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.