

If any of you know of any cures for Stampers' Block, please let me know, because I've had a terrible case of it!!! I pick up my stamps, inks, paints, paper and tools and can't figure out a thing to do with them. It's very frustrating! So I'm looking for ideas on how to get over it. Please let me know any you have!

I did manage to come up with this fun idea, though. I was given a bottle of Candy Corn stickles and I wanted to use them for a Halloween card. I only have a few Halloween stamps, so there weren't many to choose from. I thought the the steam coming from this cauldron would be perfect. Then I thought some more and decided the whole card needed to sparkle. So, I painted the image with Twinkling H2Os. Cute, but not enough sparkle. So, I did a really light wash of Lime Green Twinkling H2Os on black cardstock and to ink the mini background stamp as well as color in the lettering. Now I want to stamp some more, unfortunately I have to work tomorrow so it's bedtime. Oh well...

Ingredients: Stamps: Stampin' Up Haunting Halloween, ClearStamps Halloween. Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Gable Green. Ink: Stazon Black. Accessories: Not Corner Punch, Aqua Painter, Twinkling H2Os.

This may be a bit overboard...

But it was sure fun to put together. I'm really loving my Big Shot, it's a good thing it's hard to wear out!

This card uses two exclusive Stampin' Up dies, the Top Note Bigz Die and the flower dies from the Birds & Blooms Sizzlets set. The brads are from several different sets of brads and a couple of different manufacturers, the sentiment stamp is one I received as a gift so I'm not sure where it's from. I cut the Top Note out of both Yo Yo Yellow and Whisper White and trimmed the outside from the white piece. The card base is Tempting Turquoise, mounted with a piece of Tempting Turquoise Print designer paper (retired). The little flowers and leaves were all cut from scraps I'd saved from other projects - a great way to use up cardstock scraps!

Someone asked me for information on the Big Shot over the weekend, she was surprised that it wasn't in the catalog. It will be in the Holiday mini, if you are on my mailing list you should be receiving it around September 20th. The regular items from the mini won't be available for sale until October 1st, but the Big Shot is available now. If you would like information on it sooner please let me know and I will e-mail you a .pdf file with information on the Big Shot.

Misty Daisies

Upsy Daisy is another of the Never Before Seen Stamps, on sale for 15% off through September 30th. I love this stamp, but I almost didn't buy it. I am so glad I did, it's gorgeous in its simplicity and very versatile.

This was done with Watercolor Wonder Crayons. I colored the daisies directly on the stamp with YoYo Yellow, Only Orange and Old Olive then lightly misted them and stamped them. This is the second try, the first time I used a little too much water. I loaned my Tempting Turquoise stamp pad out and haven't gotten it back yet, so I put a few drops of reinker on a baby wipe (thank you Wyatt!). Ink pads give a much crisper image, and are definitely worth the investment!

Other ingredients: Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise and Only Orange cardstock, Tempting Turquoise ribbon, ribbon slide from Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, YoYo Yellow ink, sponge wedge, Sizzix Big Shot and Big Shotz Top Note die. Thanks for looking!

New Toys!

My new catalog order came today. I have new stamps, new designer paper, lots of new ribbon, enough cardstock to last awhile, and best of all - a new Big Shot with several dies and accessories! So much new stuff, it was really hard to decide where to start. But, since I'd never used a personal diecutting machine before, I started with the Big shot. I had it out of the box and cut my first die at the office on my lunch break today (a really cute scalloped envelope with workstation setup instructions on the inside).

Of course, I had to make something to show you, too. This uses two dies, both of them exclusive to Stampin' Up, the Top Note die and the Birds die from the Birds and Blooms Sizzlits Sets. The Top Note is cut from Riding Hood Red cardstock and then cut in half, the Bird from Riding Hood Red Patterns Designer Paper. The card itself is Whisper White, with Riding Hood Red Patterns Designer Paper and White Taffeta Ribbon. The bird's wing and tail as well as the top note die cut are outlined with diamond stickles.

The Big Shot is so fun and easy to use! Call or e-mail me to schedule a workshop in September and not only will you get to try out the Big Shot, I'll cut Top Notes for you in each of Stampin' Ups 48 colors and this year's In Colors.

The Hardest Card to Make ...

Has be a sympathy card. This is for an online friend who's husband passed away last week. I wish I could give it to her in person with a hug, but the thought will have to do.

I love Stampin' Up's sympathy set Close As a Memory, but I couldn't come up with a design for it today. So, I went looking at sketch challenges on Splitcoast Stampers. This is a takeoff on SC187, which uses an image mounted on three panels. I found a piece of retired LeJardin Designer Paper that I thought was perfect, it has birds flying upwards with swirls on a light floral background. Unfortunately, the image from Close As a Memory was too big to show the birds with the sketch layout. So, I stamped and embossed it on vellum the size of the triple panel and attached it with brads. The birds don't show unless you hold the card directly under light, but I do like the effect of the vellum on designer paper. Ingredients: River Rock and Soft Sky cardstock, Versamark, River Rock and Basic Grey ink, vellum, clear embossing powder, small flower brads (not Stampin' Up).

A Never Before Seen Stamp Set

From now until September 30, Stampin' Up! is providing never-before-seen savings on brand-new stamp sets: 15% off select new, die-cut stamp sets from the Fall-Winter 2008 Idea Book & Catalog - and here is a card made with one of them. Heard from the Heart is a set of four sentiment stamps, the happiness stamp featured here, as well as Christmas, wishes and kindness stamps in the same style.

I love this set, and it's great when Stampin' Up features a sale on something I just have to have. If you just have to have it too, contact me and we'll get it in your hands as fast as possible. There are nine other stamp sets in this special, be sure to check them out, too. One of them is from our brand new Spanish language catalog!

This card is made with the happiness stamp from Heard from the Heart, the Floral and Linen background stamps. I used Baja Breeze and Whisper White cardstock with Baja Breeze ink. I cut the oval with my Coluzzle, and since I don't have an oval paper piercing template I cut an oval a size smaller to use as one. Both the oval and the focal point piece were paper pierced. The card and both layers were sponged with Baja Breeze. It was finished off with a flower from the Pretties Kit and a light blue Circle Ice brad. Hope you like it!

It may be a few days before I'm back. I have an idea for a Halloween project I'm going to submit to Stampin' Up's monthly demonstrator contest that will probably take a day or two and I won't be able to post it. I will have the prototype to show you in October at my Stampin' and Pizza event.

Pretty Purple Post-It Note Holder

It's hard for me to be creative when it's this hot, but I did manage to squeeze in some paper crafting time before it got too hot today. I've been wanting to make one of these post-it note holders since I saw it on the web one day. (Posted here.) Many thanks to Lori Rider for sharing her talent and directions with us

I used a mini-RSVP pen with a slightly different dimensions than Lori's original, but other than that I followed her instructions. My cardstock was 9 3/4" x 4 1/4", and the score lines for the pen holder were at 2 1/4" and 2 3/4".

I used Lovely Lilac cardstock and Prints Designer Paper, along with Whisper White Cardstock and Lovely Lilac ink and a marker. The base of the holder is cut from the backing of the Designer Paper pack - don't throw yours away, they come in handy! I stamped the design using Boho Backgrounds - I love those little flowers. I used a Basic Gray magnetic snap for the closure.

The Prints Designer Paper did retire with the last catalog, but Stampin' Up has added a new design, Patterns Designer Paper in 14 beautiful colors. I love being able to use coordinating papers that match our cardstock!

I also love the way this pad turned out. It's fairly quick to make and would make a great gift. I will probably make a couple of different ones for my Christmas Pizza and Stamping event in October, maybe they'll even be one in the door prizes. I hope to see you there!

Seething ... Beware Paypal

I'm venting and trying to regain my calm, but it's not going very well.

This morning I logged onto my bank account and discovered I was a over thousand dollars overdrawn due to some fraudulent activity on my Paypal account. You've probably heard of Paypal, they call themselves the "safer, easier way to pay" on their website. Well, apparently someone else found it the easier way to pay for something with money I don't have. Arghh!!!! I will get all the money back eventually, but that still doesn't make dealing with it fun.

It all started Wednesday evening when I got home from work. I was unwinding in front of the computer when I suddenly got 4 emails from Paypal saying payments had been processed. At first I thought it was a phishing scheme and wasn't going to open them, but due to a nagging feeling that I should, I opened one. It was a payment for 150 Euros to someone I not only don't know, but someone who doesn't capitalize his name when doing business. (Am I showing my age by being picky about that?) So, I logged on to Paypal and sure enough, there were 4 payments that I certainly didn't initiate. I called Paypal right away, the customer service person I spoke to talked me through filing a report in their "resolution center" and told me that Paypal hadn't taken the money out of my bank yet. I got the impression that I wouldn't need to worry about it, so I went about my normal routine.

So much for normal routine. I guess it's a good thing I'm somewhat paranoid and check my bank balance every day. Now I've filed fraud reports with both Paypal and the bank, and emailed Paypal a few times on top of that (Paypal has not responded to my emails). And, it's really a good thing I get paid at midnight.

All I want to do is stomp my feet and scream. And eat french fries. Unfortunately, I don't have any fries, or money, and someone else has my car. Or maybe that is fortunate. Hopefully by the time I get home I'll have recovered enough to partake of some stamp therapy. In the meantime, please send calming thoughts my way. And if you happen to have some spare french fries...

One of a Kind Monday

Splitcoaststampers posts stamping challenges every weekday. Monday is a Technique Challenge, today's challenge is Stained Glass. It takes some time but it isn't difficult.

There are detailed instructions available on Splitcoast, here's a quick summary. I used 4 1/4 x 11" (card base) and 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" (inside frame) pieces of Rose Red cardstock, a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" piece of Whisper White and a 4 1/8 x 5 3/8" piece of acetate. The card base and inside frame were cut with a 1/2" frame, and the cardbase was stamped with Boho Background using Rose Red ink.

The design, from the One of a Kind stamp set, was stamped on the front of the acetate with Black Stazon ink. Then the fun part - the design is painted on the back with Crystal Effects colored with Barely Banana, Cameo Coral and Rose Red and reinkers. One drop of ink and a dime size amount a Crystal Effects is enough. I used wax paper as a palette, you could also use a piece of acetate or an old CD. Only mix one color at a time, it takes a little while to dry, but gets tacky pretty quickly. Once the acetate is dry mount it on the inside of the card base, and mount the inside frame on top of it. Mount the white cardstock on the inside of the card and stamp the sentiment on it.

It took almost as long to pick a stamp set to use as it did to make the card. I just don't have the variety in flower stamps that I would like to have. It's a good thing there's a new catalog today! Have you had a chance to look at it yet? What are your favorite sets?

A Super Simple Card

This is a really simple card, but I think it looks great and wanted to share it with you. I used a 6x6 piece of textured Pumpkin Pie cardstock folded in half for the card base. I love the little bit of "oomph" the texture adds to the card. The square punches are all on my wish list, so I cut the window out with my straight cutter, you could also use a craft knife. After I cut the window out I mounted a 3x6 piece of white cardstock on the inside of the card, closed the card and lightly marked the corners of the window with pencil. Then I stamped the images from Heartfelt Thanks and erased the pencil marks.

The inside of the white frame is the same size as the window on the card base, the outside is about a quarter inch bigger. The glitter window is amazingly easy to make. Take a piece of clear packing tape and adhere it to the back of the window frame, sprinkle glitter over it and your ready to put it on your card. Slice an opening in the fold of the card to thread the Pumpkin Pie striped ribbon through, tie a square knot on the front and the card is done. Very simple, and very versatile, and it fits in a standard envelope! Have fun!

P.S. Have you seen the new Stampin' Up catalog yet? If not, click on the link and enjoy. There is some great stuff in there!!!

Gift Sets and Good News

I've been busy altering clipboards and journals lately. They're a fun and easy gift, and I love working with Stampin' Up's Designer Papers. Both of these sets were made with just two pieces of Designer Paper and some cardstock.

This set is for my daughter's fiancee's grandmother. It uses the new Bella Rose designer paper which I love. I used Certainly Celery cardstock and ribbon on the journal, clipboard and pen. The celery cardstock is stamped with Versamark and Itty Bitty Backgrounds, although the stamping doesn't show in the picture. The cards are made with Certainly Celery, Pink Pirouette and Riding Hood Red cardstock and are tucked in Riding Hood Red tote. They're stamped with an old hostess set, The Art of Life. The sentiment is from Holidays and Wishes. Since we don't have In Color markers I made my own, using an idea from Stampin' Up. I took a new blender pen and put six drops of Pink Pirouette ink in one end and Riding Hood Red in the other. It worked great!

You've already seen the clipboard from this set, but I wanted you to see the whole set in one place. It's for a young friend. It uses the Ginger Blossom Designer Paper from the outgoing catalog and Ruby Red, Very Vanilla and Groovy Guava cardstock. Both the Ginger Blossom designer paper and Groovy Guava are retiring tomorrow. I'll really miss this designer paper. Not only is it beautiful, but it coordinates so well with one of my favorite stamp sets, Embrace Life. I was really excited see a similar designer paper in the new catalog using this years Baja Breeze. It will also be fun to use!

And the GOOD NEWS: I have new catalogs, please contact me if you'd like one. Hostess a workshop, and it's free! There are great new stamp sets, designer paper and accessories. I'll be placing an order on Friday so will soon have new toys to share with you. I can't wait to play with them myself and will post as many projects as I can. Who knows, maybe I'll quit making clipboards and make a card or two!

And more good news: Stampin' Up has announced a partnership with Sizzix. We will be carrying the Sizzix Big Shot, several Sizzix dies and some beautiful exclusive Stampin' Up designed dies! I can't wait to get mine and already have several projects planned. I'll have it set up at my Christmas Pizza and Stamping night in October for everyone to try it out. I hope I'll see you there!

I Remembered How to Stamp!!!!

I'll bet you thought I'd never post again! I was actually wondering if I was ever going to find the ability to stamp again, but thanks to some exchanges and Splitcoast, I'm BACK! I made a couple of cards that I wanted to show you last weekend, but had to mail them before they got scanned. Life gets in the way, you know. I'm learning to can, too, and my canning project took all my spare time. Monday I'm going to can cheddar cheese, I'll let you know how it goes. Until then, I'm going to be playing with ink and paper!





Saying Goodbye to the Old and Hello to the New:



I love making these clipboard and beaded pen sets. They're not too difficult, but people love to receive them. (So much so that even though I've been meaning to make one for myself, I never end up keeping one.) This is what I was doing this afternoon.

The one on the left is made using Ginger Blossom Designer Series Paper and Groovy Guava cardstock stamped with Ruby Red and Groovy Guava ink. I used the Embrace Life stamp set, which coordinates with the paper. Groovy Guava is one of the InColors that will be retiring on August 10th. It's been a great color to work with, as have the other five colors, and I will miss them. But, new colors are coming!

The clipboard on the left is made using the new Bella Rosa Designer Paper from the Fall and Winter Idea Book and Catalog that will be available on August 11th. Look closely at it, if features three of the new InColors, Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette and Kiwi Kiss. There's no stamping on this one, just paper and ribbon. I used Certainly Celery ribbon, which is lighter than Kiwi Kiss, but seems to coordinate well with it.

The little blue Nugget Purse (I used Dawn's directions here) are made with Pacific Point and Baja Breeze, two of the other new colors. It's stamped with One of a Kind and uses the coordinating Boho Blossoms punch, and the Tag Punch.

I hope to post more tomorrow, in the meantime, happy stamping to all!

Cased but Heartfelt

I stole a little more time to stamp today, but tax season has robbed me of the ability to think creatively, so I had to go to Splitcoast for ideas. I cased this card. I changed the stamp sets and made minor changes to the layout, but kept the colors and general ideas. Many thanks to eraymond7978 for filling in the gaps for me!

The card uses Heartfelt Thanks and Pretty Petals, with Real Red and Old Olive Ink, on Whisper White, Old Olive, Real Red and Bashful Blue cardstock. Accessories: Real Red striped grosgrain ribbon, Scallop Circle, 1 3/8" and 1 1/4" circle punches, white gel pen.

Only 16 days left of tax season!!! (Don't worry, you can extend if you need to.)

Easter blessings one and all!

It's been a wonderful day! Easter church is so uplifting, and I have the best Primary class in the world, sharing the Easter story with them was heartwarming. After church my daughter's made a wonderful dinner at Maggi's new house, and I got to be the guest. I spent the afternoon with all four of my daughters and their children, and my sister and nieces and nephew. Great company, and the most work I did all day was rock my 10 month old grandson to sleep. If all my one day weekends could be like this tax season wouldn't be near so tiring!

There are only three more Saturdays left in tax season! Even more exciting than that, only four more Mondays left until I have several months of three day weekends! I'm so looking forward to it. Saturday is a special day, housework, laundry, shopping, making everything ready for the next week. Sunday is for church and family. And Mondays I get to stamp most of the day. Tuesdays may be a little rough...

I even got to stamp today! It's a very simple card using Ginger Blossom designer paper, the Embrace Life and Sincere Salutations stamp sets, white craft ink and white embossing powder. I borrowed the layout from the Stampin' Up Spring and Summer Idea Book and Catalog. (The Princess card on page 77, which uses Stampin' Ups scallop notes.) I made it full size, and scalloped the edge of the designer paper with my corner punch with the guard taken off.

It felt so good to "play with my toys" again. I have to make time for this a little more through the next few weeks, it will make the days go much smoother!

What Are You Doing for the Next 97 Days?

President Gordon B. Hinckley, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, died Sunday, January 27th at the age of 97. Several of us have taken the challenge to read the Book of Mormon in 97 days as a tribute to him. Would you like to join us?

A Simple Birthday Card

I have the plague, or at least something closely resembling it ... okay, it's really just a bad cold. But, it's wearing me out and I needed to make a birthday card. It needed to be simple, since this cold has robbed me of all creative ability. So, I grabbed Fun and Fast Notes and my watercoloring box. The cake is painted with Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Twinkling H2Os, and Liquid Metal, with glitter glue added to the flames. The brilliant blue Twinkling H2O is almost an exact match to Tempting Turquoise so I used that for the background, with Groovy Guava as an accent. The ribbon is from the Sherbet Ribbon Originals.

I bought the Pretties kit last summer but have barely touched it. The flowers and pearls and beads are so pretty they intimidate me. But, this needed something, and the beads on the hatpin seemed like the perfect touch. (I did say simple, not plain.) Now I need to find some bubble wrap to pad the envelope I'm mailing it with. It's a good thing I bought some $.17 stamps, I know this one will need the surcharge!

I placed my personal Sale-a-bration order at 12:17 a.m. mountain time on the 1st. UPS says it will be here Tuesday. I can't wait! And the Sale-a-Bration sets are die cut, I'll be able to play right away. Hopefully I won't have too many tax returns to do this week! Have you decided what Sale-a-Bration sets you need yet?

Happy, Happy Birthday!!!

I haven't been able to do much stamping this week and I can't even blame it on work, because I haven't been doing much of that either, my granddaughter shared a nasty bug with me that's really thrown me through a loop. Fortunately, I don't have a lot of work to do, so I'm spending the weekend relaxing and telling the bug to leave. Relaxing to me means playing with paper and inks and punches and stamps, so I may have more to show you tomorrow.

This altered "J" is a birthday gift for a friend of mine. It's amazingly easy to make, and I like the way it turned out. I got the J at Michael's, they have several different types of alterable letters. I cut pieces of Petals and Paisley Designer Paper (which just retired, but we do have some beautiful new designer paper) into 1-1/2" strips and adhered them diagonally with a glue stick. After that set for a bit I turned it over, trimmed and clipped the paper and folded over onto the back. Then I cut a "J" out of turquoise cardstock just a teeny bit smaller than the chipboard and adhered it with the new Tombow Mono Multi Adhesive. I added some flowers made with the 5 petal punch, tempting turquoise and pretty in pink cardstock with tempting turquoise brads, and some tempting turquoise 1/4" grosgrain to finish it off. Hopefully she likes it.

The same friend requested a real life example of a waterfall card. I'd never made one, but I'd been told they're much easier to make than they look, and I was fortunate enough to have an example card that my very first secret sister made me. There are excellent directions for making a waterfall card here on SplitCoastStampers.

I made this with one of my favorite all purpose retired stamp sets, Mini Mates, using Real Red and Brilliant Blue classic ink, and a Real Red marker on whisper white cardstock. The cardbase is Brilliant Blue with a Real Red mat and the individual squares on the waterfall are matted on Real Red, Brilliant Blue and YoYo Yellow. It's finished off with Real Red eyelets and a little piece of Real Red ribbon. If you haven't seen one, as you gently pull on the ribbon the little square flip up one at a time to reveal the bottom message. Here it is fully open:

Simple Enough?

I was asked to design some simple cards for the Relief Society ladies to make and send out. (The Relief Society is the women's organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.) It's a real challenge for me, as they are primarily non-stampers, and the cards need to be simple to mass produce. I came up with two for this round.

Both cards are made with non-Stampin' Up cardstock, so I won't list the cardstock used. This one uses In the Spotlight (a recently retired hostess set) for the flowers, Itty Bitty Backgrounds for the background, and the sentiments is from Hugs and Wishes. I used Pretty in Pink and Basic Black classic ink. The stamped flower is punched out with the 5 Petal Flower Punch, as is a piece of pink cardstock to go behind it.

This one uses Best Blossoms, which was a 2006 Sale-a-Bration set, Happy Everything, and Little Pieces. I used Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery and Barely Banana classic inks. The corners of the sentiment layers are punched with the Corner Rounder punch. The edges on the Happy Birthday piece are done with Tempting Turquoise direct to paper. The matt under the white is actually a pale yellow, but the color doesn't show well in the scan.

Speaking of Sale-a-Bration ... I've been telling you for awhile now that my birthday was cause to sale-a-brate, and it's almost here. Friday is my birthday, and Stampin' Up is having a six week party to celebrate with me. Stay tuned for details, and watch your mailbox for the official flyer. There are five great stamp sets and some rubons to be had for free!

Happy, Happy Birthday!!

What a week! Monday I twiddled my thumbs most of the day at work. Now I feel like I'm drowning in work. It's really not that bad, but tax season is definitely here. I ended up working 46 hours this week, and I can all but guarantee I won't work any less until after April 15th.


All that work kind of cuts into my stamping time, though. But I need that stamping time to stay sane. Okay, that might be a bit of a stretch. (Sane? Me?) I need it to stay functioning. So, I spent an hour straightening up my stamping area and made a birthday card. And, I still have one to show you from last week, so you get to see two today.


The House Mouse card is watercolored with Stampin' Up Watercolor Wonder Crayons and Twinkling H2Os (for the balloons). You can't see it well in the scan, but the Twinkling H2Os have mica in them and that catches the light and twinkles as you move the card. They come in 156 different colors, and I think I need them all. It took three different stamp sets to finish the card, Little Pieces, Everyday Flexible Phrases and Warmest Regards. I used Tempting Turquoise, Almost Amethyst and Lovely Lilac cardstock, with Tempting Turquois and Lovely Lilac classic inks. It's finished off with turquoise primas and gold stickles.


This is the card I made today, another WishRAK birthday card. It uses Stampin' Up's Voila stamp set colored with Watercolor Wonder Crayons. I added some yellow glitter glue to the candle flame to make it glow. It uses Elegant Eggplant cardstock and a piece of Rose Red Prints Designer Paper. I finished it off with a piece of Elegant Eggplant grosgrain and a Hodgepodge Hardware circle clip.

Stampin' Up added a new adhesive to their line with this catalog. It's a liquid clue called Tombow Mono, and really strong. It does have latex in it, so if you have allergies, beware. This card is the first time I've used it. I like it, but it's going to take practice. Most of the adhesives I use slide a little, this doesn't, so the layers are a little crooked. It still looks good, though.

I'll be back later this week. I need to design some simple birthday cards for non-stampers to make, with no embellishments. Not an easy task, so I may be asking for your opinions on a couple of different attempts.

It's a Beautiful Thing

We have a new IT director at my work whose favorite phrase is "It's a beautiful thing." One of the stamp sets in the new catalog is A Beautiful Thing (page 82, it's also in the preview mini), and the two just had to go together. This desk set is a gift from one of our secretaries and me to him. My daughter Katie thinks it's too feminine to give to a guy, I hope he doesn't think so.

The A Beautiful Thing stamp set actually is pretty feminine, the other stamps in the set are all flowers so I couldn't use them. And the phrase stamp says "You make my life a beautiful thing", which was too much. So, I inked it with my Basic Black marker to just get the words I wanted, and used my Stamp-a-ma-Jig to position them. The tree is from Lovely as a Tree (page 98). Everything is mounted on 4 inch coasters and held together with Hemp Twine threaded through Jumbo Eyelets. You gotta love that Crop-a-dile for punching holes and setting eyelets! Cardstock: Sahara Sand, Soft Sky, Le Jardin Designer Paper. Ink: Basic Black Classic ink. Other: Corner Punch, Crop-a-Dile, Hemp Twine, Jumbo Eyelets, Crystal Effects (used to mount the pen/penchil holder on the coaster base).

Stampin' Up will be sending out Sale-a-bration mini's for me this week, so watch your mailboxes. There's great stuff in there! If you don't have one from the end of the month, and you're on my mailing list, please let me know.

Gone But Not Forgotten

I signed up to be a "Birthday Fairy" on WishRAK, so I get to make several birthday cards a month. It's a great opportunity to play with retired stamps.

Stipple Rose retired two years ago, but it's a beautiful stamp and will be in my collection forever. This is stamped with black Stazon on shimmery white cardstock and colored with Watercolor Wonder Crayons and an aquapainter. It's mounted on Old Olive and Regal Rose cardstock. The corners are punched with the corner rounder punch and the ticket corner punch. Believe it or not, the rhinestone brads in the corners are pink. I have no idea how the scanner turned them green.

It'll be interesting to see the February birthday fairy assignments. Do you think I'll get to make myself a card? Whether or not I do, I think my birthday is a great thing to Sale-a-brate, check back often for updates!

Have you seen it?

The new catalog, that is? To use a much overused phrase, it's AWESOME! Click here to see for yourself.


Stampin' Up has a great special this month, too. A really cute Valentine stamp set, cellophane bags, and ribbon at a special price. Check it out here, or call me for more information.