California Stampin'

SALE-A-BRATION IS HERE!!!

2012-01-27T09:01:00.000-08:00

Good morning all!!! I have just recently returned from Leadership in San Antonio and I am sorting through all my pics so that I can share some of those with you, but today I want to share that fact that SALE-A-BRATION is here!!! What does that mean??!! It means FREE exclusive stamping and scrapbooking sets and accessories that can only be earned with an order of $50 or more! Plus, if you decide that you want to JOIN MY TEAM during this time, you will receive a HOSTESS EXCLUSIVE BUNDLE FREE on top of the wonderful specials Stampin' Up! is currently offering! Here are all the details so check them out:

WHOOHOOO!! IT'S HERE!! Sale-A-Bration, Stampin' Up!'s biggest promotion of the year,begins today and runs through March 31, 2012.

FREE SALE-A-BRATION GIFTS! Now through March 31, 2012, earn a free Sale-A-Bration gift for EVERY $50 you spend on Stampin' Up! products. Items from the on-line clearance rackcan be included in your on-line order and count toward your total! Spend $150 or more and you will receive both Sale-A-Bration gifts ANDearn Hostess Benefits ! (Qualifying totals exclude shipping and tax.)

Click on the catalog pictured above to see all the FABULOUS Sale-A-Bration choices and additional promotion details. Here are some of the highlights:

HUGE SAVINGS WHEN YOU SIGN!!! Become part of an AMAZING stamping family AND SAVE up to 60% with the Sale-A-Bration Starter Kit Deal!

SAVE $50 on the Stampin' Up! Starter Kit (NOW $125). Includes upto $340 in products and ships FREE. Choose and customize either the Standard Starter Kit or Digital Starter Kit.
SALE-A-BRATION STARTER KIT BONUS! Receive yourchoice of either FREE Designer Series Paper (you pay for shipping) or aFREE My Digital Studio Download (no shipping charge) EVERY MONTH thatyou are active, from Feb. through Dec., 2012. Up to a $120 value!
HOBBY STAMPERS! Feed your stamping habit with wonderful demonstrator discounts and benefits plus all the fun specials and promotions that are also available to demonstrators!!!
Become a member of my BUTTE COUNTY BIG SHOTS team!! Not local?? I have demonstrators all over the United States and they ALL feel part of our stamping family! I welcome both hobby and business demonstrators to my group.

QUESTIONS FOR ME?? If you are interested or simply curious about purchasing the Starter Kit and becoming a member of my fabulous family of stampers,please email me (lilstamper@yahoo.com) I am happy to answer any and all questions you may have!

NEED A FREE COPY of the Occasions Mini and/or Sale-A-Bration Catalogs? Please email me (lilstamper@yahoo.com) your name and address (U.S. only) and I'll send them right out to you! (If you already have a demonstrator, please go through them for all your stamping needs :-))

I hope to hear from you soon!!! Have a wonderful stampin' day!!!

*STAMPIN HUGS* Alex

LEADERSHIP SWAPPING!

2012-01-13T08:15:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday!!! I for one am super glad it is Friday, this has been a loooonnnnngggg week!!! Plus, my daughter's birthday is this Monday so we have the celebrations starting tonight, lol! Movies, bowling, a formal dance tomorrow night, and then snowboarding on her actual birthday, which is Monday - WHEW! She loves to celebrate HER day heehee!! And then, I LEAVE FOR LEADERSHIP WHOOHOOO!!! I am so very excited -there is nothing like a Stampin' UP! event - they are always amazing!!! I am really looking forward to seeing all my friends, going to fabulous classes, and seeing some wonderful inspiration! YAY! In trying to get ready for Leadership, I have been working on some swaps, which I will be sharing with you over the course of the next week! I am really having fun playing with all the new products in the mini; I have been neglecting some of my other faves this week, but I am sure they will be out and inked up again soon, lol!

This card is made with the set Rue Des Fleurs, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE this set! It has 8 gorgeous stamps, and the sentiments are wonderful and a fun play on words to go with the images. And, it's a steal since you can get the clear set for $23.95! I love the vintage look and feel of this set as well, that is RIGHT up my alley - it makes me smile!! I wanted to make a fun thank-you card so I decided on the corset and the fabulous coordinating sentiment. The corset is stamped in Soft Suede and I just added some touches of Marina Mist with my stampin' marker. The two sentiments are easy to line up with the clear stamps, I just put them both on the same block, one right under the other, and it stamped beautifully! And straight, lol! Notice how pretty the base card is? I used our new Edgelit dies and the coordinating embossing folders to make that beautiful design, and I love them! They instantly add an elegant look to your card! I see a lot of potential with these new dies, and I plan on doing a whole lot of playing with these over the next few weeks, heehee! The Designer Series paper comes from the Twitterpated line of paper and I LOVE it!! Twitterpated is a word I have been using for a long time, and I am not quite sure how it started. I DO know that the word originates from the Disney movie Bambi - do you all remember?? Anyway, I fell in love with this paper pack not only for the name, but for the beautiful, fun patterns it has! The colors are fabulous too! See how well it goes with the yummy Riding Hood Red pleated ribbon? Love this ribbon, so many things you can do with it! And of course I had to add some fun pearls - what good is a corset without pearls? *wink* I had a great time making this card, and I hope my swap ladies like it as well! If you want any of the products you see here, you can purchase them in my online store or email me and I am happy to put your order in for you! Now, I am off to stamp the day away since I got all my "chores" done yesterday! I hope you all have a FABULOUS weekend - and stay tuned for a LEADERSHIP SPECIAL I will be having while I am in San Antonio, you DON'T want to miss out :-) Happy Stampin!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Soft Suede, Marina Mist, Riding Hood Red, Blushing Bride card stock, Twitterpated Designer Series Paper
Inks - Soft Suede, Riding Hood Red classic stamp pads, Marina Mist stampin' write marker
Stamps - Rue Des Fleur
Tools - Big Shot, Edgelit Dies, Edgelit embossing folders, 2 1/2 inch Circle Punch, 2 3/8 inch Scallop Circle punch, Scallop Oval punch, Scallop Trim Border punch, Dimensionals
Accessories - Basic Pearls, Riding Hood Red pleated ribbon, Marina Mist narrow grosgrain ribbon

CUPID LOVE

2012-01-12T10:45:00.000-08:00

Good morning! It has been a busy week here at the Hobson home - what with soccer games, golf tournaments, my husband's new job, and my schedule, it is a wonder we ever see each other, lol! It thought we were busy when we had little ones, but teens are a different story altogether, lol! I love every minute of it though - it is amazing to watch them develop and grow into their own person! Time sure does fly by though, it seems like yesterday I was finger painting with them, and now I have one driving! I sure do love them though, with all my heart! They are one of the reasons why Valentines Day is such a big holiday for me - I just love it! I love to spoil them with treats and handmade little gifties....and I think they look forward to it too! And, of course I get to show the love of my life how much I love him as well by spoiling him with little surprises and cards all month long! So, I have stamping up all kinds of heartfelt cards with all the new and fabulous things in the Occasions Mini catalog!

I made this card using the new set called PS I love you - I just love this set, it has TONS of stamped images and sentiments (15 in all) and the clear set is $27.95 for all of them - AMAZING, right??
I just love all these images and the sentiments are awesome, I have already used them on a variety of different cards! And, many of these images can be punched out with the coordinating punch, making them even more fun to use. You can see that I punched out the heart image with the heart punch on this card - it makes it so easy to design a cute card! I also used some of the new Attic Boutique designer series paper, it is sooooo pretty! The colors are some of my favorites and not your traditional Valentines colors, which I am excited about because I don't like to use a lot of pink anyway for the cards I give to my love *wink* I played with some of the new ribbon as well - this Blushing Bride pleated ribbon really adds a BANG to your project, and I love that all the work has been done for me, makes me have more time to stamp, lol! It is hard to see in the picture, but I did actually stamp the background of the base card with the Parlor Prints background stamp. It just gives the card some added texture, and besides, I don't like naked cards, lol! Also, check out the little pops of the new Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details: it really adds pop, doesn't it?? If you like these products, they can be purchased through my online store or you can email me and I will be happy to place your order for you! I am off to spend some more time stamping today - love my job! Have a wonderful day, and I will be back to share some more fun projects tomorrow!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Poppy Parade, Soft Suede, Whisper White, Pool Party card stock, Attic Boutique Designer Series Paper
Inks - Soft Suede, Poppy Parade classic inks
Stamps - PS I love You, Parlor Prints
Tools- Heart Punch, 1 3/8 and 1 1/4 inch Circle Punches, Small Oval punch, Dimensionals
Accessories - Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details, Basic Pearls, Blushing Bride pleated ribbon

YES, I POSTED - DON'T FAINT :-)

2012-01-06T11:29:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!!! I know it's been awhile....I purposely took some time off because I was working so many hours I was getting burnt out and needed to step away for awhile and spend some time with family doing other things. It was a wonderful holiday - my son and his fiance came to spend the holidays with us, and they also went to Tahoe with us so it was a wonderful couple of weeks! Needless to say, life is slow in returning to normal but this week has been my transition back to the "real" world, lol! I am stamping again after taking a hiatus, and, although I don't feel that my mojo is completely back, I did manage to stamp a card yesterday using the fun new stuff from the Occasions Mini! I am hoping that as I stamp more today, the magic will come back and I will be in my element again, lol! In the meantime, I will share this card that I am okay with showing in public (I have many discarded attempts in the trash can, lol!) The Occasions Mini catalog went live on the 3rd of January, and there are soooo many beautiful things in this catalog that I don't know what to share first. so, I decided that I would play with the Take it To Heart Stamp Set so that I could show you how fabulous the new Hearts Framelits are with the images - there are several different heart shapes that cut the images out or you can just cut out hearts! It works on the Big Shot and they are so much fun to play with! That is how I cut out the image on this card - too fun!

I also knew I wanted to watercolor as I find that to be very relaxing so I picked an image I thought would work well with that technique....and, I was right! I love how this turned out, sooo pretty, right?? I used several different colors here and used my blender pens to apply the shades and coloring. I had such fun with this. I embossed the Pool Party card stock in the background with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder - doesn't it look nice with the image? The patterned paper you see in the back of the image is from the new designer series paper pack called Attic Boutique! I am loving all the pretty, vintage paper that SU! put in this new mini, they are right up my alley :-)

The sentiment piece is also from the Take it to Heart set although the sentiment itself is from the With All My Heart set. I just stamped it, cut it out, and popped it up on dimensionals. The ribbon is Poppy Parade twill and looks gorgeous up against that image. The other ribbon is the Soft Suede Taffeta, which is soft, gorgeous, and perfect for this card! I added a few pearls and then used a little bit of Dazzling Details to the heart in the sentiment itself - I am so glad that item is still available! It is a carryover from the Holiday Mini! There were several items that were carried over from that catalog so if you would like to see what they are, click here and it will take you right to them! It felt good to stamp again; this card made me smile when it was all finished! I plan on playing with lots more of my new goodies today so stay tuned for lots more coming your way! If you like any of the products here (of course you do, lol) you can order them from my online store OR you can email me and I will be happy to place your order for you! Have a wonderful weekend, and I hope you all have time to do something creative!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Soft Suede, Pool Party, Poppy Parade, Very Vanilla card stock, Attic Boutique Designer Series Paper
Inks - Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Pool Party, Poppy Parade, Wild Wasabi, Daffodil Delight classic inks
Stamps - Take it To Heart, With All my Heart(sentiment only)
Tools - Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Big Shot, Hearts Framelits, Dimensionals
Accessories - Poppy Parade Twill ribbon, Soft Suede taffeta ribbon, Basic Pearls, Dazzling Details

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

2011-12-13T12:08:00.000-08:00

Good morning stampers!! I have to say, this is my favorite time of year - I just adore Christmas! All the fun decorations, the baking, the presents, the music, the family and friends, I love it ALL!! I especially love to create fun gifts and cards for all the special people in my life! I tend to make sooo much more than I ever could use, but boy, is it FUN! And, we have such fabulous holiday items in our Holiday mini this year that well, I went a little crazy with it and had to have it all, lol!!! So, I thought I would share a fun little craft that we made during my Santa's workshop classes - it is a box filled with fun Christmas tags to use on all your special gifts! I actually saw this idea somewhere and tweaked it somewhat to make it my own and I love how it turned out!!! The box itself is made of chipboard and then covered in Cherry Cobbler card stock - we also did that with the drawers to this cutie will last for lots of seasons in the future! The top and bottom of the box are 6x6 in size, and then the drawers were cut using the Matchbox die for the Big Shot, lined up with the edges of the box, and sticky taped down. The top of the box has two more layers, one of Old Olive card stock and then another using the Letters to Santa Designer Series paper - looooove it!!! The image is also layered - the base layer is Early Espresso card stock and then the image is stamped on Naturals White card stock. This pretty tree comes from the Christmas Lodge stamp set, available in the Holiday Mini (but only until the 3rd of January so you better get is soon!). I love this tree because it is a nice, big image which makes a great focal point! We used the Old Olive, Early Espresso, and Cherry Cobbler stampin' write markers to color in the tree and then stamped it, making a beautiful watercolor effect that gives this box a wonderful vintage look!

Then, we added some Dazzling Details to make the tree look like it had hundreds of pretty lights on it - check out the close-up here! Doesn't it look fabulous, all sparkly and twinkly??!! I swear, this made the whole box for my stampin' ladies -they just loved it!! We added a pretty Cherry Cobbler button from the Regals designer buttons group, which we threaded with Cherry Cobbler twine. We tied a knot and then distressed the ends to add to that vintage look. The sentiment is also from the Christmas Lodge stamp set, and it is stamped in Early Espresso on some Old Olive card stock, then adhered to the box. And, of course we needed to have a little more bling so we added a rhinestone to the top of the tree and to the sentiment to give it that extra WOW! factor. Now, for the drawers! There are four drawers on this box, one on each side. As you can see from the picture, they can slide in and out, and they are easy to open since each one has a large brad that acts as the drawer pull. Each drawer can hold up to 20 tags and pieces of twine, but we did eight for each drawer, all in different shapes, colors, and styles so there is something for every present that gets wrapped and put under the tree! I am not going to name each and every stamp set we used to make the tags, but if you have a question about any of them, feel free to email me and I am happy to answer you! We had a blast making this Christmas box, and I am sure it will be put to good use over the next few weeks *wink* I know I have used all the tags and made some more :-) If you like any of these products and want some for your very own, you can order them in my online store or contact me and I will be happy to help you place your order! Now, I am off to bake a birthday cake for my sweetheart who turns 44 today - yep, he has finally caught up with me, lol!!! For ten months I am older than him, a fact he never lets me live down :-) I hope you all have a fabulous day and take some time out to be creative!!!
Box Recipe:
Paper - Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Early Espresso, Naturals White card stock, Letters to Santa Designer Series Paper
Inks - Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Marina Mist stampin' write markers and classic stampin' pads
Stamps - (image and sentiment) Christmas Lodge
Tools - Matchbox die, Big Shot, Ornament Punch, Designer Label Punch
Accessories - Regals Buttons, Dazzling Details, Cherry Cobbler twine, Basic Rhinestones

MAD BUSY BUT STILL CREATING :-)

2011-12-12T12:11:00.000-08:00

Good morning stampers! I have been a bad blogger lately, but I cannot seem to find enough hours in the day to get everything done that I need to do!! I have been teaching a lot of holiday classes lately as well as finishing up some of my own Christmas projects so there is a lot of creating going on! I thought I would share another fun project with you today that we made in my Santa's workshop a couple of weeks back. This is a jar that is filled with all the ingredients you need to make a wonderful mint hot chocolate, something we have each and every year, and that we all look forward to as the weather gets colder! We used some of the holiday fabric called Candy Cane Christmas - the patterns are so fun and festive, they make me smile! We cut a piece out using the Scallop Circle Bigz Die on the Big Shot - it fits perfectly for these little pint jars! We placed it over the inside ring of the lid, pulled it tight, and then screwed the lid back on - super cute, right??!! We then added a punched flower created from the Scallop Circle punch and the 1 3/8 inch Circle punch with a Holly Berry Bouquet Real Red button. To Top it off, we threaded some Whisper White twine through the button and tied a cute little bow - simple but oh so cute!! We then wrapped the lid with some of Baha Breeze Seam Binding ribbon that is attached using Red Sticky Tape - have I told you how much I love this stuff??!! My customers and friends tease me about my obsession with this tape but it is a wonderful adhesive and I keep myself well stocked with it, lol!! The tag is made using the Two Tags die on the Big Shot and Real Red card stock. The sentiment is layered with Baha Breeze card stock punched out with the Designer Label punch and then the sentiment itself is from the Sweet Season stamp set, which has some super cute stamps that are perfect for gift giving. We stamped it in Real Red classic ink on Naturals White card stock, then punched it out with the Wide Oval punch. It is attached to the jar with some twine that is threaded through the ribbon and then tied in a knot, then trimmed close to the knot so it does not show too much. The inside of the tag has the typed out recipe and directions on how to make this yummy chocolatey treat! This little gift item was a huge hit at the workshop - but nobody wants to give them away, lol! They ARE darling, and look great on the kitchen counter :-) I hope you like this little treat, and find some time to make some of your own handmade gifts this year - they are always the most well received! Who wouldn't want to receive something as totally cuts as this?? *wink* I will be making several more handmade gifts this week as I get things ready for my husband's staff and our friends. If you like the items that were used on this project, you can purchase them in my online store or contact me and I will be happy to take your order! Now, I am off to get my many errands done so I can come home and play in my stamp room - yippee!!! Have a wonderful day and check back tomorrow for another gift idea that you are going to love!!
Jar Recipe:
Paper - Real Red, Baha Breeze, Naturals White card stock
Inks - Real Red classic ink
Stamps - Sweet Season
Tools - Big Shot, Scallop Circle Bigz Die, Two Tags Die, Wide Oval punch, Designer Label punch, Red Sticky Tape, Scallop Circle punch, 1 3/8 inch Circle punch
Accessories - Holly Berry Bouquet buttons, Baha Breeze seam binding ribbon, Whisper White twine, Candy Cane Christmas fabric

HO HO HO WALL DECOR

2011-12-06T07:35:00.001-08:00

Good morning Stampers!!! WOW!! Another VERY busy week and weekend as I had five events that I had to prep and teach! It was a whole lot of fun though!!! One of my really big events for the holiday season was this past Saturday when I held my annual Santa's Workshop where we did four great holiday gifts!! We had a BLAST!!! The ladies loved the projects, which of course made ME happy, and I was thrilled to see them enjoying the day! Lots of laughing, holiday snacks, and delicious hot cider! I have the BEST friends - thanks to my good friend Shelly who owns a local nursery in the area, we had a wonderful space to hold our class - it was soooo much fun!!! I want to share the projects with you this week starting with the HO HO HO wall hanging we made! This is sooo super cute and I have mine already hung up with the rest of my Christmas decorations, lol! It was hard to get a good picture of the whole thing so I did the best I could - I will share with you each square separately so you can see how we put this together! We used lots of fun and festive holiday products so everyone got to play and explore fun options! The three squares are made of chipboard and then covered with Letters to Santa Designer series paper, both of which were cut on the Big Shot using the Scallop Square die. We attached all three squares to some Cherry Cobbler wide grosgrain ribbon, making a looped handle at the top, which is secured with an antique brad with a pretty snowflake on top. The snowflake was made using our fabulous silver glitter paper and the Snowflake punch (I will say that punching out the silver glimmer paper with a punch was a challenge - you need to do it slowly and definitely one at a time, but totally worth it as you can see!)

Here is the first square! Sorry for the pic being a bit blurry - I don't know what is wrong with my picture taking abilities lately :-( Each one of the squares has a solid Old Olive square that is cut out using the Square Die for the Big Shot, rounding the corners with the Corner Rounder punch. We then stamped on this square in Cherry Cobbler ink with the fun stamp set called Merry and Type. Such a cute stamp set, love it! The letters were cut out using the Serif Essentials large letter dies for the Big Shot, using both Chipboard and the Silver Glitter paper. It gives the whole hanging a wonderful dimensional look without adding a ton of bulk to it. I did not want it to be too heavy as it does need to hang up and then fold away nicely to be used again and again! That pretty felt wreath is from our Felt Flurries pack that can be found in the Holiday mini - you get a lot of bang for your buck with this package since you get sooo many of each fun little holiday embellishment!

This is the second square on the hanging, which as the same solid square as the first one, along with the same letters for the sentiment! The stamp set that we used on this one is called Snow Much Fun and I have to say I thoroughly enjoy stamping with this fun set - the two snowman images totally make me smile! There is a short, fat snowman in this set as well, and the sentiments are just as cute as can be! For this square, we used the tall snowman and his birdie friends as well as the little snowball with the birdie on it - aren't they adorable?? They are both stamped in Cherry Cobbler ink as well. The holly leaves and the sweet little mittens are more of the cute felt flurries embellishments from the package - those mittens are just sooooo stinkin' cute! They actually come attached with a piece of string between them, just like we all had when we were little, lol! We just cut them off for this project, but they look just as cute strung together!

This is the third and final square on the hanging, again with the same solid square and the pretty lettering. The stamp is from the Merry and Type stamp set and is actually a pretty large stamp - we could not even get the whole stamp on here, cutting off some of the strings hanging down with the ornaments! I love this stamp, I think it is bold and really catches the eye! It is also stamped in Cherry Cobbler ink. We used even more of the felt flurries embellishments, adding in the really fun snowflake this time - I just love these!!! This was such a fun project to put together, and many of the ladies who attended told me this was their favorite of the four that we did! I have to say, I had a ton of fun designing this one too :-) If you would like to order any of the products you see here, you can order them in my online store or you can contact me directly, and I would be happy to place your order for you! Or, if you would like to book a workshop and make your very own fun projects with your friends, contact me and let's get you all set up! Now I am off to finish prepping for my fun workshop later on this afternoon - I hope all of you can find time to stamp in this busy time of year, I believe it is so good for the soul, and much cheaper than paying for therapy, lol!! Have a wonderful day, and I will be back tomorrow to share some super cute tree ornament gift card holders!

Wall Hanging Recipe:

Paper - Old Olive card stock, Letters to Santa Designer Series paper, Silver Glitter paper

Inks - Cherry Cobbler classic ink

Stamps - Merry and Type, Snow Much Fun

Tools - Big Shot, Serif Essentials Large Letter Dies, Scallop Square Die, Square Die, Sticky Tape

Accessories - Cherry Cobbler wide grosgrain ribbon, Felt Flurries embellishments

TIME FOR THE CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN!

2011-11-30T09:19:00.001-08:00

Happy Hump Day stampers!!! Yes, I know it has been awhile, but I had some personal family health issues to focus on as my family is always my priority! Although we still are dealing with what lies ahead, and know it is going to be a VERY long and bumpy road, we are going to walk it together!!! So, I though it was time to get back into some semblance of a normal routine (do we EVER have that??) and share something crafty!! I want to share with you the Christmas Advent Wreath I made and then turned into a class - I did three sessions and each session was really fun!! And, we all left with a great decoration too! I did all the cutting and the sticky tape ahead of time so they could put it together and decorate it - the fun parts, lol! We started out with a flat wooden circle that I ordered from an online supply store as I wanted the wreath to have a really sturdy base. We wrapped that in Cherry Cobbler wide striped ribbon, leaving enough to make the hanger you see in the picture. So, from the back side, you don't see ugly wood, you see pretty ribbon :-) We then cut out a circle that fit the back side of wreath - we used the cardboard from the paper packs since you can't see it. Then, we covered that with the Cherry Cobbler card stock circle you see in the center - both are attached using hot glue since we never want it to come off, lol!! The 24 boxes you see are made with the matchbox die for the Big Shot and the base is made of Cherry Cobbler card stock to ensure they are nice and sturdy for many years to come! The lids are made of patterned paper from the Letters to Santa Designer Series paper pack - such beautiful paper!! The bottom twelve boxes are sticky taped to the circle first, creating the base for the top ones. They are placed out diagonally around the circle in order to keep the circle shape since as you go around the circle, the angles change quite a bit - this was tricky, but everyone got it :-) The top boxes then were staggered in between every two of the top boxes, creating that awesome wreath look! Each of the top boxes have an Old Olive Ornament that was punched out with the Ornament punch and adhered to the box. The numbers on the box were cut out using the Medium Sizzlets alphabet for the Big Shot, and were cut using the Silver Glimmer Paper - looks amazing, all sparkly!!! Then, the ornaments were each adorned with tiny bows using some of the yummy Cherry Cobbler Quilted ribbon. The numbers for the bottom boxes are on the inside of the wreath and correspond with each box, making sure 13 started to the right of box 12, keeping the sequence going. In the very center of the wreath, there is a Scalloped Circle of the Letters to Santa DSP that was cut on the Big Shot. A Whisper White circle was also die cut and nested in the center after it was stamped using the Christmas Postcard A la Carte stamp. It was stamped in Stazon, then colored in with Stampin' Write markers. For some fun accents, we added a snowflake and some of the holly leaves out of the super cute Stitched Felt package you can find in the Holiday Mini, along with the Holly Berry Bunch button we used in the center of the snowflake! To finish it off, we put Rhinestones on every other scallop, and added some Dazzling Details to the stamped image, making the whole project sparkle!! Everyone loved how it turned out - including me!! I am thrilled with this wreath and can't wait to start using it tomorrow :-)

Here are some closer shots of the wreath as well as showing how the drawers open to put the treat inside! I hope you enjoyed seeing this as much as I enjoyed designing it! I think made from the heart decor is the best kind, don't you?? I have made several home decor items this year that I will share with you over the next few weeks as we count down the days until Santa comes!! Christmas is my very favorite time of year, and I am so very excited as my oldest son will be coming home for the holidays as he transfers to Southern California for his first Marine Corps duty station. Yes, my baby is all grown up!! I still can't wait to hug his neck though, lol!!! I will be back tomorrow with some other super fun and cute projects to share, but until then, take some time to be creative, it makes for a better day!! Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Wreath Recipe:
Paper - Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Whisper White cardstock, Letters to Santa Designer Series paper, Silver Glimmer Paper
Inks - Black Stazon, Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Marina Mist, River Rock Stampin' Write markers
Stamps - Christmas Postcard
Tools - Medium Sizzlets Alphabet, Scalloped Circle die, Clear Circle die, Matchbox die, Big Shot, Ornament Punch, Sticky Tape, hot glue gun
Accessories - Basic Rhinestones, Cherry Cobbler Wide Striped Ribbon and Quilted Ribbon, Stitched Felt, Hollyberry buttons, Dazzling Details

FAMILY EMERGENCIES MAKE FOR NO BLOG TIME

2011-11-21T10:22:00.001-08:00

Hello my stamping friends!! I realize it has been three long weeks since I have blogged, but our family has been double and triple whammied with some serious medical and personal tragedies that have had all my focus and energies. It is always hard to know that someone is hurting, but when they are your family, it makes it even harder. I hope that all of you will keep us in your prayers and thoughts because we will need them!!! We have quite the road ahead of us. Out of respect for my family members, I don't want to go into too much detail, just know we are working through all of this at a very difficult time. Thanks for sticking by me - I hope to share something fun tomorrow as I have several things I have not had time to share with you that I would like to over the next few days!

HOSTESS APPRECIATION PARTY - FUN!!!

2011-11-01T09:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Tuesday stampin' friends!!! WHEW! It was a hugely busy weekend since I had my Hostess Appreciation Event on Saturday!! It was a lot of work, but it was really worth it because I think everyone had a good time!! I wanted to share the make n' takes with you today as well as some pics of the decorations and such! So, grab a cup of coffee, and enjoy!! This first card is one of two make 'n takes that we did! The theme throughout the whole event was the Big Top Suite using all the fun papers in that collection and the Sweets for the Sweet stamp set as well as the Up, Up, and Away stamp set. This one features the former and is just too too fun! Sorry for the bad pic - not sure what is going on there, but my camera has been acting wonky lately!! The background of the card is embossed using the Polka Dots embossing folder, and I just love how it looks with those bold, bright colors! The pinwheels are stamped twice - once on the card, and then once on another piece of card stock, then cut out and popped up on dimensionals. The two candy pieces are also up on dimensionals and all four items have the liquid diamonds on them so they are nice and glittery IRL!

This second card is a gate fold card, again using the Big Top Suite, although the sentiment is from the Happy Greetings Stamp set. The small candy was stamped and punched out using the 1 inch circle punch, and the sentiment was stamped on Whisper White card stock, and then punched out with the 2 3/8 inch Scallop Circle punch, then layered on a 2 1/2 inch circle of Real Red card stock. We added some rhinestones underneath the sentiment and again added some Liquid Diamonds to the candy piece so there is lots of glittery fun on the front of this card!

The inside of this card is really fun, with the balloons from the Up, Up, and Away stamp set floating away into the clouds! I was not sure I was
going to use this stamp set much, but I find myself using it for lots of different occasions, it really is very versatile and definitely fun to play with, lol! It's a great card that can be used for all kinds of occasions, so I made a couple for my card stash - you never know when you are going to need that quick card, right?? *wink* These next pictures are just some of the fun decorations I made to spruce up the room we were using since it was at the back of the local pizzeria and has tons of sports decor - nice, but not really what I was going for, lol! I kept true to the theme, using the Big Top Suite! I am not going to address each and every decoration so if you have any questions about anything, you can just email me and I will be happy to answer them :-)

This was the food and drink table - it didn't look so empty once the pizzas were brought in, lol! I made a cute banner that says thank you, and then each water bottle had some flavor of Crystal Light to add. I also made some fun cupcakes because I think every party should have cupcakes, don't you?? Here are some better shots of each of these items so you have a better idea of the decorations and how they were put together! I tried to make it personal and fun since these special ladies hostessed for me all last year

and introduced me to lots of local ladies who have since become my friends and fellow stampers!!! Which is why I totally love my job - I get to meet wonderful people like these ladies!! Out of the 27 ladies I invited, 15 of them came, so I was thrilled to see them! I wish they all could have been there, but that just does not seem to happen with everyone's busy schedules these days!! They all know how much I appreciate them though - I make sure of it!! Aren't the little pennants cute on the cupcakes? I had such fun making those!! And, the water bottle holders were perfect to keep the little Crystal Light packets in and they brightened up the room as well! Many of the ladies actually kept the holders so I know they enjoyed them as well. There were lots of different flavors to choose from but I discovered that I really like the Green Tea Raspberry something I never thought I would drink - who knew?? LOL - it's very rare I try something new *wink* I also made each of them a little goodie bag full of different embellishments as well as some 3x3 cards and envies and their own sponges!! For some reason, these silly things are so popular with them that I thought it would be fun to give them each their own and the loved them - a couple of the ladies actually squealed - over a sponge - I know, right??!! In addition to the goodie bags, I also made them each a treat box filled with an assortment of Hershey's kisses - they even have cookies and cream now! Aren't they cute with those pinwheels? I had the best time making those although by box 20 I was done, lol!

Here are some fun pics of the ladies eating, doing their make n' takes and playing some of the games - we had bingo, word search, stamping scavenger hunt, and stamping unscramble, and they all competed for prizes of current product!

It was funny to watch them get all competitive in bingo, and then frustrated over the word unscramble - they had a hard time with Crop-a-Dile, lol!! There was a lot of laughter too though, and that made me smile - I really wanted them all to have a good time, after all, it was for them!!

Dawn was one of my very first hostesses after moving to Northren California and we have become great friends! Her group of friends actually formed a scrap club that lasted a year, and it was a really fun time! She is super talented and creative, and enjoys stamping! Here she is holding up her make 'n take - what a ham, lol! Katie is also a real sweetie, and I had the added pleasure of also having her mom Kim there as well - I love to stamp with these ladies, they are amazing! I adore them, as well as the regulars that stamp with them - I always leave a workshop with them feeling really good and happy because they are some of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure to meet! Here is a pic of Katie with her new sister in law to be Barushka - I am sure I butchered the spelling of her name, but hey, I tried, lol!!! She is a sweetie, and just discovered the joys of stamping, and, judging from all the wedding favors they have been making, she is quite the natural!

Katie is also quite the competitor, you can see here how hard she is concentrating at bingo, lol! She was one of the finalists in the three rounds, so she got to go home with some fun goodies!! All in all, I thought it was a really fun day and I thoroughly enjoyed spoiling them because without them, my business would not be a business at all!! I hope to see many of them again this stamping year as hostesses and again next year at the Diva Event!!! I will leave the recipe for the cards so that you can know the products used, and again, if you have any questions, just let me know!!! If this looks fun to you, and you would like to come to my next Hostess Appreciation Event, contact me and let's get your workshop set up! I promise you it will be a lot of fun, and your friends will really enjoy the creating, the products, and ME :-) Plus, I would love to come and stamp with you - I am always up for a girls' night out *wink* Have a wonderful day and I will be back tomorrow (hopefully with clearer pics if I can figure out what is wrong with my camera) with another couple of fun projects I made this past week! Until then, take some time to be creative!!

Card One Recipe:

Paper - Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight card stock, Big Top Birthday designer series paper

Inks - Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Peach Parfait classic inks

Stamps - Sweets for the Sweet

Tools - Big Shot, Polka Dots embossing folder, Modern Label punch, 1 inch circle punch, dimensionals, sponge

Accessories - Dazzling Details liquid

Card Two Recipe:

Paper - Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Whisper White card stock, Big Top Birthday designer series paper

Inks - Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Peach Parfait, Bashful Blue, Real Red classic inks and stampin' write markers
Stamps - Sweets for the Sweet, Up, Up, and Away, Happy Greetings
Tools - 2 1/2 inch circle punch, 2 3/8 Scallop circle punch, 1 inch circle punch
Accessories - Basic Rhinestones, Dazzling Details liquid

A LITTLE BIT OF FALL

2011-10-28T08:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday all!!! Man, this has been one busy week and I am not done yet, lol! Tomorrow is my big Hostess Appreciation Event so I am madly stamping fun goodies and creating goodies bags for all the special ladies who hosted a workshop for me last stamping year!!! I am so excited to see them all tomorrow - I am going to spoil them rotten, lol! I will share all the fun things I made on Monday, but today I am going to share another workshop card that really has fall written all over it! We used one of my favorite fall sets for this card called Day of Gratitude - it truly is beautiful! I just love the big Medallion, and all the fall leaves and acorns and such are wonderful accent stamps that make this set so versatile! We paired this set with the yummy Spice Cake Designer Series paper and I think I can truly say that I have gotten my money's worth from this set, lol! It is such pretty paper, and the colors are fabulous!! I would NEVER have thought Pool Party was a fall color, but here it is as the base and accent color and it looks great!!! We stamped the base with the leaf stamp in Pool Party ink as well to add some texture. The patterned paper is punched using the Eyelet Border punch on both sides and then layered on some Soft Suede card stock. The main image is stamped in Soft Suede ink on Very Vanilla card stock, then softly sponged with More Mustard ink and mounted on More Mustard card stock. And of course, we had to add a cute little button right in the center - I love those little flower buttons, they give just the right touch to almost every project! See that pretty ribbon? That is the fabulous Soft Suede taffeta ribbon - I love EVERY color of this ribbon, I swear it's the prettiest ribbon we have, I just love it!!! The sentiment is stamped in More Mustard, punched out with the Large Oval Punch, and then mounted on some Soft Suede card stock that is punched out with the Designer Label punch. Then, the whole thing is popped up on dimensionals!! Isn't it a pretty card? I love the colors, and the images - this card must makes me happy! We had tons of fun making this, and the ladies at the workshop were also amazed at how well these colors blend together for a great fall look! If you love these products and want some of your own, you can order them all in my online store, or you can contact me and I will be happy to take your order for you! I am going to spend the rest of the day madly stamping in my studio getting ready for tomorrow's event! I hope you all have a fabulous weekend, and try and take some time to be creative!!!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Pool Party, Soft Suede, More Mustard, Very Vanilla card stock, Spice Cake Designer Series Paper
Inks - More Mustard, Soft Suede, Pool Party classic inks
Stamps - Day of Gratitude Stamp set
Tools - Eyelet Border punch, Designer Label punch, Large Oval punch, dimensionals, sponge
Accessories - Designer buttons, Soft Suede Taffeta ribbon

THE FRAME THAT WASN'T

2011-10-25T16:37:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Well, I promised you all yesterday that I would show you the frame I made for Tony's Grandma BUT I got it all finished, proudly showed it to my husband, and promptly packaged it all up in the shipping box and FORGOT TO TAKE THE PICTURE!!! LOL - sometimes I wonder where my head is :-) So, instead of the frame, I have a workshop card to share that I did with my workshop gals last week! It was quite the crowd with 16 of them all packed around three tables - I could have used more of ME, heeehee! We had a great time though, there was lots of laughing, and everyone enjoyed the projects which is ALWAYS my goal! I have been doing so much stamping of holiday stuff that I decided to make a project that had nothing to do with the season, lol! This card uses two separate stamp sets: one is a hostess set called Precious Butterflies and I absolutely love it! The other is the Creative Elements stamp set, which we used to stamp on the patterned paper itself. The base of this card is Poppy Parade card stock, and the patterned paper comes from the First Edition Specialty Collection - Yummy! We punched along the edge using the Eyelet Border punch, and then sponged the edges with Early Espresso ink. The images are stamped on Naturals Ivory in Poppy Parade and Daffodil Delight inks, then backed with some Not Quite Navy card stock. The sentiment is stamped on Daffodil Delight card stock in Not Quite Navy ink, then punched out using the Large Oval punch, and popped up on dimensionals. We tore the edge of the patterned paper (some of them had a tough time with this, they thought it was too pretty, lol) then added a small Navy designer button. Last, we used some of the Daffodil Delight Taffeta ribbon across the top of the card, and it looks so pretty!! Love that ribbon, and in every color too :-) A simple but pretty card that is perfect for workshops! I hope you like it too!! If you like the products you see here, you can purchase them in my online store OR contact me and I am happy to take your order! Don't forget the Precious Butterflies set is a hostess only purchase so if you are in love with this one (I am!) then give me a call and let's get your workshop booked! I will leave you the recipe, and then I am off to make some more pretties for my Hostess Appreciation event this weekend - can't wait to spoil those ladies :-) I hope your day is fabulous and you take some time to create something!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Poppy Parade, Not Quite Navy, Naturals Ivory, Daffodil Delight card stock, First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper
Inks - Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight, Not Quite Navy classic inks
Stamps - Precious Butterflies (hostess set), Creative Elements
Tools - Eyelet Border punch, Large Oval punch, sponge, dimensionals
Accessories - Daffodil Delight Taffeta Ribbon, Designer Buttons

SUPER CUTE MINI BOOK

2011-10-24T11:56:00.000-07:00

Hi stampers!! I hope someone is reading this, I know I took quite the hiatus!! I was battling quite a bad sinus infection which ended up going into my chest and caused me all kinds of grief! And, just when I was getting over that, I caught a bad head cold that I am currently at the end of - sheesh!!! So, I am back on track and have TONS to show you this week!!! Today I want to share a cute mini book I made for one of my husband's staff that is leaving for a new job. He wanted something they could all sign and then add pictures to from her going away party so this is what I came up with! I got to attend the party as well and she loved the book, which made me happy :-) I have several pages to show you so what I will do is list the main products that I used as I show you the pages. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to email me, and I will do my very best to answer them! This first pic is of the cover - it's an accordion album so it is held together by the Daffodil Delight wide striped grosgrain ribbon on the side. I used Pacific Point card stock as my base for the whole album, and the patterned paper is all from the Beyond the Garden Designer Series paper collection. I used several stamp sets in this album; the ones on the front cover come from the BFF stamp set, and the Friends Never Fade stamp set. Although you can't tell from the pic, I sprayed the accordion flower with Frost White Shimmerz - looks so pretty IRL!

In this mini I tried to keep a similar theme going for all the pages as there are some on the front AND back pages of this book. So, I am going to show you the front pages as I repeated the themes from the front onto the back. These first two pages show how I did the pockets and tags for them all to sign and leave little notes, and then there are places for pictures as well! I used the Kindness Matters stamp set, and the Just Believe stamp set for the images and the borders on these pages. I also used the Triple Layer flower punch, I just love that! The ribbon is the yummy Tangerine Tango Scalloped Polka Dot ribbon, which you will see throughout the book. The border on the pocket was made with the Eyelet Border punch, one of my favorites that I tend to reach for over and over. There are some blingy items on this page as well - I used some of the Antique brads as well as some rhinestones and pearls - a girl has got to have bling, right??

These two pages have lots of room for journaling and also for pictures. I used my Scallop Circle die on my Big Shot to create the pull-out from the right page, which can hold two pics all on it's own. The stamp sets on the right hand page are from the Vintage Vogue stamp set. As you can see, the pocket on the left side is a repeat pocket - I did these all the same throughout the mini and it looks great! It gave a lot of continuity to the book, and the other pages really added the pop to the book with all their different elements!

These two pages are once again showing two pocket pages, one of which should look familiar *wink* The right side is another pocket similar to the last one, but with different images. These come from the Friends Never Fade stamp set, a great set that can be used for many, many different occasions! The Eyelet Border punch was used along the diagonal of the pocket as it was on the last page I showed you!

These are the last two pages of the book, and they are primarily for placing pictures. Lots of stamping going on here as well! The butterflies are from the Kindness Matters stamp set - I just stamped them on Whisper White card stock, cut them out, and then placed some rhinestones down the center of them. I also used the Just Believe stamp set on the left page, adding some cute little pink flowers punched out with my Bitty punch. And of course, I added some pearls :-) The outline of the Scalloped Square shape is left from the Scalloped Square you see on the front of the album cover - I hate to let it go to waste so I used it here. Another stamp set used on the right page is called My Friend, and it is one of the first stamp sets I purchased from this catalog, I just love it! Lots of fun images to play with :-) So, there you have all the pages (some I did not show as they are duplicates of ones you see here) of the cute mini I made for a going away gift! This is the best part of being a scrapper and stamper, that I get the chance to make these handmade gift items for people - I just love how much they appreciate them - much better than a sweater, don't you think??!! Although, I tend to give both, lol! If you like any of these items you see here, you can purchase them in my online store, or contact me and I will be happy to take your order. I hope the pictures are clear enough for you to see, there was not the best light when I took them, and well, I don't have the book anymore to get better ones, lol! I will be back tomorrow with a frame that I made for my husband's grandma who turned 86 yesterday! Yep, another handmade gift item :-) Until then, I hope you have a wonderful Monday, and take time to stamp something!

A LITTLE SNEAKY PEEK :-)

2011-10-12T09:23:00.000-07:00

Hi all!!! I hope you are having a fabulous week - I can't believe it's already Wednesday, this week is flying by! I have been super busy getting ready for yet another craft show, class, and workshop this weekend! And, I am still fighting this awful sinus infection, although I am hoping I am on the downhill side of it now. Sheesh - three rounds of antibiotics and it's STILL here! I don't have time to be sick, lol! I have a super cute Halloween mini book class on Friday night (if you are local and want to attend, I still have a few seats left) and so I thought I would give you a peek at the cover - I can't show you all the pages until after the class since they paid for it :-) I used the Pick Your Poison Designer Series Paper and the Piece of Poison stamp set from the Holiday mini - both are so much fun!! It's a 6x6 mini chipboard book, and has twelve pages chock full of fun images, embellies, and of course places to put those special Halloween pictures! It is held together by metal rings decorated with lots and lots of our ribbon(not shown here). There are four images featured here from the stamp set including the title. The spiderweb is stamped in Basic Gray classic ink and the spider is stamped over top of it in Black Stazon on Naturals Ivory card stock. That fun accordion flower was super easy to make using my Simply Scored, which you can also find in the Holiday mini. If you don't have this tool, you NEED one - it is soooo fabulous and opens up a whole new way of doing all your scoring quickly, and accurately! The skeleton is stamped in Black Stazon on Peach Parfait card stock that was distressed using my distresser tool, then sponged with black ink. The title is stamped in Black Stazon on Naturals Ivory card stock that has been sponged with Peach Parfait classic ink. And, you know me and my pennants, I had to do it again, lol! It is mounted on dimensionals so give some added depth to the cover. The ribbon is Peach Parfait twill ribbon - love it!!! So, this is just the cover - imagine what is on the inside!! *wink* Once I have held the class, I will show you all the fun pages inside :-) If you NEED any of these products featured here (and you know you do heeheee!) you can purchase them in my online store or contact me and I will be happy to place the order for you! And remember, you can still take this class if you are local, just give me a shout and I will reserve you a spot! Today is laundry day so I will be doing some fun crafty projects in between folding and putting away, lol! Have a wonderful day and make sure you take some time to be creative, it's good for the heart :-)
Cover Recipe:
Paper Peach Parfait, Naturals Ivory card stock, Pick Your Poison Designer Series paper
Inks - Black Stazon, Basic Gray, Peach Parfait classic inks
Stamps - Piece of Poison
Tools - Simply Scored, Distresser Tool, 1 1/4 inch and 1 3/8 inch circle punches, dimensionals, sponge
Accessories - Peach Parfait Twill ribbon

PRETTY NETTING

2011-10-04T09:06:00.000-07:00

Good morning all!!! Well, it's not such a great morning for me - seems I have a nasty sinus infection, probably from all the extreme changes we have had in the weather lately. It went from 93 one day to 60 the next, back up to the 100s and now below 60 again - I mean, really??? No wonder everyone is sick :-( However, I have so much to do that I can't let it keep me down, so I will be off to see the man with the good stuff later on today, lol!! In the meantime, I thought I would share my second swap card with you! I was signed up to do the Netting background stamp, but since it IS a background stamp, I used other sets on here too :-) I wanted a nice, bright, and cheery card so I went with Tangerine Tango card stock for the base, with some Daffodil Delight and Pacific Point accent papers, and I love it!! The Netting stamp is done with Tangerine Tango classic ink on Whisper White card stock to make it really pop! Then, I used the flourishes from the BFF stamp set - such a fun stamp set, I can't believe it took me this long to ink it up! Doesn't it look like a patterned paper?? I love making my own, so fun!! The main images and the sentiment are from the Hostess stamp set Precious Butterflies - Looooove it!! I stamped them on Whisper White card stock, and then softly sponged Pacific Point ink over the top. I backed the image with a Scallop Circle that I cut out on my Big Shot. The sentiment is stamped on Wild Wasabi card stock, then punched out using the Decorative Label punch, and popped up on dimensionals over a piece of Old Olive thin grosgrain ribbon. I was worried that it would look funny mixing the greens, but nope, looks great!! I again kept it simple since I needed to make so many of these, but I think it turned out pretty, and I hope my swap group likes it too *wink* If you like any of the products I used here, you can purchase them all for yourself in my online store! Or, if you would rather, you can contact me and I will be happy to place the order for you :-) Now, I am off to get ready for the doctor, ugghhhh!! I hope you all have a fabulous day, and take time to be creative!! See ya manana!!!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Pacific Point, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White card stock
Inks - Old Olive, Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango classic inks
Stamps - Netting background stamp, BFF, Precious Butterflies(hostess set)
Tools - Big Shot, Scallop Circle Die, 3 1/2 inch Circle Die, Designer Label punch, Dimensionals, Sponge
Accessories - Old Olive thin grosgrain ribbon

IT'S A SWAP!

2011-10-03T08:35:00.000-07:00

Good Monday morning stampers!! I hope you had a fabulous weekend! Mine was extremely busy with the Card Buffet and a workshop - whew!! I don't think I really had time to register it was the weekend, lol! And, it's now October - can you believe it??!! I can't - the months are flying by :-) Pretty soon it will be....oh, never mind - I don't want to go there, LOL!!! One of the things I love to do is swap - it gives me samples of some wonderful cards with different styles and great techniques that I may not have done in awhile or may be new to me. I recently participated in a swap where we had to sign up for a certain catalog set and we would then get different set samples back! Since the swap is now closed and sent back, I can share one of the sets (I did two) that I chose with you today! The set I chose was Established Elegance because I love the vintage look and feel to this set, and wanted an excuse to try out the typewriter, heehee! The base of this card is Soft Suede card stock and I paired it with the beautiful Beau Chateau Designer Series paper -isn't it yummy??! I kept the card fairly simple because I needed 20 of them, but still wanted that WOW! factor :-) I stamped the typewriter in Soft Suede classic ink on Naturals Ivory card stock and then I cut it out. I then popped it up on dimensionals over a square of the same card stock that I stamped with several of the other images in this set using Blushing Bride classic ink. I inked the edges in Soft Suede ink, rounded the corners, and then adhered the whole thing to a Scalloped Square that I cut out on my Big Shot(did you know you can get one of these FREE??). I also folded down one of the corners and added a vintage brad, and stamped another one of the beautiful images in the corner using Soft Suede ink. I then decided to stamp my sentiment (from the Petite Pairs stamp set) on another piece of Naturals Ivory and roll it like a scroll coming out of the typewrite - cute, right?? Lastly, I added some Victorian Lace ribbon and the card was done! Like I said, simple - but still very pretty, don't you think?? I hope the swap ladies like it :-) I had fun making it, I love to design cards just because! I have another swap card since I signed up for two, and I will share that one tomorrow :-) If you like the products you seen here, you can order them in my online store, or contact me and I will be happy to take your order for you! Also, don't forget about all our wonderful specials this month - click here and you can see them all in one place :-) Now, I am off to work on some of my craft fair projects and some workshop items - very busy day here in the Hobson stamp studio, lol!! I hope you all have a wonderful day, and I will be back tomorrow, promise!! In the meantime, I hope you take the time to be creative, it does the heart good!!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Soft Suede, Blushing Bride, Naturals Ivory card stock, Beau Chateau designer series paper
Inks- Soft Suede, Blushing Bride classic inks
Stamps - Established Elegance, Petite Pairs (sentiment)
Tools - Big Shot, Scallop Squares Duo Die, Corner Rounder, Ticket Corner Punch, dimensionals, sponge
Accessories - Victorian Lace, Vintage brads

WANT A FREE BIG SHOT OR A $100 SHOPPING SPREE??!!

2011-10-02T11:07:00.000-07:00

Happy October everyone!!! YAY! It has finally started cooling down here in Northern Cali - 70s in the forecast all week here - whoohooo!!! I had a wonderful day yesterday celebrating World Card Making Day by hosting a Card Buffet where there were all sorts of different cards to stamp for a $1 per card - it was sooo much fun!! Lots of people came, and there was lots of laughter, stamping, and just a great time!! This past week has been CRAZY busy, and I have been fighting a pretty bad sinus infection BUT I wanted to let you know today of the exciting news from Stampin' Up! This month - it is AMAZING!!!! Check out these specials - they are going to blow your mind :-) See that picture above?? Yep, it's true - a FREE BIG SHOT, WHOOHOOOO!!! Here are all the details:

From October 1st-31st anyone who signs up to be a demonstrator will have their choice of a FREE BIG SHOT OR A $100 SHOPPING SPREE - YOUR CHOICE!!!! WHOOHOOO!!! - ISN'T THAT AMAZING!!!! In addition, the new-demonstrator starter kit (an amazing deal for only $175) contains $310 worth of stamp sets, card stock, ink, accessories, and all the business supplies you need to get started!!! And, if you want to customize this kit so that you get the stamps YOU want, the inks YOU want, etc. you can also do that!

SO, ARE YOU READY FOR YOUR FREE BIG SHOT??!!! Simply click here and you are on your way to an unlimited amount of creativity, a wonderful new family of stampers, and FUN!!! But hurry, this offer is only good until October 31st, and just like all the witches, warlocks, ghosts, and bats they will be gone :-) AS AN ADDED BONUS, IF YOU JOIN MY TEAM DURING THIS PROMOTION, YOU WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO JOIN MY NEW RECRUIT BIG SHOT CLUB!! You will learn all kinds of wonderfully fun ways of using your Big Shot so YOU can get the most out of your new toy :-)

If you have any questions or want to know more about being a demonstrator, please don't hesitate to contact me! You can email me or call me at (530)589-6900 - I am happy to chat with you about how wonderful it is to be a demonstrator :-)

Have a wonderful Sunday!!

MORE CHOCOLATE FUN!

2011-09-26T10:15:00.000-07:00

Good Monday morning!! Well, so far so good, lol!!! I had a wonderful weekend although no crafting time BUT I think sometimes it's good to step away and do some other fun things like SHOPPING :-) Although I did some crafty shopping, heehee!!! Got some frames for Christmas presents - now just to get them done :-) Hopefully I will be able to share some of those soon! Today I am going to share another one of our chocolately projects we did in Chicks and Chocolate class last week! This is a cute little candy holder that has a cello bag full of treats inside! The base of this project is Concord Crush card stock and I have decided this is a PERFECT color for Halloween projects, lol! I love it paired with the Daffodil Delight card stock as it is here! The flap of the holder is border punched with the Scallop border punch, and then Daffodil Delight grosgrain ribbon is threaded through the entire holder to keep it closed. As you can see, there are several layers on the front, including a piece of very fun patterned paper from the Frightful Sight Designer Series paper pack. It has bats all over it with spider webs, super cute!! The image is stamped on a 3 inch circle cut on the Big Shot and nests inside a 31/2 Concord Crush circle also cut on the Big Shot. The image itself is stamped in Black Stazon and is from the House of Haunts stamp set - one of my favorite Halloween sets! The sentiment and bats are from the Wicked Cool stamp set, and pairs perfectly with the house! It is stamped on Daffodil Delight card stock, then punched out with the Modern Label punch.

The real fun part of this little holder is the inside - that's where the chocolate is!! Well, it is if your teenagers don't see the chocolate - no more in there now, LOL!! This is a side view of the holder so you can see how it holds the treats. There is a medium cello bag secured inside the holder with red sticky tape, and because the cello bag has a resealable flap, this little treat can be refilled again and again (well, if you want *wink*) It actually holds quite a bit of candy and could hold a couple of mini chocolate bars, lots of m&ms, and of course the hershey kisses you see here! This is a wonderful little treat holder that makes a great gift for your kiddos or your sweetheart - I plan on making a bunch of these for Tony to take to work and hand out to some of his staff members. Well, I didn't REALLY plan on it, he begged me to do it, heehee!! I can't resist that man so yes, I will do that for him! He only needs FORTY of them, ROFL!!! It will be fun to do and I can play around with different images and such!! I hope you like this cute little treat holder! If you like the products you see here, you can order them in my online store, or you can contact me and I will be happy to take your order for you! I will be holding another Chicks and Chocolate class for Christmas treats as well, so if you would like to make these fun holders with me and some other stampy friends, watch the calendar for the class listing :-) Now, I am off to the post office to mail out some cards to friends (love to send handmade cards) and get ready for the week! Have a wonderful day, and I hope you take some time to create something!! I will be back tomorrow with the last two chocolate treat holders! Until then, happy stampin'!
Treat Holder Recipe:
Paper - Concord Crush, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White card stock, Frightful Sight Designer Series paper
Inks - Black Stazon, Daffodil Delight stampin' write marker, Concord Crush classic ink
Stamps - House of Haunts, Wicked Cool
Tools - Simply Scored, Big Shot, 3 and 31/2 inch circle dies, Scallop border punch, Modern Label border punch, Crop-o-Dile, Red Sticky Tape
Accessories - Cello bag, Daffodil Delight grosgrain ribbon

CHICKS AND CHOCOLATE FUN!

2011-09-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!!! YAY!! I love Friday - it means I get to see more of my husband, lol! Not so much with the teenagers, they always seem to have a PACKED schedule and this weekend is no exception, lol! Although I don't get to spend much time with any of them this weekend as my son and my husband are playing in a golf tournament that starts tonight and ends Sunday night...but, I am glad they have that time together :-) As for my daughter, between football games, sleepovers, and festivals, she is gone all weekend, lol! I don't have any classes or anything scheduled this weekend, so I am looking forward to a little "me" time! However, my week was full of fun events, which is why the lack of posting this week, heehee! Last night was my Chicks and Chocolate class so I thought it would be fun to share a few of the projects we did! We made a total of four projects all involving chocolate - always fun, right??!! Combining stamping and chocolate is one of my absolute favorite things to do :-) The first one was a really big hit with all the ladies - they kept playing with them, lol! It is a Halloween slider card made with a standard sized Hershey bar!!!! It was hard to get a good picture of this for some reason so I apologize for that BUT you can still get the gist of this project :-) The base of this cute little holder is Basic Black card stock, and we used a few different Halloween sets for the stamping! The bats and the spider web are from the Wicked Cool stamp set and is one of my faves because it has such fun, cute images like these! The spider web is stamped in Basic Gray ink and the bats are in Stazon ink. We used Naturals White card stock to stamp on, and sponged the edges with Peach Parfait classic ink. The spider is from a set called Batty For You, and it is one I used every year when Halloween comes around! We actually stamped this image twice - once in Stazon, which we then punched out, and once in Cherry Cobbler where we punched out just the spider and popped it up on dimensionals over the other one so that the words still show! Doesn't it look cute hanging in that web, LOL??!! Both the Naturals White and the Peach Parfait card stock layers are border punched using the Scalloped Trim border punch. Before adhering the White layer, we wrapped a piece of Black Extra Wide striped Grosgrain ribbon around it, and tied it in a knot - or, I like to call it the faux bow, heehe! Once that was done, we adhered the whole piece to the front of the slider pocket.

There is an inside pocket as well that I would like to show you - it was super hard to get a good pic of because when the slider piece is extended, it is REALLY quite long, LOL! Here again though, you can get the idea! How this works is as you pull the Hershey bar from the pocket at the top, the slider sentiment slides out from the bottom! The slider sentiments piece is made up of the same Peach Parfait and Naturals White card stock combination, and the sentiment is from the Grateful Greetings stamp set - super cute sayings in this set, so fun and very versatile! This is such a fun project to make, and you can do this with all kinds of things, it does not have to be a chocolate bar (although I like the chocolate bars, lol!) You could add licorice, a gift card, or any type of gift that would fit and lay flat inside!! I definitely think this project was the hit of the evening, although there was a lot of squealing going on through each and every one we created, so I am thinking they probably liked them all *wink* I enjoy this class so much - always a fun one to teach, and the ladies always have a wonderful time eating chocolate, stamping, laughing, and just having fun!! I will be holding another Chicks and Chocolate class for Christmas treats so watch the calendar and come on over if YOU like chocolate and stamping!! If you like the products you see here in THIS post, you can order them in my online store OR you can contact me and I will be happy to place your order for you!!! Now, I am off to do some fun stamping (meaning just for me, heehee) and then to pick up my daughter and drop her at a friends house! Have a wonderful weekend, and I will be back tomorrow with another fun Halloween project we did in class! I hope you take time to create something!!!
Slider Recipe:
Paper - Basic Black, Peach Parfait, Naturals White card stock
Inks - Black Stazon, Basic Gray, Cherry Cobbler classic inks
Stamps - Batty for You, Wicked Cool, Grateful Greetings
Tools - Scalloped Trim border punch, 1 1/4 inch and 1 inch circle punches, red sticky tape, dimensionals
Accessories - Basic Black wide striped grosgrain ribbon, Hershey chocolate bar

HOLIDAY MINI SPOTLIGHT - DAY TEN

2011-09-20T11:49:00.000-07:00

Good morning!!! Today is the last day of my Holiday Mini Spotlight Series!! I hope you have enjoyed the last ten days of posts showcasing the fabulous products the mini has to offer!! I am sure you will see more projects from me using mini products, but I have a lot of other projects brewin' right now too *wink* Today I am going to share a Christmas card that uses several different products from the mini! The image is from the Christmas Lodge stamp set - the images in this set are just beautiful!!! I stamped the image in Always Artichoke CRAFT ink, then added clear embossing powder and embossed it using my heat tool. I then added some subtle white accents on the edges and the bottom of the tree using my white gel pen!

Here is a closeup so that you can see a little bit better although I know it is hard to see in the picture. I stamped it on Naturals White card stock because I love the pigmentation of this paper, it looks fabulous with this stamp set! I used the Scalloped Oval Die Cut with my Big Shot to cut the oval and the Scalloped frame around the image. It fits perfectly inside there like it was made for it :-) The patterned paper is from the Frostwood Lodge Designer Series paper pack, also in the Holiday Mini and it has beautiful vintage pages that are perfect for all you holiday projects! I just love the woodgrain look of this paper - perfect for the tree, right?? The sentiment is also from the Christmas Lodge stamp set and is stamped in White CRAFT ink, then embossed using the white embossing powder because I really wanted it to stand out! I used my mat pack to add the textured border along the top and the bottom, and then I trimmed each end of the sentiment piece using the Designer Label punch! It is so fun to be able to use punches in lots of different ways, and I really love the design it leaves here on the edges! I then popped the whole sentiment piece up on dimensionals. The ribbon is also from the mini and is Early Espresso Quilted ribbon - totally yummy ribbon!! It looks and feels rich!! Soooo pretty!! Lastly, I added some pearls to each scallop around the image - doesn't it look awesome??!! I love these pearls, they dress up every projects I used them for! This is a simple card, but very pretty, and would make a great Christmas card (hmmmm.....maybe I will use this one, lol!) If you like any of these products and would like them for your own, you can shop in my online store, or contact me and I will be happy to place your order for you! I had such a great time showing you all these wonderful projects using mini products - I hope you were inspired by at least one project that I shared!!Now, I am off to get ready for my downline meeting tonight - I just love seeing my gals, they are all so creative, sweet, and fun!! I hope you all have a fabulous day, and take time to create something!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Chery Cobbler, Early Espresso, Naturals White, Always Artichoke card stock, Frostwood Lodge Designer Series Paper
Inks - Always Artichoke and Whisper White CRAFT inks, Early Espresso classic ink, white gel pen
Stamps - Christmas Lodge
Tools - Big Shot, Scalloped Oval die, heat gun, clear and white embossing powder, Designer Label punch, Dimensionals
Accessories - Early Espresso Quilted ribbon, Basic Pearls

HOLIDAY MINI SPOTLIGHT SERIES - DAY NINE (SCROLL DOWN FOR PICS)

2011-09-19T12:54:00.000-07:00

Good Monday morning ladies!!! I hope you all had a great weekend!! I have to tell you, mine was FABULOUS!! Yes, I took time off from blogging - I wanted to spend some time with my daughter this weekend!! Friday night was the Homecoming game and she had a blast! She was on the Homecoming Committee and worked very hard on the Freshman Float for the halftime show. Well, for the first time in SIX YEARS, the Freshman Float TOOK FIRST PLACE!!!! She was soooo excited - I was thrilled for her AND them!! She had two friends who stayed the whole weekend with us as their moms were at a Church Retreat so we did lots of fun things together! Movies, pizza, frozen yogurt, mall shopping, lunch out, ,etc. It was a great weekend! Tony was hunting and Tyler had to work, so it was just us girls :-)

Here are a couple of the pics from this weekend - these silly girls were snapping pics of themselves all weekend! They were laughing hysterically as they took these but they actually got some cute shots and just look a those smiles!! They tend to look in the mirror a lot and take pics of each other - I don't remember ever doing this, but I am glad they do because it lets me see what they are up too, and I then I have some silly shots of her and her friends to put in her Freshman scrapbook - and yes, I plan on putting them ALL in there so she can look back and remember how much fun she had, and who she spent the most time with! I think these girls will be friends forever :-)

And, of course, here is the most beautiful girl in the world - and yes, I am biased because she is mine!!! I think she has a beautiful smile - it warms my heart to see it!!! She did tell me that she is "adorable" LOL! And yes, she is *wink* It was really nice to spend time with these girls, and listen to them tease each other, sing at the of their lungs, and laugh over everything and anything that happened! It made me happy that they included me as well, even though I know THAT won't happen very often so I better take advantage of it while I can, heeheee! It was just the BEST weekend - spending precious time with my daughter before she is all grown up and on her own is very important to me!!

So, if you have stuck with me this far, I will now share a project with you - I know that is why you stopped by, lol! This is yet another project I did using products from the Holiday Mini! It is a mini book class that I taught on Friday night while the girls were at the game - it gave me some girl time too :-) I used the Spice Cake Suite again - I know, I know! It IS a fall book though, so it worked out perfectly, heehee! I have already shared the cover in this post, so now I am going to share the inside pages! This is an accordion style book that folds up nicely for storage, but makes a beautiful display piece as well! I am going to show you all six pages plus the inserts, and then I will briefly tell you what products I used. I can't list everything for each page because it will be a book, and not a blog post, lol! Here are the pages listed in order:

These are the first two pages of the mini! Lots of detail on these pages - the leaves are cut out on the Big Shot using the Leaves #2 die, and then lightly sponged with More Mustard and Cajun Craze classic inks. The images are from the Always Thankful and Gently Falling stamp sets, both of which can be found in the Holiday Mini. The Spice Cake Designer Series paper is used throughout this mini, and you can see some of it here! If you noticed the More Mustard Scalloped polka ribbon loops sticking out of the top of the book, those are actually attached to the four insert pages that are included in this mini book. Four fun pockets for more pictures, journaling, or memorabilia, - fun, right?!

These are pages three and four of the mini book and these pages each have a pocket for insert pages as well! The images on the left side of the book are from the Faith in Nature Hostess set - this is a beautiful stamp set that goes well with lots of different projects! The punched flower on that page was made using the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch, love it!! That yummy ribbon along the bottom of that page is the Pool Party Ruffled ribbon, which I love!! The image and the sentiment on the right side of the book are from the Always Thankful stamp set: there are such great images in this set I think they are ALL used in this mini, lol! The sentiment is punched out using the Decorative Label punch and then popped up on dimensionals. See that button? That is also from the Holiday Mini - there are four colors of these jumbo buttons in the Spice Cake Designer Buttons pack and you get four of each color!! I took some Spice Cake fabric and threaded it through the button, then tied a bow - I just love how the fabric frays and looks soooo good with these fall pages! The Early Espresso Wide Striped grosgrain ribbon is laid across the center of the page, and looks great with the colors of the paper!

These are pages five and six of the mini book, and the left had side has the last of the four pockets that contain an insert page. The pear image you see on that page is also from the Faith in Nature Hostess set. It is stamped twice, once directly on the page, and then again on some Naturals Ivory card stock. The pear is cut out, then popped up on dimensionals over the stamped image on the page - looks great! The border along the triangle piece of the Spice Cake DSP is actually from the Lace Border punch - we just punched it out, then cut the lace border in half and snailed it to the triangle! The accordion flower was also made out of the Spice Cake patterned paper, and we added some Soft Suede taffeta ribbon, and a More Mustard flower designer button. On the right side there are images from both the Always Thankful and the Gently falling stamp sets. The ribbon down the edge is Very Vanilla thin grosgrain ribbon, and the border along the triangle of Pool Party card stock is punched using the Eyelet Border punch.

These are the inserts that are located in the four pockets of the mini - I only took a picture of two of them as the other two are identical to these. These were kept simple as too much embellishing here would have made it difficult to close the book and you want it to be able to lay flat if need be. The top corners are rounded using the Corner Rounder punch, and each insert has a piece of looped More Mustard Scalloped Polka Dot ribbon held in place with a Chocolate Chip jumbo brad. There is lots of room to add extra pics, or notes, or whatever you want!! So, that is the book - isn't it fun??!! This book IS available in a kit so if you would like to make one of your own, please contact me and I will mail it out priority flat rate straight to you! Cost of this is $45(plus 4.95 shipping) and you receive everything you need including directions for putting it together! If you want to purchase the items you see here, you can place an order in my online store, or contact me and I will be happy to place your order for you! I hope you enjoyed this super long blog post - if you hung with me to the end, you are a ROCK STAR, lol!!! I will be back with a cute Christmas project using Holiday Mini products for my last product Spotlight post! Have a wonderful day, and I hope you take the time to create something!

HOLIDAY MINI SPOTLIGHT SERIES - DAY EIGHT

2011-09-16T08:21:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!!! At least I hope it is :-) I actually have been sick and had a horrible headache yesterday, so it was all I could do to take care of the absolute priorities yesterday so sorry I missed ya here!! BUT, I do have a card to share today that uses the fabulous Holiday Mini fall product line :-) This was actually another workshop card that I did this week - I love the Gently Falling stamp set, these leaves are just sooooo pretty! I have to say, it was a VERY big hit at the workshop too :-) Everyone seems to love fall, and we are definitely ready for it here after all this 100 degree weather!!!! This card screams fall with all the colors and pretty leaves falling down :-) The base of the card is Pool Party card stock and I have to say, I would have never thought to use this color for fall, but it works soooo well, and I am hooked on it! It's a very versatile color, and definitely my favorite (this week anyway, heehee!). The outline of the leaves are stamped on Naturals Ivory card stock in Soft Suede classic ink, and then stamped again using the full leaves in Pool Party and then More Mustard ink to give that pretty fall coloring. I love two-step stamping and I think that is why this stamp set appeals to me so much! You can do sooo many different things with it!! The patterned paper along the bottom is from the Spice Cake Designer Series paper pack, and is punched using the Eyelet Border punch. I lined it up on the bottom edge to give it the look of double bordering with the edge of the Pool Party card stock. So cool!! Then, I layered a piece of More Mustard Scalloped Polka Dot ribbon right over the top! The sentiment is actually from another Holiday Mini set called Always Thankful, another fabulous fall set that makes me happy! I stamped it in Soft Suede on Naturals Ivory, then punched it out using the Modern Label punch. Lastly, I layered the sentiment over a piece of River Rock card stock that is punched out using the Designer Label punch, then popped the whole thing up on dimensionals. And of course, no card is complete without a little bling so I added two small rhinestones to my sentiment to make the whole card pop!! This card makes me happy - the colors are a great mix and have quickly become a favorite for me! If you are in love with these products and want to have them for your very own (and you know you do *wink*) you can order them in my online store or contact me and I will be happy to place your order for you! So, today I am finishing prepping for my mini book class tonight, which I will share with you all tomorrow! Tomorrow I have Scrap Club as well, so a busy couple of days here :-) I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!!!!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Pool Party, Soft Suede, River Rock, Naturals Ivory card stock, Spice Cake Designer Series Paper
Inks - Soft Suede, Pool Party, More Mustard classic inks
Stamps - Gently Falling, Always Thankful
Tools - Eyelet Border Punch, Designer Label Punch, Modern Label Punch
Accessories - More Mustard Scalloped Polka Dot ribbon, Basic Rhinestones

HOLIDAY MINI SPOTLIGHT SERIES - DAY SEVEN

2011-09-14T11:26:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!! I can't believe I am up to day seven already - I am having a ball playing with all these fun new projects from the Holiday Mini :-) I have been stamping away in my craft room as I have several events coming up, starting with a workshop tonight! I am excited to see this group - I know some of them, and they are so fun to stamp with! And, I am excited to meet some new stampin' friends - that is RIGHT up my alley, lol!!! I wanted to share a quick card I made today with the Out On A Limb stamp set from the mini - super cute and fun! I am not a huge Halloween fan (I know, I know) BUT this set is really cute and the images appeal to me. So, let me tell you what I did!! The base of this card is Cajun Craze card stock, one of my absolute favorite colors so I love that I can use it for fall projects. I layered the base with a piece of Basic Black card stock that I embossed with my Big Shot using the Spider Web embossing folder. I paired this with some of the fabulous Frightful Sight Designer Series Paper, which is found in the main catalog. The images are so fun, aren't they?? I had to use those bats and spiders, so I decided they needed to "carpool" together, lol! The "moon" behind them is sponged in using a finger dauber - I got it by punching out a circle and then using the outline of that punched circle, I sponged all around it! Perfect circle every time :-) I also sponged in the grass using a mix of colors to show the fall season. The Sentiment and the bats are actually from a different stamp set called Wicked Cool, and it is found in the main catalog as well! The ribbon is Grey satin ribbon, and totally yummy! See, I told you this one was nice and simple, lol!! I love how it came out - it is a fun Halloween card and I know JUST who to send this one to :-) If you like the products you see here, you can order them in my online store or you can contact me and I will be happy to place your order for you! Just think, you can have this adorable Out On a Limb stamp set in your hands and stamping in just a few days :-) Now I am off to prep for my workshop tonight, and work on my class stuff for tomorrow!! I just love my job :-) Have a wonderful day and I hope you take some time out to create!!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Cajun Craze, Basic Black, Whisper White card stock, Frightful Sight Designer Series paper
Inks - More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Old Olive, Peach Parfait classic inks
Stamps - Out on a Limb, Wicked Cool
Tools - Big Shot, Spider Web embossing folder, Scalloped Oval punch, Extra Large Oval punch, 1 3/4 inch Circle punch, Sponge Daubers, Sponge
Accessories - Gray Satin Ribbon

HOLIDAY MINI SPOTLIGHT SERIES - DAY SIX

2011-09-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Tuesday!!! Well, I hope it will be anyway, lol!!! I got up this morning in a kind of funk - I am missing my oldest son!! I know it probably sounds silly, he has not lived at home for four years, BUT he has also lived across the country, and seeing him only twice a year doesn't seem quite fair! Hopefully I will get to see him at Christmas in between his training tracks. Now that he is on Active Duty, we never know when we might see him *sigh* This getting older is not quite what it seems - I like having my kiddos at home :-) So, I am stamping today and listening to upbeat music, and making myself get out of the funk, lol!!!! Stamping REALLY makes me happy; I consider it my therapy - each box that comes in the mail is one of my sessions, lol!!! And, I have been having a LOT of sessions lately because I am IN LOVE with the Holiday Mini products and keep ordering more :-) Especially the Spice Cake Suite - YUMMY!!! So, I am sharing that AGAIN today - no worries, you get something different tomorrow, heeheee! However, I have been working on my Fall FoliageMore Mustard, Pool Party, Soft Suede, Mini Book Class for this Friday so I wanted to give you a sneak peek at that book - I can't show you the whole thing until after the class in deference to those who have paid to take it :-) It is a 6x6 Accordion Mini book, and sooo cute and full of fall goodness. It is my favorite time of year so I have enjoyed stamping with all the new fall products! This picture is of the cover of the book!! I think is screams fall, don't you??!! I used the Spice Cake Designer Series paper to create the border around the outside. I made this using the Scallop Square die on my Big Shot - this is the outside once the square is cut out! And, of course I used the leftover square elsewhere *wink* The center square is Naturals Ivory. I cut out the square, and then used my corner rounder on the edges, sponging it with Soft Suede classic ink. The sentiment is from the Hostess Stamp Set Faith in Nature and can be found in the Main Catalog. See that giant button??!! Isn't the biggest button you have seen for scrapbooking or cardmaking?? It is for me!! I love buttons of all shapes, sizes, colors - you name it! Soooo, when I saw these in the Holiday Mini, I just knew I had to have them! They are called Spice Cake buttons and you get 16 of these beauties in four different colors that all coordinate with the beautiful patterned paper - YUMMO!!! And, at $7.95, you CANNOT beat that bargain :-) I used the Pool Party button and laced it with some of the Spice cake fabric - Looooove it!!! I adhered the button to the cover over the French Foliage background words - this set is also super cute and can be found in the Main Catalog as well! Lastly, the leaves! I am really having fun with the Gently Falling stamp set from the mini - I have made lots of leaves in different fall colors - they never turn out the same! I stamped these on Naturals Ivory card stock, then used and Cajun Craze, More Mustard, Soft Suede, and Pool Party classic inks to make the beautiful color mix you see on these leaves. Then, I just cut them out and adhered them to the cover using a mix of snail and dimensionals so the leaves look like they are scattered on the cover. As you can see, the book is held together using More Mustard scalloped Polka Dot ribbon - soooo pretty!! The pages inside this beautiful mini are full of mini goodness, and lots of our fall products from the main catalog as well! If you are interested in taking this class, please contact me ASAP as I still have a few seats available!! Not local, but want the kit?? The kit is available for $49 plus shipping, and all the cut work and stamping is done, you just assemble the book using the full color directions that will come with it!!! This is a GREAT value as this mini book has over 10 pages!! For information on purchasing the kit, please contact me and I will send it to you!! And, if you want to order the products you see here, you can do so using my online store, or by contacting me as I will be happy to place your order for you! So, I am spending the day getting ready for a workshop tomorrow - so excited to stamp with this group of ladies because I only know a few of them, and that means, more stamping friends, whoohooo!!! I will be back tomorrow with my next installment of the Spotlight Series featuring some uber cute projects! Until then, have a fabulous day and take some time to create!!!!
Mini Book Cover Recipe:
Paper - Soft Suede, Naturals Ivory card stock, Spice Cake Designer Series Paper
Inks - More Mustard, Soft Suede, Pool Party, Cajun Craze classic inks
Stamps - Gently Falling, French Foliage, Faith in Nature (hostess set)
Tools - Big Shot, Scallop Square Die, Corner Rounder
Accessories - Spice Cake buttons and fabric, More Mustard Scalloped Polka Dot ribbon

HOLIDAY MINI SPOTLIGHT SERIES - DAY FIVE

2011-09-12T11:50:00.000-07:00

Good morning!!! Here it is, Monday again - the weekends seem to go by sooooo fast!! I had a very busy weekend so that does not help, lol! I took my daughter and her friend shopping for their Homecoming Dresses (her first one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and that was really fun! They both got beautiful dresses, and they are sooooo excited - and so am I! I can't wait to take pictures of them all dressed up :-) Then, yesterday I taught my Fun with Punches class, which was a blast! I don't teach this class very often, so I really enjoy it when I do! We had a great time!! This week will be VERY busy as well as I have two workshops, a mini book class, Scrap Club, and Stamp Club - WHEW!!! Lots of stamping going on around here :-) I have busily stamping holiday things already so when I walk outside and the heat hits me, I get startled back into reality, lol!!! One of those projects is the fifth in my Holiday Mini Spotlight series I want to share with you today! I stamped this project using the Stitched Stockings stamp set and the Holly Berry Bouquet Designer Series paper!! I love the bright, Christmasy (is that a word??!!) feel this patterned paper has, it makes me smile!!! I used three different patterns of the paper here and just cut them into long banners as my background. The base of this card is Wild Wasabi card stock and I actually embossed the base front with my Big Shot using the new embossing folder from the Mini called Snow Burst - isn't it pretty??! I added a piece of card stock to the inside flap of the card to give it some stability since the embossing tends to change the texture of the paper a bit. The circles were also cut on my Big Shot using my 3 and 31/2 inch Circle dies. The smaller circle was stamped in Wild Wasabi using the Netting background stamp (found in the main catalog) which is definitely a favorite of mine. The stockings were stamped in Garden Green classic ink and then punched out using the fabulous new Stocking Builder punch in the mini!!! LOVE this punch - you can see the heel and toe are actually Real Red - I just punched those out too! So fun!!

And, check out the top of the stockings - that soft, beautiful ribbon you see there is another great new product called Very Vanilla Velvet stitched ribbon and it is totally YUMMY! It is really soft, thick, and will be soooo pretty on packages and, well, stockings, lol! I just cut a small piece off and snailed it to the top! It added dimension to the stockings, and then I popped them both up on dimensionals to give it just a little more *wink* The stocking with the snowflake in the middle is sporting a little rhinestone to give it just a little bit of bling :-)

See this pretty snowflake? It is also from the mini and is part of a super cute package of felt shapes called Stitched Felt - it comes with 4 different shapes, and 16 pieces in all for less than $10 - GREAT deal!! The snowflake has some blue stitching on it that I wanted to dull a little bit for this project, so I used the new Dazzling Details liquid glitter. It really makes the snowflake stand out! I added a Real Red Designer button to the center, with Whisper White bakers twine threaded through it and tied in a bow! I think this snowflake is a wonderful little embellishment that not only dresses up cards, but would look fabulous on the top of a little gift box or bag! It's like getting two presents in one, lol! The last thing on this card is the sentiment and it is part of the Petite Pairs Stamp set found in the main catalog - I love this stamp set, and find myself using it over and over again because it has such wonderful sentiments in it! I stamped it in Garden Green classic ink, punched it out using the Large Oval Punch, then layered it on the Extra Lunch Oval punched out of Real Red card stock. Then, those two pieces are layered on a piece of Early Espresso card stock punched out with the Curly Label punch. The whole thing is popped up on dimensionals and then I could not help myself, I had to add some rhinestones, lol!! I had a great time making this card, and I used a TON of new product from the Holiday Mini! If YOU love these and want to have them for your very own (and you KNOW you do, lol) you can order them in my online store OR contact me and I will be happy to place your order for you! I will stamping the day away getting ready for all my fun events coming up this week, so lots of fun for me!! I will be back tomorrow with the sixth in my Holiday Mini Spotlight Series - I hope you are enjoying them as much as I am enjoying sharing them :-) See you tomorrow!!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Wild Wasabi, Real Red, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla card stock, Holly Berry Bouquet designer series paper
Inks - Garden Green, Wild Wasabi classic inks
Stamps - Stitched Stockings, Petite Pairs (main catty), Netting Background stamp(main catty)
Tools - Big Shot, Snow Burst embossing folder, 3 and 3 1/2 inch circle dies, Curly Label Punch, Large and Extra Large Oval punches, Stocking Builder Punch, dimensionals
Accessories - Whisper White bakers twine, designer buttons, Dazzling Details liquid glitter, Basic Rhinestones, Stitched Felt, Very Vanilla Velvet stitched ribbon

HOLIDAY MINI SPOTLIGHT SERIES - DAY FOUR

2011-09-10T10:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday!!! Whew! It is already soooo hot here, and it's not even 10am this morning! It is supposed to get to 104 today.......I am sooooo ready for some cool, crisp fall weather!!!! I have been doing a lot of fall stamping, and so now I am ready for the weather to cooperate, lol!!! Today I am going to showcase some more fabulous products from the Holiday Mini! I decided to show you this marvelous a la carte stamp called Leaves From a Tree because I think it is just a beautiful stamp! I had so much fun playing with all the colors to make this a pretty fall tree! First though, let me tell you a little bit about the card itself and then I will provide more detail about the actual tree, lol! The base of the card is More Mustard and I used my Corner Rounder punch on it to give it a softer look! The layout of this card is actually a sketch I wanted to play with from the SFYTT weekly challenge - this one was last weeks. I don't often do sketches, but this one was so awesome I just had to play :-) The patterned paper is another selection from the Spice Cake Designer Series paper collection - pure YUM!!! There are two solid layers which are both embossed. The first is Early Espresso, which I ran through the Big Shot using the Square Lattice embossing folder. The second layer is Wild Wasabi card stock, which I also ran through the Big Shot, but this time I used the Stripes Embossing folder. Both of these can be found in the main catalog! I also corner rounded both pieces of card stock to keep the card consistent. Now, on to the image! The Scallop Circle is made with the Circles Scallop #2 Big Shot die and is cut with Pool Party card stock. The actual image is stamped on a piece of Very Vanilla card stock that was cut out using the 3 inch Circle Big Shot die.

I stamped the image in More Mustard classic ink - I wanted to use the lightest color so that I could go back in with my Stampin' Write Markers and use a variety of fall colors to really make the tree colorful. Here is a close-up of the image itself! The colors I used are Cajun Craze, Tangerine Tango, Peach Parfait, More Mustard, and Early Espresso with a little bit of accent coloring using the Wild Wasabi marker. I then took my Versamark pen and randomly chose leaves on the tree and colored them in. I did the whole base of the tree as well. Then, I covered the image in Clear embossing powder and heat embossed it with my Heat Tool to get that shiny look you see on the tree. It looks so pretty IRL - I hop you can see it!! I then sponged around the edges using Early Espresso classic ink, pierced the scallops with my paper piercer, and Voila! Done! That yummy ribbon is also from the Holiday Mini and is Early Espresso Quilted Satin Ribbon - and yes, it is as good if not better than it sounds, lol! It also comes in Cherry Cobbler, which is just as amazing!!! That last little touch is the sentiment, which comes from the Perfect Words hostess set found in the main catalog! You can only get this set if you host a workshop - so give me a call and we can schedule one :-) It is an AWESOME stamp set, and a great value!!! I stamped the sentiment is Early Espresso Ink on More Mustard card stock, made a little banner out of it (love my banners, lol), then added some texture with my mat pack and paper piercer! I got the wavy look by using my bone folder and breaking down the fibers to make it more pliable! So, there you have it - lots of fun products from the Holiday Mini on this one!! And, if you are in love with what you see here, you can shop in my online store and have it delivered right to your door *wink*. Or, if you prefer, you can contact me and and I will be happy to place your order! I am spending the afternoon with some friends doing some stamping and drinking some wine - doesn't that sound like fun??!! I am really looking forward to it, it's the best kind of stamping! Since I don't post on Sundays (hey, everyone needs a day off, lol) I will be back on Monday with another wonderful project featuring products from the Holiday Mini! Until then, enjoy your weekend and find some time to be creative!!
Card Recipe:
Paper -More Mustard, Wild Wasabi, Early Espresso, Pool Party, Very Vanilla card stock, Spice Cake Designer Series paper
Inks - More Mustard, Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, Tangerine Tango, Peach Parfait, Wild Wasabi classic inks and stampin' write markers, Versamark Pen
Stamps - Leaves of a Tree, Perfect Words (hostess set)
Tools - Big Shot, Square Lattice and Stripes embossing folders, 3 inch circle die, Circle Scallop #2 die, Heat Tool, Clear Embossing powder, Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, Corner Rounder
Accessories - Early Espresso 3/8 inch Quilted Satin Ribbon

HOLIDAY MINI SPOTLIGHT SERIES - DAY THREE

2011-09-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

Good morning and Happy Friday!!! This week zoomed by for me - I could have used one more day before the weekend, lol!! Tonight I am taking my daughter and her friend shopping for a birthday present for another friend - it's hard enough shopping with one teen let along two, lol!!! So, I am gearing up, heehe! My daughter is already talking about Halloween and I just know she is going to drag me into the Halloween store! It is her favorite holiday, and I have no idea why since it most definitely is not mine :-) However, I could not resist a few of the super cute Halloween items in the Holiday Mini and I have been making some treat items with them! I want to share one I made today - I am going to make these for my husband's supervisory staff and then make some other things for the rest of the staff. Otherwise, I would be making these until next Halloween, lol! I am very happy with how it came out, and I am going to have to hide it from Kayla or it will disappear :-) Now, I can't take credit for the design of this cutie, but I have seen them all over the place, and so I just emailed one of the people who made one and asked for the dimensions and she was kind enough to share - love stampers!! It has a lot of scoring but it went super fast using my new Simply Scored tool - I don't know how I lived without it, lol! I think I need to do a whole post on just that tool so you all can see how easy it is to use and why EVERYONE should have one, lol! So, for this project I used lots of products from the holiday mini! The paper is from the new Pick Your Poison Designer Series paper pack, and it really has some fun patterns to it! And, I can see myself using it for lots of non-halloween projects as well! I used three different patterns of the paper so you can get an idea of how awesome it is! The images are from the Piece of Poison stamp set, and both the images and paper have these fun little Quick Accents called Pick Your Poison, which I also used! All the spiders came from the accent sheets - you get two full sheets of all different tags, images, and borders! Super fun to play with! And, as you can see, this card comes with it's own treat holder - there are five little chocolate nuggets in there! I wrapped them in Naturals Vanilla card stock that is stamped with another holiday mini set called It's a Wrap Holidays. They fit perfectly around these - can you see the little spiders on there?? I think they are perfect!!

So, here is a shot of the tag pulled out so you can see it in full view as well as the background to the card behind the tag - I could NOT leave it bare :-)
Isn't it fun? The tag is Peach Parfait card stock and then I accented each end with one of the borders from the Quick Accents pack. It coordinates perfectly with the DSP around the treat end of this project as well as the scallop border along the pocket! All of the images here are also from the Piece of Poison stamp set - there are some fun images to this set! I used the brain and the spider, and stamped them in Versamark, then heat embossed both with my Heat Tool using the new Pewter embossing powder and they came out sooooo good!

Here, let me show you a close-up! See how nice and defined the images are?? I am loving this new embossing powder and see lots of ways to use it for all different types of projects, most notably my favorite style of vintage shabby! So, I am sure you will be seeing lots more of this in the near future, lol!! The little pull tab is punched out using the Curly Label punch and then cut in half and adhered with red sticky tape so it won't come off! The spider on top is actually a quick accent tag that I punched out with the small oval punch to make it small enough to fit on the tag. Cute, right? And, there is plenty of room on the back of this tag to write a note to whoever is the lucky recipient of this little treat card!!! And, let's not forget the back that now shows since the tag is out!

Here is a close-up shot of it so you can see the fun details that are there! I used another one of the Quick Accents here as well. I stamped the skeleton on the tag, then stamped the word Spooky over the top of him. That sentiment actually comes from another Halloween Set that is in the main catalog and it is called Wicked Cool - and it is, lol!!! And, it fit perfectly over Mr. Bones so I just had to use it. Once I had it all stamped, I simply peeled the tag off the sheet, and stuck it straight down on the back - easy peasy!! I am loving these quick accents - they make a project come together really quick, which is nice if you are doing a big number of items like I will be, lol! My husband better appreciate it, that's all I have to say *wink* So, there you have it - day three of fun products from the super fabulous Holiday Mini catalog!! I hope you are all enjoying this fun spotlight series - I know I am enjoying sharing them with you!!! I will be back again tomorrow with another fun project I just know you will love! Now, I am off to get ready for my events this weekend, and then off to shopping with the girls! I hope you all have a fabulous weekend, and take time to do some fun things......like STAMP! And, if you like the products you see here, you can order them in my online store and have delivered right to your door :-) Or, you can contact me and I will be happy to place your order for you! See you soon!
Treat Card Recipe:
Paper - Basic Black, Peach Parfait, Naturals Vanilla card stock, Pick Your Poison Designer Series Paper
Inks - Black Stazon, Peach Parfait classic ink, Versamark
Stamps - Piece of Poison, Wicked Cool(this one is from the main catalog)
Tools - Simply Scored, Scallop Circle Border punch, Small Oval Punch, Heat Tool, Pewter embossing powder
Accessories - Pick Your Poison Quick Accents

HOLIDAY MINI SPOTLIGHT SERIES - DAY TWO

2011-09-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

Good morning all!!! I have been busily stamping away getting ready for all kinds of fun events coming up! I just love the holidays, but it IS confusing to start stamping Christmas in August, lol!! However, today I am going to share another Holiday Mini fall spotlight project featuring the stamp set Always Thankful! I love the images in this set, they are very versatile and just rich with lots of detail! VERY fun to color, which I love :-) I decided to make a tri-fold card because I really wanted to show off some more of the yummy Spice Cake Designer Series paper. As you can see, all the patterns of this paper are absolutely beautiful - I love this particular one because it is soooo vibrant! I am sure the picture does not do it justice but this is by far my most favorite pattern in the pack (although I DO love it all, lol!) I did all the scoring for this card using my new Simply Scored scoring tool in the Mini. If you don't have this tool you NEED it!!! It is awesome and makes doing a lot of score lines a snap to do! Seriously, this has several and it took me a minute to get them all done - love that!!! I did take some More Mustard card stock and use that as my accent color for this card. I added some pretty scallops along the edges using my Eyelet Border punch - doesn't it look nice??!! And, the belly band is also More Mustard but I stamped it with the Netting background stamp to give it some texture. I really like this background stamp because it looks great both bold and subtle and I find myself reaching for it quite often. Then of course I had to show you another pattern of the glorious Spice Cake Fabric!!

Here is a quick closeup of this wonderful pattern so you can see how pretty it is!! I just ripped a piece of the big square (yep, start a small cut with scissors and then just rip it down!) and then wrapped it around the belly band, tied a knot and it looks great! Just for fun I added a vintage tag and a small Soft Suede designer button, isn't it cute?! I love buttons so any excuse to use them is a good one, lol!! I think the outside of this card is so very pretty - that patterned paper does not need ANYTHING to enhance it, but I sure do like to play with all the other pretties that coordinate with it *wink* The belly band IS removable but it does not have to be as this card has an insert that just slides in and out on it's own. I just did the belly band for some decorative touches!

Here is the picture of the card with the insert taken out! The base of the insert is Early Espresso with the layered piece on top being Very Vanilla card stock. The curve that you see at the top of both the insert and pocket? I made those by tracing a small plate so there was a slight curve - and I know we ALL have THAT tool, lol! It just gives it some visual interest and I like to play with new shapes. I added some more of the pretty patterned paper using the Scallop Ribbon Border punch and just layered two strips across the top. The pull tab is made using the 1 3/4 inch Scallop Circle punch with More Mustard card stock, and then some Spice Cake DSP with the last circle layer being Pool Party. The Circles were punched with the 1 3/8 inch and 1 1/4 inch Circle punches. I love how all of our shaped punches nest so nicely together, makes layering a snap to do! The cute little acorn in the middle is from the set I showcased yesterday called Gently Falling. It just fit there, heehee! Now, on to the image!

Here is a close-up so you can see the pretty colors and shades! It is stamped in Early Espresso and then I water colored the whole image using my aqua painter and several different colors of stamp pads (More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Wild Wasabi). I love to watercolor, I find it very relaxing, and I love how soft the image looks when you are all done. This image just screams fall to me - it reminds me that harvest is right around the corner and yes, we STILL go to the pumpkin patches, although it is more for me at this point, lol! I think the kids just indulge me :-) The sentiment you see there is also from the Always Thankful stamp set and is stamped in More Mustard ink. I love it because it is very true - I think sometimes we forget that we ALL have SOMETHING that should make us thankful everyday. For me, it is my family - my husband and kids mean the WORLD to me, and I can't imagine life without them! Yes, they drive me crazy, but hey, that's all part of it, right?? So, I hope you enjoyed my second spotlight showcase - I know I loved sharing it with you! Stay tuned tomorrow, I have a really great project to share that I just know you will love! It makes ME squeal, and I made it, lol!!! If you love the products you see here, you can order them in my online store or you can contact me and I will be happy to place your order for you! If you don't have a Holiday Mini and you would like one, you can click on the link and it will take you directly to the online version, or you can contact me and I will send one out to you! You have to see all the fun things in this mini - just pure holiday joy!!! Now, I am off to run some errands and then back home to stamp the day and night away! Everyone else has plans tonight so it is just me and the dogs and my stamps - yes, this makes me smile, I love alone time :-) See ya tomorrow!!
Trifold Card Recipe:
Paper - Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Pool Party, More Mustard card stock, Spice Cake Designer Series Paper
Inks - More Mustard, Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Wild Wasabi, Cajun Craze classic inks
Stamps - Always Thankful, Gently Falling (acorn)
Tools - Simple Scored scoring tool, Eyelet border punch, Scalloped Dotted ribbon border punch, 1 3/8 inch and 1 1/4 inch circle punches, 1 3/4 inch Scallop circle punch, Mat Pack, Paper piercer, Aqua Painter
Accessories - Vintage tags, Designer Buttons, Spice Cake designer fabric

HOLIDAY MINI SPOTLIGHT SERIES - DAY ONE

2011-09-07T13:13:00.000-07:00

Hi all!!!! As promised, I am starting my Holiday Mini product spotlight where each day for the next 10 days I will share a fun project of some type using products from the fabulous Holiday Mini catalog!!! I am very excited to share these projects with you as I love the products and had a ball playing around with them :-) I know I should have started this on Monday BUT it was a holiday and Tony and I took a spur of the moment couple trip out of town and went to the coast, just him and I!! It was soooo wonderful, we really enjoyed ourselves so I figured you would forgive me since we got back yesterday *wink* So, here is the first project!! It features the brand new stamp set called Gently Falling, and what an AWESOME stamp set this is!!! Look at all those pretty leaves!!! They are just beautiful, aren't they??!!I will go into more details on the leaves in just a few, but first, let's explore the rest of the card! This stamp set is a two-step stamp set - one of my very favorite kind of stamps to use because there are sooo many possibilities. I made a front step card to show off these beauties and I love how it turned out!! The scoring was made VERY easy by using my fabulous new Simply Scored scoring tool that is now available in the Holiday Mini!! This is a tool that I know a lot of us have been waiting for, and I hope to do a video tutorial very soon to show you just how amazing this tool is :-) The base of the card is Early Espresso with the oh so yummy Spice Cake Designer Series paper! Right below the sentiment - which is from the Always Thankful stamp set, also found in the mini - is some of the Spice Cake fabric - isn't it pretty??! All I did was tear (yes tear) a strip from the fabric and tie it around the card, tying it in a bow. I love how the ends start to shred, it really adds to the card! Along the bottom of the card, I punched some of the Spice Cake DSP using the Lace Border punch, and added some pretty pearls. Love it!! And, if you look up close on the sides, you will see that I added mini silver brads to each flower center! The leaves are adhered to a piece of More Mustard card stock that has been embossed through the Big Shot using the Square Lattice embossing folder (hint, always do your stamping BEFORE you run your card stock through the embossing folder so it stays nice and crisp and clear). I then lightly sponged over it using More Mustard classic ink.

Lastly, the leaves - let me show you a close-up and talk a little bit about how I did these! As I said before, this is a two-step stamping set, which means there are all kinds of color combo possibilities you can do with these! Just like snowflakes, there are no two leaves alike, so I wanted to make sure all mine were different as well. I first stamped the outline of each leaf in Early Espresso ink on Naturals Vanilla card stock because I like the texture it adds to the stamped image. Next, I stamped the actual leaves in several different colors: Pool Party, More Mustard, Soft Suede, and Crumb Cake. I did the first layer of each leaf, then went back and stamped the leaf again in a different color! Most of them have three different colors on them, which really gives them that gorgeous fall look! I cut them all out and then took my stylus (you could also use a paper piercer) and curled the edges and sides of all the leaves. Some of them are adhered directly to the card, while others I popped up on dimensionals. They really remind me of fall, which is my favorite season of the year! I am looking forward to it cooling down here and seeing some of the pretty leaves on the trees in our yard. But for now, I am content to make my own fall :-) I hope you enjoyed this first in the series of spotlights I have coming your way!! If you love these products shown here, and want them for your very own, you can order in my online store, or contact me and I will be happy to put your order in! I will be back tomorrow with another fun fall project that I just know you will love! Until then, I hope you find some time to create!!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Early Espresso, More Mustard, Pool Party, Naturals Vanilla card stock, Spice Cake Designer Series paper
Inks - Early Espresso, More Mustard, Pool Party, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake classic inks
Stamps - Gently Falling, Always Thankful (sentiment)
Tools - Simply Scored Scoring tool, Stylus, Lace Border Punch, Big Shot, Square Lattice embossing folder, sponge, dimensionals
Accessories - Spice Cake fabric, Mini silver brads, Basic Pearls

IT'S A MINI BUT A GOODIE

2011-09-02T09:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday everyone!!! This week really flew by, I can't believe it is already the long weekend! Tony and I are going away for a much needed couples weekend and we are really looking forward to it! We really don't get very much time alone with two teens - they do their own stuff, but still need us around to take them, give them money, remind them of homework, chores, etc. You get the picture, lol! So, I am excited but have TONS to do today before we leave! However, I did not want to leave without sharing a cute little mini layout I recently did at a workshop. I like to teach 6x6 layouts because if they have never scrapbooked before, it does not seem so overwhelming, and I usually show them how they can "grow" the layout into a 12x12 *wink* The base of this layout is the new in-color Island Indigo, and I love the deep, rich blue of this color! The accent colors are River Rock and Cherry Cobbler with some Timeless Portrait patterned paper used with the Lace Border Punch. I love using this punch with patterned paper, it always comes out looking so very pretty! That fabulous, giant stamp in the corner is called Hello Doily, and is fast becoming a favorite for me! The sentiment is from the stamp set Language of Friendship, a beautiful set that allows you to use our punches on everything stamp in there! I used the Decorative Label Punch and popped it up on dimensionals over a piece of Victorian Lace ribbon - total YUM! The pretty border on the Cherry Cobbler strip was made using the Scallop border punch, and adds some softness to the layout. Simple, but pretty, right??! I love doing 6x6 layouts, they are quick, and you usually can create an album in a small amount of time. Love that! So, if you want to have any of these products, all you have to do is go to my online store and shop your heart out! Or, you can contact me and I will be happy to take your order! Now, I am off to get ready for my weekend with the love of my life! I hope you all enjoy the long weekend! Don't forget, all next week I will be doing Product Spotlights featuring projects using all New Holiday Mini items so make sure you check in and see them! I would love to know you stopped by, so leave me a comment :-) Happy Stamping!!
Layout Recipe:
Paper - Island Indigo, River Rock, Cherry Cobbler, Naturals White card stock, Timeless Portrait Designer Series Paper
Inks - Island Indigo, Cherry Cobbler classic inks
Stamps - Hello Doily, Language of Friendship (sentiment)
Tools - Lace Border Punch, Scallop Border Punch, Corner Rounder, Designer Label Punch, Dimensionals
Accessories - Designer Buttons, Victorian Lace ribbon

A LITTLE BIT OF SPICE

2011-09-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone!!!! WHOOHOOO!! Today is an exciting day! Why you ask? Because today is the FIRST DAY OF THE NEW HOLIDAY MINI!!!!! I am in LOVE with this mini - it has soooo many fabulous new products in it, I just squeal with joy each and every time I go through it - and believe, me, I look at it a lot, LOL!!! If you don't have a copy of this fabulous mini and want one of your very own, contact me and I will get one out to you right away! In the meantime, if you click the image in my right sidebar, it will take you right to my site and the mini products :-) You DO NOT want to miss out on seeing all the fall and holiday goodness available!

I thought you might want to see some of these products today, so I am sharing a wonderful little gift set I made using the Spice Cake product Suite - soooooo YUMMY!!!!!! The color combination of Soft Suede, More Mustard, and Pool Party are just amazing together - I can't seem to get enough of playing with this paper, lol!!! I made a card and gift box for someone special who needs a little lift so I hope she likes it as much as I do. The box was made using one of the new products available in the mini - four Kraft gift boxes in one pack for only $2.95 - this is a GREAT deal! I decorated the outside of the box and the inside flaps with the yummy new Spice Cake Designer series paper. Then, I wrapped a piece of Pool Party ruffled ribbon around the box and tied a bow in front. Honestly, it does not need anything else, the paper is so beautiful it can stand on it's own :-) So, I saved my embellishing for the top of the box!

Here is a close-up of the top of the box! I used Pool Party card stock to cover the top - this blends so nicely with the patterned paper, I just love it! I then added two punched pieces of patterned paper using the Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch - soooo pretty! I then added an accordion flower made from another piece of Spice Cake, and decorated the top with two punched circles of card stock and a pretty Soft Sued button with a linen thread bow threaded through it. With my love for banners, I could not resist adding one so I stamped the sentiment from the Happy Greetings Stamp Set, sponged it with More Mustard classic ink, and added a cute little vintage brad! I just love this box, and I know I am now hooked on making them, so stand by for more of these little cuties, lol!! Now, on to the card!

I used the same colors on the card, adding a Soft Suede base. The More Mustard layer I ran through the Big Shot using the Houndstooth embossing folder, and then sponged it all over with More Mustard ink. All my papers were distressing using our distressing tool - great tool that I use a lot! The image is from one of our new Holiday Mini stamp sets called Always Thankful - beautiful images in this set! I used my stampin' markers to color the image, stamped it, then spritzed it with some water to give it a nice watercolor feel! And, that beautiful fabric on the side is from our new Spice Cake fabric selection, which is absolutely beautiful!! The sentiment is another one from the Happy Greetings set, which can be found in the main catalog. Honestly, it has the best sayings, I use this one a lot! I made another banner (I know, I know, heeehee) using Naturals Ivory card stock, then used my Mat Pack to add some texture along the top. It is held on the card using one of our cute little mini library clips - aren't they just so fun??! I had a ball making this gift set, which will be filled with some goodies and delivered to my friend today! And, I am loving the holiday mini so much that I will be doing a Product Spotlight each day of the rest of this week and into next week to show off all of this holiday goodness!! I know this is a long post, but I had a lot so show you so if you stuck through it all, you ROCK!!! And, if you can't wait to get your hands on these fun and fabulous products, head on over to my online store and they will be on their way to you soon! Or, you may contact me and I will put your order in for you! I will leave you with the recipe, and I will be back tomorrow with another fabulous project from our new mini catalog! Until then, I hope you find time to be creative!
Gift Set Recipe:
Paper - Pool Party, Soft Suede, More Mustard, Naturals Ivory card stock, Spice Cake Designer Series paper
Inks - Soft Suede, Pool Party, More Mustard, Always Artichoke classic pads and markers
Stamps - Everyday Greetings, Always Thankful
Tools - Dotted Scalloped ribbon border punch, 1 1/4 inch and 1 inch circle punches, Curly Label punch, Big Shot, Houndstooth embossing folder, distressing tool, Mat Pack, Paper piercer
Accessories - Spice Cake fabric, designer buttons, vintage brads, Pool Party ruffled ribbon, linen thread, mini library clips, Kraft Gift Box

SWEETS FOR THE SWEET

2011-08-31T09:38:00.000-07:00

Good morning all!!! It has been a busy, busy week here at the Hobson household as the kids started back to school, my husband went back to work, and I went back to stamping, lol!!! I needed a few days off to catch my breath, and try to process all of the things that have happened in the last few weeks. The medical scare with my husband was a total reality check to me that we are getting older and that we need to make sure we take good care of ourselves so we can be around to play with grand kids (no, none yet, my kids are not old enough, lol!) and also have that fun adult time together when the kids are all grown and living their own lives! So, there has been a lot of reflection and changes to make things healthier around here and I think it is good for all of us! And, now I am back to stamping and it feels good!!! I had a couple of workshops this past weekend and I wanted to share the cute little hostess gift that I demonstrated and then gave to my hostess! I made this cute little candy holder using the fun new Big Shot die called the Petite Pocket Die - isn't it just so cute??!! The card stock is the new in-color Pool Party, and it is just fun, totally reminds me of summer! The accent color is made using the Calypso Coral in-color, another fun color! Heck, I like them all *wink* After cutting out the pocket, I ran it through the Big Shot again using the Stripes embossing folder. Since it already has all the score lines, it was a snap to put it together, allowing me to concentrate on my pretty accents, which is ALWAYS my favorite part, lol! The Calypso Coral card stock is punched along both edges using the Eyelet Border punch and then made into a belly band that can slide off and on, but for this project just stays right where it is, lol! Those fun candy treats are made using the Sweets for the Sweet stamp set - I just stamped them in Daffodil Delight and Pink Pirouette, added some of the new Dazzling Details (available TOMORROW with the new Holiday Mini!!!!), and then punched out using the 1 inch Circle Punch! The ribbon along the bottom is the yummy Island Indigo Ruffled Ribbon with the sentiment stamped in Calypso Coral classic ink, then punched out using the Small Oval Punch. And, of course I added a rhinestone - bling is good with everything *wink*

Here is a close-up of the actual candy sticks and tag - I got them at a local candy store we have downtown - you know, the kind that has all the old fashioned candy that we all love so much?? That is one of the good things of living in a small town, you still have these kinds of places - just love it! The Petite Pocket is actually big enough to hold three of these candy treats so there are lots of different things you could use as little gifts to put a smile on someones face! I wrapped the three candy sticks in Calypso Coral Ruffled Ribbon, then added a sentiment from the Clearly For You stamp set because I wanted one small enough to not overwhelm the rest of the project :-) I punched it out using the Jewelry Tag punch, which is perfect size for small tags like this. It is tied on using Whisper White twine. I presented this cute little treat to my hostess when I was done putting it together and she just loved it! It makes ME smile when I can make someone else happy with something I made with my own hands - it beats buying something by a long mile!!! If YOU like the products you see here, all of them can be purchased in my online store, including all the new FABULOUS HOLIDAY MINI products!! Or, you can contact me and I will be happy to place your order for you :-) I hope you all have a fabulous day - mine will be filled with stamping so I just know it will be a great one!!! I will be back tomorrow with another fun project to share so until then, Happy Stamping!!
Candy Treat Recipe:
Paper - Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Whisper White card stock
Inks - Calypso Coral, Island Indigo classic inks
Stamps - Sweets for the Sweet, Clearly for You (sentiment only)
Tools - Big Shot, XL Petite Pocket Die, Stripes Embossing Folder, Eyelet Border Punch, Jewelry Tag punch, Small Oval Punch, 1 inch Circle Punch
Accessories - Island Indigo and Calypso Coral Ruffled ribbons, Whisper White twine, Basic Rhinestones, Dazzling Details(available in the Holiday Mini)

PRETTY DOILIES

2011-08-25T09:21:00.000-07:00

Good morning all! It is a beautiful day here in Northern California so I will have to be spending some time outside today in the pool :-) I love days like this - a little breeze, warm but not blazing hot, and not a cloud in the sky - makes me smile!!! I finally got my stamp room clean and back to normal - I am one of those people who cannot create unless everything is clean and back where it belongs. Drives me crazy! So, I will definitely be getting some creative time in today as well!!! My husband is still home - he took the whole week off to get used to a new routine and to get caught up on some much needed rest! It has been nice to have him home, but hard to keep to my regular routine, lol! I usually hang out in my stamp room all day long, but I feel bad doing that when he is home, I feel I should be spending that time with him! But, I DID tell him that today he might get ignored somewhat while I try and get back to business *wink*

Today I want to share with you a fun card I made using the Delicate Doilies stamp set - love it! I never thought much about doilies, I just associated them with elderly people and as decorations on the arms of chairs, heehee! So, when this set first came out, I was not blown away. But, then of course I saw some amazing things done with it and thought - WOW! I am missing out, and now I just love to play with it! Isn't that always the way?? I love this color combo too, fun and bright, which I love! The base of the card is Calypso Coral, a new yummy in-color that quickly captured MY attention because I am a huge fan of anything in the orange family :-) I paired it with Baja Breeze, and though it might be hard for you to see here, I stamped the background using the new Netting Background stamp, another new favorite of mine. The pretty lace was made using the Lace Border punch, soooo pretty! The doilies are stamped in Daffodil Delight, Island Indigo, and Calypso Coral classic inks, and then punched out using my circle and Scallop circle punches. Every other one is popped up on a dimensional to give the card some depth. Then, I had to add some rhinestones because I just think they were needed, lol! The last touch on this card was adding a bit of the super cute ruffled ribbon in Calypso Coral - this ribbon comes in all the new in-colors and is so very pretty I tend to hoard it, heehee! Don't you just love it??! This card makes me happy, and it was super fun to make! I actually did this card in a workshop, although it is a little more involved than I would normally do. However, they are a group of seasoned stampers and they had no problems at all :-) I will leave you with the recipe and if you would like any of the items featured here, you can purchase them all in my online store or by contacting me with your order. I hope you all have a wonderful day and have time to be creative!!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Calypso Coral, Baja Breeze, Whisper White card stock
Inks - Calypso Coral, Island Indigo, Daffodil Delight classic inks
Stamps - Delicate Doilies, Netting background stamp
Tools - Small Oval Punch, 1 3/4 inch, 1 3/8, 1 1/4 inch circle punches, 1 3/4 inch Scallop Circle punch, Lace Border punch, dimensionals
Accessories - Rhinestones, Calypso Coral ruffled ribbon

GETTING BACK TO NORMAL

2011-08-24T12:55:00.000-07:00

Hi all!!! I wanted to take the time out to tell all of you who have called, emailed, sent cards etc. that I TRULY appreciate you all as does my family - it is so heartwarming to know how many really care!! Thanks from the bottom of my heart <3. Things are slowly getting back to normal around here - I actually am cleaning my stamp room today from the mess I left it in last week after my workshops and classes - I never do this, but well, it was NOT a normal week! So, I am hopeful that once it is clean (was going to do this yesterday but watched movies all day with my husband instead) I will feel like doing some stamping :-) I have two events this weekend to prep for, and I need to make some things for my daughter's bathroom walls since we just painted it and bought new stuff for it. She now wants some nice pretties on the wall and THAT I can do *wink*

I thought I would share a cute workshop project I made for one of my events last week - it is a corner bookmark and just sooo fun to make and looks pretty too! I have to make some "cool" looking ones for my daughter and her best friend because they both want one, lol! I made this one using the Timeless Portrait Designer Series paper along with the Elements of Style stamp set, one of my very favorites from the catalog! I paired the DSP with Cherry Cobbler and Marina Mist - love this combo!! We punched along the bottom using the Scallop Trim border punch, and then added some pretty Victoria Lace ribbon as well! the back of the bookmark has a pocket built into it that allows it to slide right over the pages of the book or magazine you are reading to save your place for those moments you get interrupted, lol!

Here is a picture of the bookmark holding my place in the Summer Mini (which goes away at the end of this month), just to give you an idea of how it works! I think it is so cute and fun, what a great way to pretty up something practical! For my demonstration project and hostess gift, I decided to make a card that went along with the bookmark, so that if anyone wanted to give a bookmark as a gift, they had a cool way to present the gift and a card all in one! I used the same color combination for the card, adding in the Basic Black card stock for the base of the card and the bookmark placeholder. I also used a different stamp set for the sentiment. It is called Precious Butterflies, and it my absolute favorite hostess stamp set - you can only purchase this one if you host a workshop and believe me, it is soooo worth it! Just a beautiful set chock full of gorgeous butterfly images!!! Check it out - so stinkin' pretty!!!! I used some of the new yummy Cherry Cobbler scalloped polka dot ribbon - oh my!!! Love this ribbon, and it comes in eight fabulous colors (and yes, I have them all, heehee!) What is so fun about this card is the middle triangle piece - see how it is shaped like the bookmark and popped off the page a bit? Well, that is so you can slide the bookmark right over it and give the card to someone with the bookmark included! Clever, right?!

So, let me share a picture of the card with the bookmark attached. See how pretty it all looks when you put it together? I think there are lots of people out there who would appreciate this little gift - I know I have given them out, and never had anything but smiles from them, lol! My workshop gals loved it, and the hostess was thrilled that she got to keep the card with her bookmark although she DID tell me that she was NOT giving hers away, LOL! All of these items that you see here can be purchased in my online store or by placing an order with me! You can contact me and I will be happy to place your order and answer any questions you might have. Also, if you would like to book a workshop where I come over and stamp with you and your friends, I would love to do that as well!!! It is always fun to get together with friends and make pretty things :-) I love it!! Now, I am off to finish putting my stamp room back together, finishing up the laundry, and then I have to pick up the kiddos from school - no rest for the wicked, right??! Have a fabulous day and I will be back tomorrow with something fun I made in one of my other events! Until then, I hope you have time to create - go stamp something!!!

Card/Bookmark Recipe:

Paper - Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler, Marina Mist, Very Vanilla card stock, Timeless Portrait Designer Series paper

Inks- Cherry Cobbler, Marina Mist classic stampin' pads

Stamps - Precious Butterflies, Elements of Style

Tools - Scallop Trim Border punch, 1 3/8 and 1 1/4 inch circle punches, 1 3/4 inch Scallop Circle punch, Large Oval punch

Accessories - Victoria Lace ribbon, Cherry Cobbler Scalloped Polka Dot ribbon, Basic Pearl

VERY SCARY WEEK FULL OF EMOTION

2011-08-22T07:35:00.000-07:00

Good morning! I realize it has been over a week since I posted last, but it was an extremely stressful and emotional week in our house. First, my son had oral surgery to have his wisdom teeth taken out. He had a really bad reaction to the anesthesia, and had a seizure, and lost consciousness. Well, naturally I freaked out because I was with him when it happened. I immediately called the doctor, got Tyler on the couch with the help of my daughter, and got him conscious again. Then, he started to lose consciousness again and so I put a cool, wet towel on his head and this seemed to really help. I had the doctor on the phone with me for about 30 minutes as we talked with Tyler to ensure he really was okay, or if he needed to go to the emergency room. Once I got some water into him, kept the cool towel on his head, he was fine, but WOW! very scary moments for mom and sister, who was with me, and thankfully was helping me with him. I stayed up with him over night , waking him every hour to change his bandages in his mouth (not fun at all!) and then every four hours to give him his medicine to keep the pain down. Needless to say, I was exhausted by the next morning, only catching a few hours of sleep in between taking care of Tyler. At about 7:30am the next morning, I head my husband yell my name out in a panic. After seeing him, I rushed him to the emergency room where he was admitted - for the next three days, it was test after test for him as we realized a very serious thing had happened. Out of respect for him, I will not discuss this in detail, but it was a very real and frightening experience for all of us, including his parents and siblings who came to the hospital to see him. I think I aged ten years this past week. Tony is my best friend, and the love of my life - I cannot imagine life without him. I am sooo thankful he is home now, with no lasting effects of what happened. We have had to make some changes here in the Hobson family, but nothing we can't handle. Thankfully, things seem pretty much back to normal for all of us as the kids started school this morning, and Tony went in for a quick doctor's appt before he too will head back for work on Wednesday. As you probably realize, I have not been doing any creating this past ten days or so, but I plan on changing that today. I need to go to my happy place for a little while today - it really does make a difference for me! So, I will have something creative and fun to share tomorrow, but I wanted to let you all know that we are doing much better! For those of you who have been calling, and have helped out this last week, I cannot tell you how much it has meant - my love and hugs go out to all of you!!! I hope you all have a wonderful day, and remember to hug your loved ones and let them know how much you love them! Be back tomorrow!

PRETTY FLOWERS MAKE ME SMILE

2011-08-20T08:14:00.000-07:00

Good morning all!! WOW! We are having a gorgeous day today here - lots of sunshine and a nice, soft breeze - days like this make me happy :-) I will be in the craft room most of the day though as I have two classes, two workshops, and club this weekend, lol! Nothing like getting it all in on one weekend! But, with us leaving here in the next week I had to fit it all in so I will be nice and busy - just the way I like it *wink* I wanted to share a card today that I made using our new stamp set called Fabulous Florets. It is so very pretty and I just love the sentiment! I wanted to make a pretty spring/summer card because I am soooo ready for them, lol! I decided a Peach Parfait base would get me on the right track......was I right?? I love this color, so yummy! I embossed it using the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder - loooove it! The images are stamped in Pear Pizazz and Marina Mist, and I added some Basic Black cardstock in there to give it some pop! The ribbon is the oh so fun Pear Pizazz twill ribbon. The sentiment is awesome, isn't it? I just love this saying, it just makes me happy! Again, I added a small pop of black with the brads. I love how this card turned out - simple but happy, right??! That's what I am all about lately :-) If you like what you see here and would like to have some of these products to be in YOUR crafty space, you can shop online with me or contact me and place an order that way! I know that I am lovin' everything in this new summer mini - I don't know how they do it, each one that comes out is better than the last, and I just have loved them all! Soooo, I am off to run a few errands and then back to the crafting table for me, lol! I have TONS of cardstock to cut, and one more design layout to do for my scrappy gals coming over this weekend! I just love my life :-) Take care, have a wonderful day, and happy stampin'!!!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Pear Pizazz, Peach Parfait, Basic Black cardstock
Inks - Marina Mist, Pear Pizazz classic inks
Stamps - Fabulous Florets
Tools - Ticket Corner Punch, Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder
Accessories - Pear Pizazz twill ribbon, black brads

SUMMER VINTAGE MINI BOOK - JUST A TEASER :-)

2011-08-11T10:43:00.000-07:00

Good morning to all of you! It is HOT HOT HOT again here and I am wishing for a little bit of a breeze - just a little one, lol! I was standing outside with the dogs this morning and already the sun was merciless -thinking I will be staying inside or in the pool today :-) I have lots to do as I get ready for a stamping marathon weekend! I am teaching a mini book class tomorrow night so I thought I would give you a teaser by sharing just the cover of the book with you today (once I have taught the class, I can share the inside pages). I love our new patterned papers in the new catalog - they are right up my alley! For this book, I am using the Beau Chateau designer series paper and it is soooooo beautiful! The soft colors and vintage patterns lend itself VERY well for this project, not to mention I just find it very YUMMY :-) This is a 6x6 mini book, chock full of fun inserts and stamping techniques! For the cover of this, I used the Notably Ornate stamp set, which I love because it is so versatile, leaves lots of space for journaling, and well, is just darn pretty! There is lots of ribbons and embellies as you can see and the fringed flower is a new technique I am going to share with my customers. And, hold on to your panties, ladies, BUT I am going to do a video tutorial on this as well!! Yep, so many of you have been asking so I am taking the plunge - you should see this next week sometime (can't promise when) so watch for it! I am not going to give you all the details of this fun mini as of yet - remember, this is just a teaser *wink* but I WILL share after the class has been taught so if you have questions, hold off as I am sure I will answer most of them once I post it all. Now, I am off to finish kitting this lovely project and then into town I go to drop off the kid's paperwork at the high school. Two more weeks until school starts - they might not be ready, but I sure am, lol!! Have a wonderful day and I will be back with something fun tomorrow! Until then, I hope you have time to STAMP SOMETHING!!!!
Mini Cover Recipe:
Paper - Blushing Bride, Marina Mist, Very Vanilla, Soft Suede card stock, Beau Chateau designer series paper
Inks - Soft Suede, Marina Mist classic inks
Stamps - Notably Ornate, Elements of Style (sentiment)
Tools - Cropadile, Eyelet Border Punch, Circle punches (all sizes), Ticket Corner Punch
Accessories - Early Espresso narrow ribbon, Very Vanilla narrow ribbon, Very Vanilla Satin ribbon, Soft Suede taffeta ribbon, Vintage brads, Beveled Windowpanes, Victoria lace ribbon, Basic Rhinestones, mini clips

A SNEAKY PEEK OF THINGS TO COME!

2011-08-10T10:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Hump Day!! WOW! This week is flying by - I have been soooo busy getting ready for my weekend that is chock full of stamping events - my kind of weekend *wink* I love when I have fun events to look forward to because it means stamping with friends, lots of laughter, and of course seeing people I don't always get to see! So, since I can't show you those projects quite yet, I thought I would give you a sneak peek of some of the fun things to come next month with the new Holiday Mini! Yep, it is that time of year again, lol! The new mini will be available for all of you to order from starting September 1st BUT one of the perks of being a demonstrator is that I get to order a full month earlier and play :-) Cool, right?? So, while most of us are still seeing triple digits with the heat, I thought I would make a snowy card and cool things down a bit! I used the new Christmas Lodge stamp set - isn't it pretty??!! I paired it with the Frostwood Lodge Designer Series paper and some Cherry Cobbler card stock - YUM!!! And, see that ribbon in the background? That is our new Early Espresso Quilted Ribbon which is amazing and already on my next order, lol!! I really wanted to created a winter wonderland feel to this card, but did not want to use all of my new Dazzling Details glitter glue (yep, you heard me right!) so I used a small piece of the new Silver Glimmer paper, distressing one edge to look like rough mounds of snowy goodness! I did use the Dazzling Details for the roof porch, and window sills of the house - doesn't all that glitter make you happy??!! I love snow like this - I don't have to shovel it, drive in it, or take the dogs out in it, lol!

Here is a close-up of the house - I just love how this looks!! I stamped the whole image in Early Espresso ink, but then went back in with my Always Artichoke stampin' write marker and added some green to the trees. Then, I took my white gel pen and added some of that to the trees too! I love the contrast against the house :-) This was going to be a swap card, but I changed my mind so that is why I can share this one with you. *wink* I am going to be playing with this set again today to figure out what I am going to do for the swap - tough job, but somebody has to do it, lol!!! All of these products that I have featured here today will be available for you to order on September 1st and if you are already on my mailing list and have ordered in the last six months, you will be receiving a FREE Holiday Mini in the mail in the next couple of weeks!! If you don't receive one, but would like to have a hard copy of this mini, contact me and I will be happy to send one out to you! So, now I am off to get my stamp on and then go to my friend's jewelry party tonight - who doesn't like jewelry??!! Have a wonderful day, and I really hope you get the chance to STAMP SOMETHING!!!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White card stock, Frostwood Lodge Designer Series paper
Inks - Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Always Artichoke classic inks and stampin' write markers, white gel pen
Stamps - Christmas Lodge
Accessories - Silver Glimmer paper, Early Espresso quilted ribbon, mini silver brads, Dazzling Details glitter glue

A NICE MASCULINE CARD

2011-08-09T09:05:00.000-07:00

Good morning stampers!! I hope your week is going well - it is BUSY around the Hobson house, lol!! Getting ready for two workshops, two classes, and a downline meeting AND getting the kiddos ready to go back to school, lol!! But, busy is good, it keeps me out of trouble, heehee!!! So, I wanted to share another swap card I made. This one uses a set I HAD to have right away called Zoo Review - I have been WAITING and WAITING for a good zoo set because I have TONS of pics that need scrapping that are from the zoo and the wild animal park!! I snatched this one up the minute I could order, lol!!! This is the first time I have inked it up but I have lots of plans for it in the future *wink* I wanted to make a masculine birthday card - guy cards are hard for me it seems so I need the practice, lol! The base of the card is Early Espresso with the next layer being River Rock card stock that is embossed on my Big Shot using the new embossing folder called Houndstooth - yummy. Then, more card stock layers of Early Espresso and Cajun Craze to give some dimension and depth to the image piece. I chose the giraffe, which I stamped on Naturals White card stock and then stamped again on patterned paper from the Well Worn designer series paper collection. LOVE it!!! I cut the image out and paper pieced myself a giraffe that looks really like a giraffe should look :-) Cool, right?? Perfect paper for this!! The ribbon is also new and is Artichoke Denim Jean ribbon - AMAZING ribbon that I NEED more of because I can't stop using it, lol!!! I added one of the new mini silver brads (and I thought I would never use these, heehee) and the sentiment, and the card is done! Pretty simple but most masculine cards are! I DO like the way it turned out, and now I have the perfect birthday card for my nephew:-) If you like these products used here, and would like them to be in YOUR stamp room, you can order them in my online store or you can contact me and I will be happy to help you place your order! OR, you can earn them for FREE (yes, I said FREE) by hosting a workshop where I get to come and stamp with you and your friends - I would love that!!! So, now I am off to the ortho about my knee, but then back to my stamp room I come to work on my upcoming events - have I told you how much I love my job??!!! I will be back tomorrow with a sneak peek project from the upcoming mini....you DON'T want to miss it *wink*
Card Recipe:
Paper - Early Espresso, River Rock, Cajun Craze, Naturals Ivory card stock, Well Worn Designer Series Paper
Ink - Early Espresso, Cajun Craze classic inks
Stamps - Zoo Review
Tools - Big Shot, Houndstooth embossing folder, 1 inch, 1 1/4 inch, 1 3/8 inch circle punches, Ticket Corner Punch, Sponge
Accessories Always Artichoke Denim Jean ribbon, mini silver brads

A LITTLE BIT O' VINTAGE

2011-08-08T08:25:00.000-07:00

Good Monday morning all!! Well, I guess it is....is there such a thing as a "Good Monday morning"?? LOL - well, I hope your week is going well so far anyway *wink* I had a pretty quiet weekend, nothing earth shaking going on. Kayla and I repainted her bathroom (with help from her very tall brother, lol) and I stamped a lot to get ready for some classes I have coming up! Like tonight - my Advent in August Christmas Card Stamp a Stack :-) I also did some stamping for some swaps I am in, and I wanted to share one of my swap cards today. This one is made using the Forever Young stamp set, which I love because it screams vintage to me, and I seem to be drawn to that style more and more! I just love the silhouette images in this set, they make me think of fun summers, being a child, and not having a care in the world - too bad we don't find that out until we are adults, right??! So, the base of this card is Cherry Cobbler, which I then layered with some uber pretty paper from the Timeless Portrait Designer Series collection. I don't know if you can tell in the picture but I actually embossed the DSP with the Finial Press embossing folder and my Big Shot - looks awesome! (If you click on the photo it should let you get a closer look). I then stamped my image in Versamark on Newsprint Designer Series paper, covered it in black embossing powder, and heat set it using my heat gun. I tore the edges of my DSP, then sponged them using Cherry Cobbler ink - yummy!! The ribbon along the bottom is actually another pattern from the Timeless Portrait paper collection that I punched out using the Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch, and then I ran it through my Crimper, which gave it those cool folds! The sentiment piece is done also using the Forever Young stamp set, and I added some Cherry Cobbler seam binding ribbon, one of our new silver mini brads, and a pearl. I really like the way it turned out, and I hope my swap group does too - hey, I might not know any of them, but my name IS on it, lol!!! If YOU like what you see here, and want to order any of the products I used, you can place an order in my online store or contact me and I will be happy to place your order for you! OR, you can earn these products FREE by hosting a workshop with ME :-) I would love to come and stamp with you and your friends!! Now, I am off to Physical Therapy and then back home to prep for my card class later on tonight - whoohoooo, stamping with my friends, what could be better??!!! I hope you all have a fabulous day - I will be back tomorrow with another swap card I did, but until then, take some time to STAMP SOMETHING!!!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, Baha Breeze card stock, Timeless Portrait Designer Series Paper
Inks - Versamark, Cherry Cobbler classic ink
Stamps - Forever Young
Tools - Big Shot, Finial Press embossing folder, Black embossing powder, heat gun, Dotted Scallop ribbon border punch, Curly Label punch, large oval punch, Crimper
Accessories - Basic Pearls, Cherry Cobbler seam binding ribbon, silver mini brads

DREAMIN TAKE TWO

2011-08-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

Good morning all! I hope you are enjoying your weekend whatever you are doing :-) Today Kayla and I are going to repaint/redecorate her bathroom - she wants a very pale purple and gray - sooooo pretty! Right now it is a gold color and decorated in sea life so it will be a big change, lol! I will take pics when we are done - everything has already been taken out of it, but I can do the before and after I think *wink* She is very excited, so I am excited to be doing it with her!! But, I did promise to share with you the male version of the Dream Canvas I shared yesterday - this one is of my son when we were in Fort Bragg. He was standing on this huge rock formation just looking out at the water, and I had to take the picture! I LOVE how it turned out, shows Tyler's contemplative side, which we don't see very often as he is a big jokester :-) As you can see, the layout is very similar to the one I did of my daughter, just a few things moved around to accommodate the picture, and of course the colors are different -more masculine! The letters are cut out on the Big Shot with the Serif Essentials alphabet but this time using Soft Suede and the Brushed Gold card stock - love it! The lace border is also cut out in the Brushed Gold, and added to the border of the pic, which really draws your eye to it! The patterned paper is Beau Chateau, but the negative sides of the paper are used as they have a more masculine look and feel to them. The ribbon is Very Vanilla Seam Binding Ribbon with an overlay of Soft Suede Taffeta - yummy combo!!! The stamp set used is called The Open Sea - fitting, right?? I stamped the ship and the compass in Versamark, added gold embossing powder, and heat set them with my heat gun. Then, I just cut them out and popped them up on dimensionals.

Here is a close-up of the ship so you can how nice the embossed gold looks - I love it! The chipboard is from my stash and is sponged with Soft Suede classic ink. There are bitty buttons down the side of the lacy ribbon border, and then some Early Espresso twine on the side to give some visual interest. I love how this one came out too, and will have to decide where I want these two to hang because they need to be seen, lol! I hope you enjoyed seeing both versions of this canvas, and if you love the products and want them NOW, you can order them in my online store or contact me and I will be happy to help with an order *wink* I will be teaching a similar class in September so if you are interested in making a canvas, watch for the schedule and get signed up because this class always fills!! Now, I am off to put on my painting duds and get to painting with my daughter!! I hope you have a wonderful weekend - be back on Monday with something cute to show you, but until then, STAMP SOMETHING :-)
Canvas Recipe:
Paper - Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Brushed Gold card stock, Beau Chateau designer Series Paper
Inks - Soft Suede classic ink and Stampin' write marker
Tools - Lace Border punch, Eyelet Border punch, Embossing Powder, Heat Gun, Versamark, Big Shot, Serif Essentials Alphabet
Accessories - Early Espresso bakers twine, Soft Suede taffeta ribbon, Very Vanilla seam binding ribbon, designer buttons, bitty buttons, chipboard

DREAMIN'

2011-08-05T21:51:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is Friday night already - Sheesh!! I promise I have not forgotten about all of you, I just have been working on projects that I cannot share just yet, but will soon :-) I have been in my stamp room most of the week working away - don't you feel sorry for me, lol??!! I LOVE my job, so much fun!! My stamp room is not looking so pretty right now, but I made lots of pretty things IN it *wink* And, I want to share one of them with you - it's the Canvas from the Vintage Summer Canvas class I taught last week. It is one of my favorite classes to teach, I just love watching people get so excited about the piece of art they have created! I have these hanging all over my house, and they sure do make beautiful gifts as well! I actually am going to share two versions because I did the male version and the female version so my customers could choose depending on the pics they brought! I will share my male version with you tomorrow!! This first one is of my daughter - this is on the ship tour we took in the Harbor when we were in Annapolis this past May. I just loved capturing her in this moment - my heart melts when I look at this because I can still see my little girl in there underneath all that teen attitude, lol! We used the Beau Chateau Designer Series paper, sooo pretty and perfect for this project! We also used some of the brushed silver card stock and punched a beautiful lace border for the picture using the Lace Border punch! The letters were cut using my Big Shot and the Serif Essentials Alphabet - they are mirrored letters using Blushing Bride and the Brushed Silver card stock and they look fabulous together!! That pretty little journaling note is one of the many that you can get in the new Beau Chateau Side Notes pack - you get TONS of different choices, and they are all soooo pretty! I did very little journaling, just enough to remind me of where she was that day. My customers really liked the journaling addition as it is the first time we have really done any journaling on our canvases so I may have to keep doing that :-) The stamp set we used is called Creative Elements and I am totally in love with this set, it has so many beautiful images in it, and they all scream vintage!! We used the butterfly and the pretty flower, both which we stamped twice, cut out, and popped up! The flower is actually trimmed to the inner piece on the second layer and then a pretty vintage brad is added to the middle, making it really dimensional. To finish off our canvas, we added a lace border with Victorian Lace ribbon and Marina Mist satin ribbon, which we layered together and then added buttons to give it some depth. Lastly, we created a beautiful flower out of the Beau Chateau fabric and the Flower Folds die on the Big Shot - lots and lots of layers, but it really came out gorgeous!

Here is a close-up shot of how pretty this flower really is!!I just love how all of our products coordinate to make gorgeous creations - and they mix and match so well that they are all fun to play with! I loved all the beautiful canvases - no matter whether they use the same stamps or colors, the pictures make them each unique so it is always fun to see everyones finished projects! I am excited to share my male version - I think you will love that one too *wink* If you love the products you see here and want them all for your very own, you can order them all in my online store or contact me and I will be happy to take your order for you! And remember, right now is our big paper pack sale - buy three, get one free so it is a PERFECT time to stock up on all of our beautiful papers! And now, I have to go and pretend I am cold because I am stamping Christmas cards for a Stamp a Stack on Monday - very hard to do August in California :-) I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! I will be back tomorrow with the other canvas to share but until then, stamp something!!
Canvas Recipe:
Paper - Marina Mist, Blushing Bride, Brushed Silver card stock, Beau Chateau Designer Series Paper
Inks - Marina Mist, Blushing Bride classic inks, Soft Suede Stampin' Write marker (journaling)
Stamps - Creative Elements
Tools - Big Shot, Serif Essentials Alphabet dies, Flower Folds die, Lace Border Punch, Eyelet Border Punch
Accessories - Victoria Lace Ribbon, Marina Mist Satin Ribbon, Beau Chateau side notes and fabric, vintage brads, designer buttons

FRAME GIFT SET

2011-08-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday stampers!!! I woke up this morning full of ideas and headed straight back to my craft room, lol! I love days where I have nothing planned so that if I want to play all day, I can *smile* and today is one of those days!! Of course, it IS a beautiful day outside so I may have to go out for a little while and maybe hang out with the kiddos by the pool, lol! However, first I am stamping :-) I wanted to share with you the frame gift set we made in class the other night! We used the new Flirtatious Specialty Suite designer series paper - I love the fun, bright colors of this pack, it makes me happy! We started out with an unfinished wood frame and using Sticky Strip, adhered the patterned paper to the frame. There is no glass on this frame which I like so that the center can have some 3d items if you want. The yellow circles are punched from a sheet of DSP and popped up on dimensionals with some pretty rhinestones added to the center - love it!!! We used the stamp set Precious Butterflies, a hostess set that is absolutely gorgeous and definitely a favorite of mine :-)

The pretty butterflies on the frame are cut out using the Beautiful Butterflies Big Shot die, then embossed with the Finial Press embossing folder (the same one is used on the main images for the card). Across the bottom of the frame and the side of the card you can see the pretty Lace Border punch was used on some patterned paper - doesn't it look wonderful??! I really like the effect of using this new punch on the patterned paper - it really makes it pop! It's just soooooo pretty!!! And, of course we had to add some of the gorgeous pearls to make our butterflies all girly to match the frame - love those!!

And, on the frame, my favorite part is the flower - it is made out of the YUMMY Flirtatious fabric! We used the Flower Folds Big Shot die and created a beautiful embellishment! Here is a close-up picture of just the flower so you can see how pretty it turned out! It is really full and fluffy IRL! The center is a button from my collection - they were allowed to pick whatever they wanted from my big button jar, even if it is retired, which I think this one is (uh, oh!) I love it though - so I don't feel too too bad about it, lol!

The BEST part of this frame is of course the picture in the middle! The beautiful girl on the left is my daughter and the other beauty is her best friend Jordyn - these two are joined at the hip, I swear - they spend pretty much every waking moment together, lol! This was taken at the American Idol concert - I just made it black and white so I could do any color I wanted on the frame *wink* This is one of my favorite pics of the two of them - they are both smiling and look like they are really having a lot of fun! I know I didn't talk to much about the card, but all the products used on the frame were also used on the card, with the exception of the flower - I did this so if my customers want to gift this frame to someone else (they all said they were keeping it though, lol!) they had a matching gift card to go with their pretty gift! I will leave you with the recipe for this and then I am off to stamp! I am so excited to play today - I just know I am going to come up with something fun, cute, and wonderful to share with you later on this week - lol!! If you like any of the products that I used in these projects, you can order them in my online store OR contact me and I will be happy to place an order for you! Or, if you would like these products FREE, why not host a workshop? Contact me now and let's get you set up with your very own afternoon of stamping fun :-) Have a wonderful day and I will be back soon with another fun project to share :-) Until then, go STAMP SOMETHING!!!
Frame/Card Recipe:
Paper - Daffodil Delight, Wisteria Wonder, Melon Mambo, Very Vanilla card stock, Flirtatious Designer Specialty Designer Series Paper
Inks - Wisteria Wonder, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Concord Crush, Regal Rose class inks
Stamps - Precious Butterflies (hostess set)
Tools - Big Shot, Flower Folds Die, Beautiful Butterflies Die, Finial Press embossing folder, Lace Border Punch, Designer Label Punch, 1 inch Circle Punch
Accessories - Basic Rhinestones, Basic Pearls, Daffodil Delight Wide Striped grosgrain ribbon, Daffodil Delight narrow grosgrain ribbon, Buttons, Whisper White Twine

DESIGNER SERIES PAPER PROMOTION STARTS TODAY!!!

2011-08-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Dates: August 1-31, 2011
Promotion Details:
During August, get a FREE package of Stampin’ Up!’s® exclusive Designer Series Paper— a $10.95 value—when you buy three! Choose from a wide variety of designs and colors available in the 2011-2012
Idea Book & Catalog and 2011Summer Mini Catalog. Find a Designer Series Paper for every crafting occasion, every crafting project, and every creative mood. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS OFFER AND CONTACT ME TODAY

Things to Remember:

Orders may be placed on any order type (customer, demonstrator, workshop, or online).
There is no limit to the number of free packages of Designer Series Paper a customer can earn.
Specialty Designer Series Paper and Hostess Designer Series Paper are not part of this promotion and cannot be redeemed through this offer.

So, what are you waiting for?? Head on over to my online store and place that paper order today - FREE is always good :-)

A SPECIAL BIRTHDAY

2011-07-29T11:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday all!!! I am so glad it is Friday - I am ready to spend some time with my husband :-) I feel like we have been high fiving in the doorway as we both are rushing around to and from work, kids events, errands, etc. I am teaching tomorrow but Sunday we are going to take the boat out and have some fun on the lake, and I am very much looking forward to that!!! Saturday my daughter is also participating in a very special birthday event for one of her best friends - a Quinceanera. This is a special party that is celebrated in the Hispanic culture for girls who turn 15. Sort of like a sweet sixteen party :-) So, Kayla asked me if I would make her a card (of course!) for her birthday, and so I decided to use one of the fun stamp sets I purchased from our Spanish catalog. Many of the sets are the same, just the sayings are in Spanish; however, there are some sets we don't have and this is one of them! It is specifically for this special event, and so it was perfect for making the card! My daughter's dress is gorgeous - it is coral in color with sparklies all through it, just a beautiful dress! The birthday girl is wearing a white dress with coral accents, so I thought our new in-color Calypso Coral was perfect! This is a square card, which is probably my favorite size card to make. I used the new patterned paper called Domestic Goddess, I just loved the pretty flowers and colors of this particular pattern! I used my Scallop Trim border punch on both sides as well as the patterned paper strip going across the middle of the card. All the images are from the stamp set Quinceanera, which can only be found in the Spanish version of the catalog - if you want to see it, you can click on the image in my sidebar the right, and it will take you directly to the catalog :-) I stamped the pretty birthday girl in stazon, then accent colored the dress with my Calypso Coral stampin' marker. I used my two-way glue pen and my dazzling diamonds glitter to make the dress and crown all pretty and sparkly just like the dress she is going to wear! Can you see how pretty it looks? If you click on the pic it should make it bigger - it is soooo sparkly IRL, I just love it! The ribbon is the new Calypso Coral Ruffled Ribbon, which is available in all our new in-colors. It is soooo pretty! The sentiment is also stamped in Stazon, punched out, and mounted on a Calypso Coral scallop circle, then popped up with dimensionals. I am very happy with how this turned out! However, since this is a special card, I also had to do the inside because I wanted the card to look finished, lol!
So, here is a pic of what I did to the inside of the card! I stamped the crown, flowers, and the word in Stazon, and again accented with the Calypso Coral marker, but I also added some rhinestones to the crown and the flowers on the bottom as well! I think every girl deserves a little bling, don't you *wink* so, there is plenty of room left for Kayla to write her secret birthday message to her friend (I was not allowed to see it, lol) and my daughter loved the card as well! So, that means I was successful because if I can get the 14-year old stamp of approval, I am good! If you like this set, you can order from the Spanish catalog in my online store as well! Or, you can contact me and I can assist you in putting your order in! I will leave the recipe below so you have all the pretty ingredients in one spot, and again, if you have questions, please feel free to ask! I am now off to prep for tomorrow's canvas class, which is one of my favorite classes to teach! I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and get some time to be creative!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Calypso Coral, Whisper White card stock, Domestic Goddess Designer Series Paper
Stamps - Quinceanera (from the Spanish version of our catalog)
Inks - Calypso Coral stampin write marker, Black Stazon ink
Tools - Scallop Trim Border Punch, 1 3/8 inch Circle punch, Scallop Circle punch, mat pack and paper piercer, two-way glue pen
Accessories - Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Calypso Coral ruffled ribbon, basic rhinestones

OPEN HOUSE EVENT!

2011-07-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

Good morning all! I have been CRAZY busy around here getting the kids ready to go back to school, two workshops, classes, and yes, I had my Open House :-) We had soooo much fun so I thought I would share the pics as well as the cute make n' takes they did! This first pic is of the display table of items made with items from the new catalog!! Sorry for the glare - my cards are in plastic pockets so I can switch them out, lol! I have to say, my customers LOVED looking at everything on this table, I think it helps when deciding what you want from the new catty to actually see it used - I know that happens to me anyway, heehee! I had fun making all of these things - the little houses you see in the corner was actually a kit I got at Convention, and I had a great time putting it together!
Here is a closer look at the little village I made: isn't it cute? I added some extras of my own although the kit came loaded with really everything I needed to make this! You probably can't tell but I put my address on the one house, lol! I just love all the pretty details although cutting out all those little circles for the roof was not as fun as I would have liked, heehee! But, it sure was worth it seeing how awesome they all look on roof - just like shingles only way better!! I plan on making another one of these for my house at Christmas time - can't you see cute little gingerbread houses that make up a village? I can't wait until I can get my husband to cut the wood for me so I can play around with this idea - I just love the thought of a gingerbread village :-)

These next few pictures are of the cute little make n' takes they all got to make during the Open House - they really seemed to like them and they all used new sets and colors from the new catalog so it was a chance to get to play with some of the new products!! I am not going to list all the fun things we used, but if you have a specific question, you know you can ask and I will get right back to you! These are little 3x3 cards - so perfect to slip in someones lunch or include in a gift bag! These are one of my favorite size cards to make and I use them all the time! Here is the third one! I just love the bright, cheery colors of all three and my guests also really enjoyed making them as well! In fact, one of then told me they were nice, happy cards, lol! Just the kind of cards I love to make :-) Happy cards for happy stampers, right?? I would like to share a few pics of the wonderful ladies who shared this fun event with me - they are so used to me having my camera out all the time, now they pose, lol!! I love it though - they are all good sports and wonderful friends - the best part of what I do!!! I have made sooo many great friends through stamping, and I cherish each and every one of them!

This first picture shows two of my favorite peeps Maggie and Lori, who are diligently stamping away at the make n' take table, lol! I love these ladies - they are so much fun to be with! Maggie actually just joined my team of stampers - I am sooooo excited for her because she truly loves to stamp and scrapbook, she always has a smile on her face! I am looking forward to all the great projects she has planned already - the woman is amazing!!! This one is of my friend Teri who is working on the scavenger hunt game - it was such a great game; they had to use their catalogs to find the answers! Every one who came to the Open House played all the games, and told me they really enjoyed them!

I also got this great picture of my new friend Sarah - isn't she beautiful? I just love her pretty smile! Sarah was the winner of one of my grand prize door prizes - she won a whole set of the clear blocks and the carrying case! Needless to say she is thrilled! She is a new stamper, and has already fallen in love with all the fun things you can do with stamps! All in all, it was a great day filled with lots of laughter, teasing, chatting, eating, and of course stamping! I loved every minute of it, and am already looking forward to my holiday Open House when we get to do it all over again :-) I hope you enjoyed what I shared, and if you are local, you are more than welcome to come to the next event I hold - I sure would love to have you there! Now, I am off to prep for my class tonight but I will be back tomorrow to show you the fun frame and gift card we are making tonight! Until then, happy stampin'!

GIFTS FOR SPECIAL FRIENDS

2011-07-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday everyone!!! I am busily getting ready for my Open House tomorrow and I have TONS to do today so I need to get going! First though, I wanted to share two of the gifts I made for two lovely ladies who I wanted to thank for being such wonderful friends! They are both little shadow boxes that you can either hang or just stand on a shelf or wherever. This first one I made for my sweet friend and sideline Christie whose tough Jersey exterior tries but can't hide a good heart the size of Texas underneath :-) Christie is a wonderful friend, and I love being around her because she always makes me laugh, and reminds me not to take everything so serious - love that girl!! I made this one with butterflies because she LOVES LOVES LOVES them - even more than me and that is sayin' something, lol!! Lots of texture on this project as well - the butterflies are cut out with my Big Shot die and then embossed with the Finial Press embossing folder. The patterned paper is actually from a hostess offering called Cheerful Treat - it's a whole pack of 12x12 paper and I think it is YUMMY!!! I used my Eyelet border punch on it to give it some visual interest and then added that pretty lace on top which is punched with our new Lacy border punch out of Rose Red. The background is Wisteria Wonder and is stamped with the French Filigree background stamp, one I have been using a lot lately - I just love how elegant it looks! The half scallop circle was also cut on the Big Shot and embossed again with the Finial Press folder. And, see that cute circle the sentiment is stamped on? It comes from the new Big Shot Die called Perfect Pennants - love, love, love this new die!!! I threaded some of the pretty new Wisteria Wonder ruffled ribbon through the edges and just love how it makes it pop!

This second frame is for my sideline Cathy, whom I have never actually met in person, but who was so very sweet and helpful to me in recent months. So, I wanted to show her how much I totally appreciate her! She is EXACTLY the reason why I love Stampin' Up! soooo much - without a thought, she was there to offer her help and friendship and a fellow demonstrator - isn't that awesome??!!! So, thanks Cathy, you ROCK!!!! Her frame has a similar layout but is made with completely different papers, colors, and embellishments. I used the Paisley Petals patterned paper as my color chart, with River Rock as the base, which is stamped using the French Filigree background stamp (see, I told you I love it, LOL!) I cut a Top Note Die in half and embossed it using the new Houndstooth embossing folder, which I think look amazing! I did the same type of design for the sentiment, but used Pear Pizazz ribbon this time. The pretty flower is made using the Fancy Flower punch, some pretty Victoria lace ribbon, and a vintage brad, all sprayed with shimmer mist - sooooo pretty! And, I did add lots of pearls because it seemed to need some pretties *wink* I hope she likes it - she was not at Convention so I sent it home with Christie, since they live close to each other. My favorite thing to do is stamp and make things for friends, customers, family, etc. It brings me a lot of happiness, and that is why I stamp!!!! If you have to have any of the items featured here, you can purchase them in my online store or you can contact me and I will be happy to place an order for you!! And, don't forget: the $99 kit special is still going on but it ends this month, so if you have ever thought of being a demonstrator, now is the time - I know I would LOVE for you to join my team :-) Now, I am off to get ready for tomorrow's Open House - if you are local and would like to come by, please do - this is a FREE event showcasing lots of new catalog items, and we are going to do make 'n takes, product demonstrations, play games, and yes, there are prizes to win as well *wink* Check out my website and look on my events calendar for all the details and come on by - I would love to see you!! Have a fabulous weekend everyone - and, I hope you take some time to create something :-)

MY SWAPS FOR CONVENTION

2011-07-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

Good morning all!!! It is sooooo HOT here in California already - it is 7:30am and already hitting 80 - I think I am going to MELT, ugghhhhhhhhhh! So, I will be staying in my stamp room today, lol!!!! I thought today I would share the two swap cards I made for Convention. I only made two different ones this year since I decided last minute that I was going BUT I think they both turned out cute :-) The first one is pretty simple (well, they both are really) but I love how it turned out! I used some of the new yummy designer series paper called Paisley Petals - this paper is GORGEOUS, I just love it!! I used the stamp set called Precious Butterflies which is actually a Hostess Set. Isn't it purdy??! You can earn this set FREE by hosting a workshop or placing a $150 order - so, what are you waiting for?? *wink* I love all the different sized butterflies you get in this set! I actually stamped directly onto the patterned paper and I quite like the effect! I also used my Eyelet Border punch along the edge of the paper, and added some of the pretty Victoria lace ribbon at the top. See, pretty simple, right? But, I think it would still make someone smile to receive this one in the mail, don't you? I am learning that to be pretty, a card does not have to have a million layers on it, lol! But, I still like to make those kinds of cards too *wink* Here is the recipe for this card - very quick and easy!!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Crumb Cake card stock, Pretty Paisley Designer Series Paper
Inks - Not Quite Navy, Peach Parfait, Old Olive classic inks
Stamps - Precious Butterflies (hostess set)
Tools - Eyelet border punch
Accessories - Victoria lace ribbon

This second card is actually ALMOST a one layer card. The base of this one is Elegant Eggplant, not a color I normally reach for. BUT, I wanted to use the new Wisteria Wonder in-color and they go beautifully together. I took the Wisteria Wonder card stock and embossed it on the Big Shot using our brand new Houndstooth embossing folder - loooovvvve it!!!!! It makes this card really pop! Then, I used a piece of Rose Red card stock and made that pretty lacy piece using our new ribbon border punch called Lace Ribbon Border punch. Now, this punch is quite a bit larger than our other border punches so it takes a little getting used to, but once you figure it out, you are punching happily away making beautiful borders for your cards and scrappy pages! I just love it - I mean, I punched 100 of these for my swaps, lol!!! The stamps I used are actually all different - the Baja Breeze circle is stamped with the French Filigree background stamp and the sentiment piece is actually stamped with the Fine Flourish background stamp. I just love my background stamps, I think they add that perfect texture and dimension that cards need. The quotation is stamped right over that background and it is also from the Precious Butterflies stamp set. Such a great versatile set, so much you can do with it. I did add a little Rose Red seam binding ribbon and some small pearls to give it some pretty accents - I mean, every card should have some bling, right, lol??!! Here is the recipe for this card!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Elegant Eggplant, Wisteria Wonder card stock
Inks - Baja Breeze, Wisteria Wonder, Rose Red classic inks
Stamps - French Filigree, Fine Flourish, Precious Butterflies (hostess set)
Tools - Big Shot, Houndstooth embossing folder, 2 1/2 inch Circle punch, Designer Label punch, Lace border punch
Accessories - Rose Red seam binding ribbon, basic pearls
I just love swapping and I received some beautiful swaps back this year so I am excited about that!! If you like any (or all, heeheee) the products you see here, you can order them in my online store or contact me and I will be happy to help you place an order! I hope you liked seeing my Convention swaps- I sure liked making them :-) I will be back tomorrow to share some of the fun gifts I made for my Convention buddies, but until then, go and stamp something, it is the BEST kind of therapy :-)

MORE FUN CONVENTION PICS

2011-07-19T12:20:00.000-07:00

Hi there!! Been so busy this morning that I almost forgot to do my Convention Post - YIKES!!! I have so much I want to share including one of my Convention swaps! Sooooo, here goes! This first pic I really should have shared yesterday, but I forgot. It is the theme of Convention - Grow - which I love because it can mean many different things and apply. The gentleman in the picture is Rich Jutkins, President of Stampin' Up! Let me tell you, every time I hear this man speak, he brings me to tears, and this time was no exception! He is a very dynamic speaker and speaks from the heart, which I am sure is why he is such a great fit for this company! He is amazing, and I am so glad we get the chance to hear from him at every event! So, the next pics I want to share are from the product inspiration area and I will tell you, I was very inspired! I am not going to go into detail on these, just want to post them for you to enjoy!

The displays at Convention are always amazing and this year I thought they were the best I have seen in the four years I have been a demonstrator! I could have stood and looked at these all day! Here are a few of the cards, and home decor items that were in one display - you know I just had to share those butterflies since they are a favorite of mine, right??! I was definitely on the look out for owls too, lol! And yes, I got a few which I will also share *wink*

Aren't these flowers beautiful??!! I am in awe of how big they are - just love them!! Lots of our new designer series paper in these displays, and I have to say, this years paper selection for me is just awesome, I love it all! Of course, these flowers DO use a lot of paper, but WOW! I think they are totally worth it - can you imagine a display like this in YOUR crafty area?? And, look at that whole drawerful of beautiful designer fabric - I sooooo want this in my house, lol! Just pure yumminess! I loved the super cute nursery

suite display, especially the bird cage with those adorable birdies! This new suite is full of cuteness, and I want an excuse to play with it - anyone having a baby who needs a card??? ROFL - I would LOVE to make something out of this :-) And, if you look at the next picture (below) you will see that I indeed DID find some owl projects, LOL! Just love how they decorated our really fun Big Shot Candy Wrapper - soooooo fun! I can see these as wonderful little goodie holders at a shower, birthday, whatever you are celebrating! They are soooo versatile and really easy to put together - that is why I just LOVE my Big Shot :-) So many fun projects you can do and pretty quickly too!

I fell in love with the Domestic Goddess Suite as soon as I saw it in the new catalog - I had ideas spinning through my head with fun ways to play around with this to make all kinds of cool projects! So, when I saw this awesome display showcasing the product line, I was thrilled! It is super fun, bright, cheerful, and totally makes me smile! Check out the giant spool behind that front card - I just think that is the coolest and wish I knew where to find big ones like that - I would have lots of them in my crafty area!

Then I saw this fabulous wagon - I still have one from when my kids were younger and I just love this idea of displaying our starter kit inside of it, all jazzed up and full of product! I would have no problem at all pulling this wagon of goodies home with me - I just figured if I took the display one, they might notice, heehee! Such a cute idea, I totally love the burlap sacks! Wouldn't it be nice to wake up one morning, walk outside, and see one of these cuties parked there just waiting for you to dive in and check it all out??!! And, right now, with the $99 starter kit Stampin' Up! is offering, you can get YOUR starter kit delivered right to YOUR front door, although it will come in a big brown box - but hey, it will be all yours! You have to do this before the 31st of July though because that is when the special will end! If you are interested in getting started as a demonstrator, contact me and I will totally help you out - I would love to have you as part of my team! Being a demonstrator has brought great joy to my life, and I love to share this with others so they can experience some of the wonderful things that I have in the last four years :-)

This next picture showcases the yummy designer series paper that is offered as a hostess special - I actually ordered some with my last order, and I have to say the pictures of this paper do not do it justice- it is pure yumminess, with bright, fun colors that will work on all kinds of projects! I have some ideas already and can't wait to get them stamped and ready to show you! Next is a beautiful display with a handmade wreath featuring flowers created using our fun

patterned papers and some very cute card projects that celebrate Spring and Easter. I just love how happy this display is - soooolol! So, that is what I have to share with you all today - I hope you are enjoying all the super cute and fun projects from Convention! Tomorrow I will share my swap cards and some more product displays - until then, happy stampin' and do something fun today :-)

MY BETTER LATETHAN NEVER CONVENTION POST :-)

2011-07-18T09:46:00.000-07:00

Hello all!! WHEW!!! I am home from Convention and all I can say is AMAZING!!!!! I had very good intentions of posting each day I was there but I was getting up at 6am and going to bed at night at 12 or 1am so no time for posting AT ALL!! I managed to make a few FB comments, but that was it! Sooooo, I thought I would share a few highlights over the next few days to make up for it :-) First off, I wanted to share that I EARNED THE INCENTIVE TRIP TO DISNEY WORLD FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME!!!! I am soooo very excited, I got to walk across the stage for the very first time at Convention, earned FREE stamp sets, got some great new pins of recognition, and I get to take my family on a rockin' free vacation!!! Here is the first picture - it is Jen, Kimberly, and me- my sideline andupline who also earned the trip! Can you tell how happy and excited we all are, lol?!!! It was so very cool to join these two talented ladies up on stage!

Here is a picture of my badge that I got to wear showing all the neat things Stampin' Up! gives you to highlight your achievements of the year. Believe me, some of these ladies have like seven of those little tags under their badges and a ton of little pins, but hey, I was THRILLED to my toes to wear the ones I got :-) It is just amazing how this company makes you feel sooooo special with everything you do - from each and every little milestone you achieve, they are right there with you cheering you on!! It is sooooo very cool to be part of something as AWESOME and FABULOUS as Stampin' Up! Okay, so one of the BEST parts of Convention are the other demonstrators there - I have made some wonderful friends over the last four years through these events and this year was no exception! I roomed with three other members of my group under Kimberly, although I had never met any of them as they all live in Colorado Springs. Well, let me tell you, I have NEVER laughed so much as I did with these three fun, warm, and giving ladies!! I made three great friends and I will cherish them forever!!

Here are some pics of on Awards Night with our other friend and sideline Christie who is the beautiful lady in the very middle!! My room-mates are Amanda, Donna, and Josie - aren't they all just gorgeous??!! I love you ladies!!!! Here is another shot of Amanda, Donna, and I - Josie was off getting into trouble I am sure, lol!!!! It felt good to laugh as much as I did - they are the best roomies a gal could ask for and I look forward to seeing them in January at Leadership (hint,hint)! So, I am guessing you would like to see some of the fab projects SU! shared with us?? Oh, and the new mini products ladies - hold on to your panties, they OUTDID THEMSELVES AGAIN!!! I am sooooo thrilled with the new mini - can't wait to be able to share the actual products with you all ! But, what I can do is share some of the fun projects made with our new stuff so here are a few!!!

This first projects is made with some of our fun new holiday sets from the upcoming mini (available for demos to preorder out of on August 1st and customers can start ordering September 1st). It is a fun little gift package of shortbread cookies that are decorated using the new cookie press stamps we are going to have - oooh, I cannot WAIT to get my hands on these!!!

Here is another shot of the cookies themselves - aren't they just the cutest??!!
I just love that we can make custom cookies using stamps - what a fabulous gift this will make!!!! Although, they are so very cute, you may not want to eat them, lol!!! However, since shortbread happens to be one of my ultimate fave type of cookie, I just might have to make the sacrifice and eat one or two *wink* I mean, if I run out, I can always stamp some more, right?? And, of course I will want to share so there will be LOTS of these cuties made in the Hobson household this holiday season *wink*

Another very cute project that we got to see was these adorable stockings - I just love Christmas and these are sooooo stinkin' CAUTE!!! I can imagine me making TONS of these to string along my mantle with my families names on them!! So adorable - another MUST have for me (sheesh, I want it ALL, ROFL!!) Since buttons are a particular weakness of mine, I totally adore these fun stockings - they are traditional and look handmade, everything I totally love about Christmas! Ahhhhh, another one that will have to be MINE all MINE come August 1st :-) Hurry up and get here, lol - I want to place my preorder! Another great perk of being a demonstrator, and one I tend to take advantage of with every new release *wink*

Last, but by no means least is this beautiful Christmas box that YOU can actually own if you sign up to be a demonstrator by July 31st! Yep, if you become a part of my team by the end of this month, not only will you get a fabulous starter kit for only $99, but you will also receive everything you need to make this gorgeous Christmas box FREE!! And, since I am having a get together at my house to make these with the new members of my team, you also get a really fun girls night with me and my new team members complete with dinner and everything :-) And, just look at this box??!! Don't you want to have one of your very own??!!!! I would LOVE to have you on MY team so email me and let's chat - but hurry, this offer is only good until the 31st of July and then it is gone along with the fabulous $99 kit!!! I for one am really looking forward to putting this beauty together with the fun new members of my team - I am ALWAYS up for a girls night in :-) Soooo, I have shared some fun stuff today from Convention and believe me, my head is spinning with all the great new ideas and products they shared with us!! I will show a few more fun projects tomorrow so make sure you check back to see what else we got to see at Convention! Until then, I hope you find time to STAMP SOMETHIN' :-)

AT CONVENTION AND LOVIN' IT!!!

2011-07-13T15:07:00.000-07:00

This is a VERY quick post to let you all know that I have made it to Convention and I am taking LOTS of pictures to share with you :-) I am having a BLAST - can't wait to share with all of you!! And, just so you are not feeling like I left you NOTHING to look at, this is one of the 3d gifts I made for a wonderful friend and team-member that I only get to see at these events - I really hope she likes it *wink* And, I hope you do too! It's a frame shadow box that I made with our new papers, ribbons, and punches! If you have any questions, let me know :-)

A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY WEEKEND

2011-07-06T08:46:00.000-07:00

Good morning all!! I hope you enjoyed your long holiday weekend - I know we certainly did!!! We had a big bbq here at our house on Sunday night with all of our family, and we swam, ate, drank, and laughed until late into the night! It was a lot of fun! Then, on Monday, we went to my SILs house for another bbq, more swimming, and of course, fireworks!! It was so much fun - I had to spend all day yesterday catching up on all the things I just did not do so I could play, but it was oh so worth it!! This first picture is my handsome man - he just loves the pool, and I love this pose, lol! He is in this pool every night after work - I am so very glad we put this in last summer and at least this summer, we get to enjoy it the whole summer instead of just one month!
This next shot is my daughter Kayla who was doing her best not to let me take any pics of her but I waited her out, and when she came up for air, I snapped the shot! She is beautiful - I love taking pics of her! And, here is one of all the cousins standing under the waterfall - those kids were in the pool for six hours straight - talk about some tired kiddos! And, they all stayed over that night, and it was nice to have a house full of kids again!

They got up the next morning, and after a big breakfast of pancakes, sausage, and bacon, they were back in the pool until it was time to leave to go to my SILs house! They are all just water babies, and I love it - not only are they having fun, but they are outside in the sunshine, and getting some exercise as well!

Tony was the official chef of the afternoon, not that he minds - he loves to bbq! As you can see, most of the adults hovered under the shade in the outdoor kitchen, although us ladies were in the pool a good three hours chatting while the guys served us margaritas - not a bad deal, right, lol??!! They were really good because Tony created this wonderful concoction with real fruit in it, and it was oh so refreshing - we just had to be careful because when they are that good, they go down rather quickly, lol!
And, check out the yummy food we had! Tri-tip, grilled zucchini, fresh grilled corn on the cob - yummo! And, we had some wonderful fresh salads and fruit to accompany all of this - needless to say, nobody went hungry, lol! If there is one thing this family knows how to do, it is to eat, heehe!

In fact, the only thing that got Tyler outside with the rest of us was the lure of the smell - he finally came out and just chilled while waiting for dinner to be done as he said he did not feel much like swimming - what??! It was 109 degrees - in that kind of heat, I am ALWAYS ready to so swimming, lol!
So, he just hung out in the shade getting picked on unmercifully by his Uncles and his dad, although Tyler gives out as good as he gets these days! He is bigger than some of them now, and so he can hold his own, pretty much!!! So, there you have it - a fun day by the pool, relaxing with family - I think it is the BEST way to spend a weekend! Okay, so I will be back with something crafty to share tomorrow - I have been stamping, but a lot of it I can't share yet because it is for specialty swaps at Convention, BUT there are a few and I will post some tomorrow :-) I hope you weekend was a fun as ours was! Thanks for stopping by and letting me share a little piece of my family with all of you! Time goes by so fast, each moment with them is precious- make sure you hug them, and tell them how much you love them - they never get tired of hearing that!! And, if you get a chance, Stamp Something today :-)

WHOOOOHOOOO!!! NEW CATALOG AND CHECK OUT THE SPECIAL!

2011-07-01T09:31:00.000-07:00

Dates: July 1-31, 2011

Promotion Details: A limited-time $99 Starter Kit ($180 Value--See Kit Contents below!) is the perfect choice for the hobby stamper and lover of Stampin' Up! products.

SAVE!!! Enjoy the new Stampin' Up! 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog using a one-time 30% Off Start Up Discount on product orders of $150 or more (placed within 45 days of start).

Get 20% off future Stampin' Up! orders, oodles of exclusive resources and the opportunity to pre-order new products.

Hobby stampers are welcome to my Butte County Big Shots Team!!!

PLUS Get a Christmas Keepsake project kit (example below) absolutely FREE--a $40 value! This exclusive kit contains everything you need to create a beautiful Christmas Keepsake Box to hold your most treasured Christmas memories. It will be available with your first demonstrator order in August and must be redeemed by Sept. 30.

The Christmas Keepsake Box Project Kit--a $40 value--contains the following products (quantities are 1 unless otherwise noted). It's included with any $99 Stampin' Up! Starter Kit purchase (only available July 1 - July 30). Keepsake Box Project Kit will be included in the first demonstrator order placed between Aug. 1 and Sept. 30, 2011.

Pines & Poinsettias Set (wood-mount)
Keepsake box
Scallop borders (cut from Tasteful Trim Bigz XL Die)
- First Edition Designer Series Paper (3)
- Holly Berry Designer Series Paper (6)
First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper strip (2)
Holly Berry Designer Series Paper piece*
Real Red Top Note (cut from Top Note Bigz Die)
Real Red Decorative Label (cut from Matchbook Bigz XL Die)
Wild Wasabi Card Stock strips (3)
Naturals Ivory Card Stock piece
Holly Berry Bouquet Designer Fabric*
Real Red 1-1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon
Real Red 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon
Victoria 5/8" Crochet Trim
Linen Thread
Champagne Fine Galaxy Stampin' Glitter
Vanilla Pearl 1/2" Simply Adorned Bauble
Pearl Basic Jewels (1 pkg.)
Holly Berry Bouquet Designer Buttons*
- Large Wild Wasabi
- Small Real Red
Mini Vintage Tags

Additional Supplies Needed

Early Espresso Stampin' Write Marker
Real Red Stampin' Write Marker
Wild Wasabi Stampin' Write Marker
Adhesives
3/16" Corner Punch
Scallop Circle Punch
Paper Cutter
Paper Snips
Needle
Glue gun *From the 2011 Holiday Mini Catalog!

$99 Starter Kit Contents

Contains over $180 in products and business supplies--including new products from the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog! You CAN substitute a similar item of equal or lesser value.

PAGE ITEM DESCRIPTION


57	123225	Easy Events Clear-Mount Set*
69	122740	Pennant Parade Wood-Mount Set*
177	102277	Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad
177	105216	Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad
177	103133	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad
177	119706	Brights 8-1/2" x 11" Assorted Card Stock
180	101179	Basic Black Classic Stampin' Pad
182	107311	Whisper White Note Cards (20)
185	124339	Just Add Cake Designer Series Paper*
195	124142	Chocolate Chip 1/2" Scallop Dots Ribbon*
203	122129	Blender Pen (1)
205	118486	Clear-Mount Block C
206	104332	SNAIL Adhesive

*New to the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog!

Business Supplies
The business supplies in these promotional mini kits will be the same business supplies that are in existing starter kits; no alternative selections can be made for business items.

Getting Started DVD
Getting Started Guide
Guest Invitation Postcards (100)
2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog (8)
2011 Summer Mini Catalog (8)
Stampin' Up! logo vinyl
Décor Elements applicator
To My Hostess Envelopes (10)
My Digital Studio Marketing DVD
Recruit Folders (5)
Recruit Brochures (20)
Customer Order Forms (50)

HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE $99 KIT OR JOINING THE BUTTE COUNTY BIG SHOTS TEAM? EMAIL ME AND I WILL ANSWER ALL YOUR QUESTIONS RIGHT AWAY!

BE A VIP - CHECK OUT THE SPECIALS BELOW!!!!!

2011-06-30T23:00:00.000-07:00

********THIS POST WILL REMAIN AT THE TOP OF MY BLOG UNTIL JULY 1ST. CHECK BELOW FOR NEWER POSTS***********

Good Monday morning all!!! WHEW!! It has been BUSY here at the Hobson household - lots of stamping, classes, workshops, etc. so I have not had a MINUTE to post BUT I am today so I hope you are all still stopping by to see me :-) I have TONS of information and news to share with you so I will do that first, and then, in my next post this morning, I will share a fun little workshop card that we made this past weekend! So, first, let's talk about a VERY EXCITING PROMOTION I am offering RIGHT NOW!! Check this out!!!

ANNUAL CALIFORNIA STAMPIN’ OPEN HOUSE AND PRODUCT SALE

(BE A VIP AND SHOP FIRST FOR THE BEST DEALS AND RECEIVE A GOODIE BAG FROM ME – SEE ALL THE DETAILS BELOW)

It’s that time again – that special time of year when one catalog retires, and a brand-new, chock full of fabulous new product catalog arrives!! The new catalog will go LIVE on July 1^st and believe me, it is AWESOME!!!! And, with the new catalog comes my Annual Open House, which you DON’T WANT TO MISS!!!! Check out all the details:

IT’S MY ANNUAL OPEN HOUSE/CALIFORNIA STAMPIN’ SALE

Date: Saturday, July 9^th, 2011

Where: 286 Torry Drive, Oroville, CA 96966 (My House)

When: 10am – 3pm (come at any time between or stay the whole time J)

What: Fun Make ‘n Takes, New Catalog Samples, Fun Stampin’ Games, Prizes, Yummy Snacks, and More!

THE SALE: Paper, Stamps, Ribbon, Inks, Big Shot Dies, Accessories, Simply Scrappin’ Kits – Soooooo Many Goodies!!!

Don’t Miss Out!!! Bring Family and Friends – the more people you bring with you, the better chance you have at the prizes! Tickets will be given at the door!

GRAND PRIZE: A shopping spree on ME!!!! The biggest order will win!!!!!

RSVP with Alex at (530) 589-6900 or email lilstamper@yahoo.com

Hope to see you there!!!!!

BE A VIP! Spend $100 (before tax and shipping) through either my online store or place an order with me (anytime between now and June 30^th) and you will receive a GOLDEN TICKET to shop one day early! VIP hours on Friday will be from 6PM-9PM OR you may check out the list of all sale items and place them on hold until Saturday (items must be picked up and paid for by noon on Saturday or hold will be released). Ensure YOU get the best choice of what is for sale!!!! ALL VIPS WILL RECEIVE A GOODY BAG FROM ME WHEN THEY CHECK OUT!

Shopping Online is so easy!! Just go to my online store and click on SHOP NOW. There are plenty of fabulous deals this month including up to 40% off on some products. ALL ONLINE ORDERS WILL RECEIVE A VIP GOLDEN TICKET so head on over there now!!!
If you are out of State and place an order - no worries! You will receive a PDF File of everything there will be for sale. Pictures can be provided if requested.
SAVE THE DATE - VIP /Friday July 8th
Open to Everyone Saturday July 9th
Spread the word. Let your family, friends and co-workers, and neighbors know about this fabulous event.

SEE???!!! I told you you did not want to miss it, lol!!!! This is a fabulous event, and I know a lot of you look forward to it each year - and this year, let me tell ya, the fun is OVER THE TOP! I hope each and every one of you can make it - I know I would love to see you!!!!!

A THANK YOU FOR SOMEONE SPECIAL

2011-06-29T13:14:00.000-07:00

Good morning to you all!! I hope you are enjoying your day so far! I am - I am being very productive today, lol! Those kinds of days always make me feel soooooo good!!! I will be posting my July schedule today of classes and events so I hope you find something there that you really like! I also am changing my newsletter to show sneek peeks of the actual projects we will be doing so stay tuned for that as well! Today I want to share with you a card I made for one of my sidelines who is as sweet as can be, and helped me out in a great way recently!!! I used one of our new hostess sets called Precious Butterflies and it is PURE BEAUTY!!! I LOVE our new hostess sets, and I love our new hostess program, which I will posting in detail about later this week. There are lots of yummy new products on this particular card - I am having lots of fun playing with my preview items- one of the great perks about being a demo is we get to order early *wink* You too can be a demo, and if you are interested, ask me how!! Soooo, the base of this card is called Calypso Coral, one of our new in-colors and already a favorite for me! LOVE how summery it feels, AND it totally reminds me of vacationing in the Caribbean (or maybe I just want to really bad, lol!) The images are stamped in Wild Wasabi, Calypso Coral, and Baja Breeze - totally YUMMY combination :-) The patterned paper is also new and is part of the Eat Cake collection. I knew right away I would like it, I mean I love cake, lol! I cut my circles using the 3 inch circle die for my Big Shot, then ran it through the machine again with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder - isn't it purdy??!! And yes, that is new ribbon you see there- yummy scalloped polka dot ribbon to be exact! I had so much fun making this card and playing with all my new toys!! If you have fallen in love with these new products, you may start ordering them in my online store as of noon on July 1st!!! That is only two days away - WHOOOHOOO!! And, if you are already putting your new catty order together, you may email me your list and I will ensure it gets entered in right away! I have heard from many of you that you received your new catalog from me already and have started that wish list - good for you!! And yes, I have one too, lol!!! Now, I am off to get some more things ready for my Open House and July classes. I hope you all find time to be creative today as well - until tomorrow, happy stampin'!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Calypso Coral, Baha Breeze,Wild Wasabi, Early Espresso, Whisper White card stock, Eat Cake Designer Series Paper
Inks- Wild Wasabi, Calypso Coral, Baha Breeze stampin' write markers and classic inks
Stamps - Precious Butterflies
Tools - Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, 3 inch circle die, Designer Label punch, Corner Rounder punch
Accessories - Chocolate Chip Scallop Dots Ribbon, button, basic pearls

A FUN SWAP SNEEK PEEK

2011-06-28T07:39:00.000-07:00

Good morning all!!! I hope you had a wonderful weekend - I know I did!! I spent lots of time by the pool, and in my stamp room - doesn't get much better than that *wink* Now, if I could only figure out how to combine the two, lol!!! Yesterday I had a friend over and we scrapbooked all day, amidst much laughter and chatting - I think there was more of the latter, to tell you the truth :-) It was a fun day though! Today I wanted to share a fun swap card I made for a swap I am in with my stamping group. Let me tell you, these ladies are mega talented, I can't wait to get my swaps back!!! I made this one using products from the new catalog so you are getting a preview of all the fabulous things to come! The base of this card is Daffodil Delight, which is one I reach for a lot - love this bright, sunny yellow, so perfect for the summer! The stamp set is called My Friend, and has some beautiful images in it! I stamped the flowers in Versamark , then added white embossing powder, which I heat set with my heat tool. Then, I layered the Pear Pizazz on Early Espresso, tore and inked the edges - aren't they soooooo purdy??!!! The patterned paper is from a new collection called Just Add Cake and has some fun and beautiful designs. The sentiment is from the same stamp set, stamped in Early Espresso on Daffodil Delight, then trimmed out, and popped up on dimensionals. Lastly, I added some fun Whisper White taffeta ribbon with a little bit of bling. So fun - I hope the ladies like it!!! Today is a busy day full of appts and errands so I am outta here for most of the day! I hope you all have a wonderful day and have time to get creative!!! I will be back tomorrow with some fun pics of my downline meeting tonight and a cute project we are doing, but until then, happy stampin'!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso, Pear Pizazz card stock, Just Add Cake Designer Series Paper
Inks - Early Espresso, Pear Pizazz, Versamark
Stamps - My Friend
Tools- Heat Tool, embossing powder, dimensionals
Accessories - Whisper White taffeta ribbon, Basic rhinestones

HAPPY FRIDAY - IT'S FLIP FLOP TIME :-)

2011-06-24T09:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday everyone!! It's hot but beautiful here in sunny California - definitely going to be some pool time for me today :-) I love the summer, I hardly ever wear shoes except for maybe my flip flops so this card I am sharing today is perfect - it SPEAKS to me, heehee! This is another one from my stamp camp this past week - we had such a great time! We used a fun set from the Summer Mini called Sunny Fun and it has such cute and fun images in them - like these flip flops!!! Don't you wish you owned a pair like these??!! LOL - we had a great time decorating them, everyone kind of did their own thing by either coloring or blinging or whatever they wanted to do! Some people even took them home and added a bunch of stuff - love that, it tells me they really liked the card!!! The patterned paper is from the main catalog and we have to say goodbye to it in six days! It is called Lap of Luxury and I used the heck out of this this past year - just love the colors, patterns, everything about it! The color combo for this card is one of my favorites: Basic Gray, Blushing Bride, and Concord Crush with some Very Vanilla - YUMMO!!!! The flower was made using our new three-way punches - can you believe one punch can do three different designs???! Talk about getting more bang for you buck - I totally LOVE these!!! We actually used both of them and layered them together! They are called the Doily Triple Layer punch and the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch, and they can both be found in the Summer Mini! And, of course no flower is complete without some bling so we added a rhinestone to make it pop! Totally fun and easy to put together, this card makes me smile!!!! If it makes YOU smile, and you want the products used here, you can shop in my online store or email me directly and I will be happy to place your order for you! Remember, the main catalog items are retiring in SIX DAYS, so don't wait to put that order in - get it now before it's gone!!! I am going to be stamping today and getting my class schedule ready for July - can you believe it is almost July already?? Time sure does fly by :-) I hope you have a wonderful weekend planned that includes some creative time and family time! Enjoy - and, until tomorrow, Happy Stampin'!!!!
Card Recipe
Paper - Blushing Bride, Concord Crush, Very Vanilla card stock, Lap of Luxury Designer Series Paper
Inks - Concord Crush, Blushing Blossom, Going Gray stampin' write markers and classic ink pads
Stamps - Sunny Fun
Tools - Eyelet Border punch, Doily Triple Layer Punch, Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch
Accessories - Basic Rhinestones

SUMMER SAILIN' STAMPIN' UP! STYLE :-)

2011-06-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

Good morning all!! I hope everyone is enjoying some fun summer activities now that our kiddos are all out of school! I know mine are enjoying playing in the pool everyday which is nice - free entertainment, right in the back yard :-) And, since it has been over 100 degrees here everyday this week, it is getting a lot of use :-) Speaking of water, I wanted to share another card we made at the SAS using the fun Summer Mini products. I swear, this is my favorite mini EVAH - all that nautical stuff is right up my alley!!! We actually used two different sets (well, three if you count the sentiment, lol) on this card. The background stamping uses the anchor from The Open Sea set, which is soooooo amazing!!! And, the sail boat is a single stamp that is called Sail Away. The patterned paper is also from the mini and is from the Nautical Expedition collection - super yummy, I have used TONS of it already, lol!!! The sail boat is stamped on Naturals Ivory card stock - I love this and have used it a lot lately, I just like the pulpy and old world look and feel it has! It is stamped in Not Quite Navy, edges are sponged, and then we sprayed the image with Frost White Shimmerz - yes, it makes it run just a tiny bit, which is what I love - it totally makes this card old-world! No ribbon but we did play with the super cool new Bakers Twine, again from the mini. This one is the Cherry Cobbler/White but it comes in three colors and makes every project just pop! And, to top the card off, we added one of those super cute Antique Brads - just love these!!!!! We all loved how this one came out - it was definitely a crowd favorite!! I sure enjoyed making it!! If you are interested in having any of these products for yourself, you can shop in my online store or email me directly and I will be happy to place your order. Remember, ONLY SEVEN DAYS LEFT OF THE CATALOG SO MAKE SURE YOU GET YOUR ORDERS IN FOR YOUR LAST CHANCE STUFF! And, you can earn a GOLDEN TICKET from me which enters you into the drawing for two HUGE prizes!!!! Check back later as I reveal what those two are *wink* I hope you all get a chance to spend some time creating - that is what is on my agenda today! I will be back tomorrow with another fun card we did in Stamp Camp, so until then, HAPPY STAMPIN'!!!!!!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Not Quite Navy, Cherry Cobbler, Naturals Ivory card stock, Nautical Expedition Designer Series Paper
Inks - Not Quite Navy, Cherry Cobbler classic stampin' pads
Stamps - The Open Sea, Sail Away, On The Grow(the sentiment stamp)
Tools - Scalloped Trim Border punch, Sponge, Modern Label punch
Accessories - Bakers Twine, Antique Brads

STAMP A STACK CARD - GOTTA SAY GOODBYE!

2011-06-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I hope you are all having a fabulous week - mine has been busy so far, which I love because it keeps me out of trouble, lol! I wanted to share a card we made in my Stamp-a-Stack(SAS) on Monday night. We made a mix of cards using retiring sets and some of the new sets from the Summer Mini, and it was a really fun night! This particular card using the retiring set called Fast and Fabulous, which is one of my all-time faves and I will be very sad to see it leave! I just love the two-step stamping method, and this set makes the images beautiful every time! I love these colors together too because they just scream summer to me - they are Daffodil Delight, Riding Hood Red, Wild Wasabi, and Peach Parfait - YUMMY! The patterned paper is also one of my favorites and is retiring as well. It is from the Sunny Garden Collection - fits perfectly, right??! The sentiment is actually from the hostess level I set in the Summer Mini called Swirls and Curls Verses and has quickly become a set that I reach for very frequently - just really cute fonts and sayings in this set! You can earn this set by hosting a workshop or placing an order that is $150 or more - I love FREE dont' you *wink* This card came together fairly quickly, which is good for a SAS since they are making lots of cards - this time they made 12, which was a good amount for the time allotted! I had a great time sharing this fun card and I hope you like it as well! If you are interested in ordering any of the products shown here (full list in the recipe below) you can shop in my online store or email me directly and I will be happy to place your order for you! Remember, there are ONLY EIGHT MORE DAYS UNTIL THE LAST CHANCE STAMPS AND ACCESSORIES ARE GONE FOREVER SO ORDER NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE! I am now off to take my son shopping for golf clothes - I swear, this is the most expensive sport, lol! But, he loves it, so off we go! Enjoy the rest of your day and I will be back tomorrow with another fun card we made! Until then, Happy Stampin'!!!
Card Recipe:
Paper- Peach Parfait, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Wild Wasabi card stock, Sunny Garden designer series paper
Stamps - Fast and Fabulous, Swirls and Curls Verses (hostess set)
Inks- Riding Hood Red, Peach Parfait, Daffodil Delight classic stampin' pads
Tools - Scallop Edge punch, Bitty punch, Scalloped Oval punch
Accessories - Daffodil Delight thin ribbon, Bitty Buttons

BACK FROM GRADUATION AND READY TO STAMP!

2011-05-31T21:04:00.000-07:00

Hi all!! WHEW! The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity that I can only describe as CRAZY BUSY!!! We just returned from the East Coast after spending some time visiting old friends, seeing my oldest son graduate and get commissioned, and exploring Washington DC with family. It was chaotic, hot, loud, and FUN! I have not stamped in two weeks, but plan on spending almost all day in my studio today getting ready for the new catalog and closing out the stamping year with a bang so stay tuned for some fun and fabby projects this week! Here is a pic of my kiddos right after the graduation - love this photo of my three gems!!! They all look soooo grown up though - ack! Means I am getting old, lol!!! I will be back tomorrow with a fun project AND some class announcements for this month!!! Until then - HAPPY STAMPIN'!!!!

A MAGAZINE REJECT - BUT HEY, I LIKE IT!

2011-05-19T08:02:00.000-07:00

Hi all!! WHEW! Running around like a mad woman trying to get ready to leave on Saturday morning EARLY to head back East for my son's graduation and commissioning! I am so very excited - cannot wait to hug my son!!! I submitted a bunch of cards for publication and of course some of them did not make them in - sooooo I thought I would share some of those :-) This one is actually a Christmas card, but we were supposed to use non-holiday items to stamp with! I chose to use the set Have a Seat - I just love how cute that set is! And, I used one of the little birdies from the Aviary stamp set as well - both of these sets can be found in the main catalog! The sentiment is from a Christmas set called Gifts of Christmas and it absolutely beautiful! I know that none of us are ready to even THINK about Christmas - although it will be here before we know it, lol! I kept it fairly simple, using some Pear Pizazz cardstock and ribbon as well as some of our designer buttons. I did use the Designer Label Punch on the sentiment in both Very Vanilla and Early Espresso and trimmed out the edges of one to frame the other. I think I will be adding this to my Christmas stack that I have to start getting ready - every year I say I am not waiting until the last minute, and every year....well, I do, heehee! Yes, it was not selected but hey, not every card I submit can be, right *wink* So, I thought I would share it so it at least gets to be seen here! Now, I am off to whittle down a long list of items I need to get done before we fly out on Saturday morning! Have a wonderful day and get to stampin' if you can! :-)
Card Recipe:
Paper - Pear Pizazz, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla card stock (patterned paper is non-SU!)
Inks - Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler classic ink
Stamps - Have a Seat, Aviary, Gifts of Christmas(sentiment)
Tools - Scalloped Trim border punch, Designer label punch
Accessories - designer buttons, Pear Pizazz twill ribbon

THE OPEN SEA IS AMAZING!

2011-05-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday all! I hope you had a fabulous weekend! Mine was VERY busy as I had a class Friday night, two workshops on Saturday, and my Scrapbook Club yesterday - WHEW! Lots of stamping going on but I loved every minute of it! I have a full week ahead of me as I get my family and I ready to leave next Saturday for Maryland to see my son graduate! I am so excited to see him, just makes me grin from ear to ear when I think about it! So, this week will fly by I am sure since I have TONS to do! The card I am sharing today is one of the workshop cards I did over the weekend. I used the new Summer Mini set called The Open Sea - Loooove it! I paired it with the Nautical Expedition patterned paper as well, which is yummy and a must have! This set is just amazing, I love to play with it! I kept is simple as it was a workshop card, but we really had a good time putting it together! I used Naturals Ivory card stock because I think the pulpy look lends itself well to this set - it makes it all looked aged like old world maps, lol! The journal stamp was stamped in Early Espresso and then we tore the edges and inked them with the same color - doesn't it look like we took a match to it? Love that look! We then stamped the anchor right on top. The map was stamped and then cut out and popped up using dimensionals. We also used some of the yummy new Bakers Twine - this is the Early Espresso but you can also get it in Whisper White (and make your own colors with reinkers *wink*) and Cherry Cobbler. We added an antique brad as well - this one looks like a compass, perfect for this card! The sentiment is actually from the stamp set called Travel Log - the stamp actually includes the whole definition of adventure, but for this card, I just wanted the word. Simple but came together nicely, I think - my workshop gals really liked it too! If you would like to have these products for yourself, you can purchase them in my online store or contact me and I will be happy to help you place your order! I am going to be working on some downline projects today as I have my meeting tomorrow so I will be back to share some of those tomorrow! Have a wonderful stampin' day!!!!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Crumb Cake, Naturals Ivory, Night of Navy card stock, Nautical Expedition designer series paper
Inks - Night of Navy, Early Espresso classic inks
Stamps - The Open Sea, Travel Log(sentiment)
Tools - Word Window Punch
Accessories - Antique Brads, Bakers Twine