FATHER'S DAY CARDS

Hi all!! I know I have been a really bad blogger - life has been a little rough lately and I have let things get in the way of what I enjoy doing so I needed to take a step back and remember what is important.  Without getting too personal, there are people in my life that are not very kind and usually I can let it roll off but I have had a harder time of that lately and since in-laws are a necessary evil, I have to learn to live with it.  So, I am resuming my routine of posting and blurfing and teaching and having fun with my stamps!  This weekend I had a canvas class and I will share those with you tomorrow - I have to say, they turned out really nice! I also had a workshop on Saturday and then spent the day yesterday with my husband which was really nice!  I wanted to share some of the dad's day cards I did for a class a couple of weeks ago - the first one is the one I actually gave to Tony and he loved it!  We did five different ones and these are two of them! For the first one, we used the King of the Grill set from the Summer Mini - I think I like this stamp set because it sort of reminds me of the Voila chef from the main catty (which is retiring, *sniff*) I just think he is super fun and he makes me smile!  The patterned paper is Nouveau Chic, one of my faves that I am sad to see go.  I think this particular pattern looks like charcoal and smoke so it went perfectly, lol!!  No ribbon since it is a guy card (so hard to leave off) but we did add some of the jumbo silver brads that look soooo good on every project! Fun card to make!

This second card uses the Totally Tool stamp set - perfect for any guy card you want to make! The background is embossed with the fabulous Square Lattice folder in the Summer Mini - love this folder!  We stamped the sentiment from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set on the Twill tape and then threaded it through two jumbo eyelets. The colors are Chocolate Chip and the retiring Close to Cocoa, love them together! I have not used them in soooo long and remember how much I love them so I think you will be seeing some more of these in my future projects *wink*  The center image is actually from the Always Stamp set and make a perfect "A" when spelling dad!  We all had a great time making these cards and the gals were quite happy with them when they were all done.  We mixed and matched colors so not everyone had the same cards and I have to say, they got quite creative when putting theirs together!!  Tomorrow I will be back to share the canvas we made and the sketch card for the SC sketch that was posted today!  Now, I am off to blurf some and then get ready for my downline meeting tomorrow night - lots of fun stamping on my agenda today!!  Thanks for stopping by and leaving me some love, I love YOU for it!!
Card One Recipe:
Paper - Mellow Moss, Going Gray, Ivory card stock, Nouveau Chic Designer Series Paper
Inks - Black Stazon, Mellow Moss and Going Gray stampin' write markers
Stamps - King of the Grill
Accessories - 3/4 inch and 1 inch circle punches, scallop border punch,. word window punch, modern label punch, jumbo silver brads
Card Two Recipe:
Paper - Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Ivory card stock
Inks - Chocolate Chip class ink
Stamps - Always, Totally Tool, Teen Tiny Wishes
Accessories - Twill Tape, Jumbo Eyelets, 1 3/4 inch 1 3/8 inch and 1 1/4 inch circle punches, Square Lattice embossing folder

BUTTERFLIES - MONDAY STAMPIN CONNECTION SKETCH CHALLENGE

Good morning all!! Well, Kayla and I arrived back home at midnight last night so today is full of unpacking, laundry, and catching up on mail and bills.....*sigh* back to reality!!! But, I need to share this week's sketch challenge over at Stampin' Connection first because it is my week to post the sketch!! I decided I wanted to use my buttefly embosslits today - I just love them!! And, since Cottage Wall is some of my favorite paper and is retiring at the end of the month, I pulled out my last few scraps and set to work! It came together fairly quickly since I used a lot of Big Shot items.  And, the beautiful Elements of Style stamp set from the Summer Mini - I love how the flowers make every project pop!!  If you want to play along with the challenge this week, here is the sketch:

It is fairly simple and leaves a lot of room for your own interpretation! If you are a demonstrator, please upload your sample to the Stampin' Connection using the Keyword SCCSC21.  If you are not, but want to play along, leave a link in your comments to me so I can come and take a peek - i would love to see what you do with it!! Now, I am off to do the laundry, finish unpacking, and all the other various tasks that need to be tended to, LOL!!  I hope you are all having a fabulous start to your week! Thanks so much for stopping by, and please leave a comment so I can read them - I just love them all!!!

Card Recipe:

Paper - Kraft, Palu Plum, Old Olive card stock, Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper
Inks - Rich Razzleberry classic ink
Stamps - Elements of Style
Accessories - Butteflies embosslit, Finial Press embossing folder, Scallop Frame Oval Big Shot Die, Large Oval Punch, twine

I AM ON VACATION - WHOOOHOOO!

Hi All! Kayla and I are leaving today to fly down to see my mom and sister in Anaheim and then we are all going to head to San Diego to do some fun things there like Sea World and all kinds of other amazing agenda items :-)  I was going to try and get some posts set up but I taught a class last night, was up late packing, and decided that I needed to remember that sometimes I have to take that superwoman cape off and just be me, LOL!  Soooo, I am going to do NOTHING but relax, enjoy my daughter, time with mom and sis, and will be rejuvenated and ready to go when I get back next week!! I will be checking you all out as I cannot miss my blurfing but I won't have anything new to share (well, maybe some vacay pics, *wink*) until I am back!! Enjoy your week, thanks for stopping by!!!

*STAMPIN HUGS* Alex

GOING, GOING.......

almost gone!!! Here it is, the last month of the current catty, and well, it is time to say goodbye to some faves so we can welcome in the new crew next month, lol!!! I had a workshop last night where I showcased some of my favorites that are destined for retirement (mine have earned it, sure used the heck out of 'em!) so I thought I would share them with you today!!! I know I have been a bad blogger lately - bad sinus infection, husband out of town, and kids finishing up school will do that to a gal!! So, now that things have settled down (a little) I hope to be back to being consistent about posting!!  So, on to the cards!! The first card features some of my all-time favorite items including the stamp set True Friend, just love it! Such a great set with so many possibilities!  I paired it with the Bella Bleu Designer Series paper which is soooo beautiful....and of course I just had to accent this with Kraft card stock and taffeta ribbon.....yummy!!! I love that ribbon, sooooo pretty!! I also used the Boho Blossoms Punch, another fave that I will truly miss! Don't those little flowers look fabulous with the Brocade Blue brads??? This was a fun card to make, I enjoyed using some of my faves together on this project!

This next card features the super cute set called Love Owlways - I just love owls and the ones in this set are super adorable! I had one of my customers laughing at me when I told her that my little winking owl is one sexy bird, LOL!!!  Come on Andrea, you just know he is *wink*  I also used the little background stamps from the Sprinkles set - I love this one, and pull it out quite often so it will be missed in my stamp room!  I did use my new Square Lattice embossing folder - the gals loved the Big Shot demonstration and how this particular folder actually changes the texture of the paper to a cloth feel - LOVE it!! The arrows on this card are also from a retiring arrow punch, lots of fun ways to use arrows and this punch has three different sizes so lots of options there as well! And, of course the super fun Pink Flamingo Designer Series paper - such great paper for those bright summery projects! I had such fun stamping with this group of gals - although two of them were new to me, they are all seasoned papercrafters and they loved these projects - we had a great time laughing, stamping, and sighing about our faves that are leaving!  But, I also gave them a sneaky peek at the new catty, so they are all looking forward to the new ones coming as well!! If you are interested in booking a workshop with me, email me and we will get you all set up! I would love to come and stamp with you and your friends :-)  Need to place an order?  Go online to my website and shop away, the store is open 24 hours! Now, I am off to finish prepping for my techniques class but first, I am treating myself to another cup of coffee and some serious blurfing - gotta catch up with all you talented gals!!! I hope you have a fabulous day, and thanks so much for stopping by, you make my day with your sweet, sweet comments!
Card Recipe (True Friend):
Paper - Brocade Blue, Kraft, Very Vannilla card stock, Bella Bleu Designer Series Paper
Inks - Brocade Blue classic inks
Stamps - True Friend
Accessories - Ticket Corner Punch, Circle Scallop Punch, Kraft Taffeta ribbon, Kraft Corduroy brads, Boho Blossoms Punch, Brocade Blue brads, Stampin' Dimensionals
Card Recipe (Love Owlways)
Paper - Cameo Coral, Ruby Red, Whisper White card stock, Pink Flamingo Designer Series paper
Inks - Cameo Coral, Ruby Red classic inks
Stamps - Love Owlways, Sprinkles
Accessories - Whisper White Taffeta ribbon, 1 3/8 inch, 1 1/4 inch, and 1 inch circle punches, Circle Scallop Punch, Scalloped border punch, Square Lattice embossing folder, Stampin' Dimensionals

MOTORCYCLE MADNESS

Hi all!!! Well, I think I have recovered from my weekend event, LOL!  Actually, I have kind of taken it easy the last few days, not much stamping, just catching up on everything that didn't get done while I was prepping last week! I wanted to share one of the projects we did on Saturday using the Faux Metal technique and this really cool motorcyle single stamp from the Summer Mini! Never thought I would buy a stamp like this, but I LOVE it, and have been stamping away madly with it over the last week (hence the title, heehee!)  I used the new travel journal designer series paper as well - just love it! And, of course, my handy Top Note Die which I just adore and use all the time *wink* was perfect for doing my faux metal background! I cut it out using Sahara Sand card stock because the silver embossing powder works better on the lighter colored card stock.  I also embossed it using the Finial Press embossing folder and I love the cool look!!! My image is also embossed using verasmark and black powder - makes the bike look nice and shiny! And, I spritzed some Night of Navy over the image because I love the effect it has! I am quite happy with this card and the gals all loved it when we made it on Saturday!  I did leave the sentiment off so they could decide what they wanted to use the card for - I think it would be a great Father's Day card!  Today I am making projects for my upcoming workshop this weekend and working on some class projects so no more slacking for me - back to work, lol!! Love my work though....so, off to stamp! Thanks so much for stopping by, I really appreciate all your comments!
Card Recipe:
Paper -Night of Navy, Sahara Sand, Pumpkin Pie, Naturals White card stock, Travel Journal Designer Series Paper
Inks - Versamark, Night of Navy stampin' write marker
Stamps - Motorcyle (summer mini single stamp)
Accessories - Bigz Top Note Die, Pumpkin Pie wide striped ribbon, Night of Navy narrow grosgrain ribbon, Black and Silver embossing powders, heat gun, Finial Press embossing folder

$99 MINI STARTER KIT PROMOTION.....AND THE LAST CHANCE LIST IS OUT!

Hello all!! WOW!! NOW is a great time to become a demonstrator! If you have been thinking about it, but have not done so, NOW IS THE TIME!!! Whether you just love to craft, or you want to grow a successful, thriving business, Stampin' Up! is a great opportunity for you. I would certainly love for you to join my team of fabulous demonstrators!  And from June 1-30, 2010, you can start your own Stampin' Up! business for just $99 with the special Mini Starter Kit!!!!!  The Mini Starter Kit--valued at over $180--contains the items listed below; while all items are recommended, you can substitute a like item of equal or lesser value.   And, NONE OF THESE ITEMS ARE RETIRING!!!

•Watercolor Trio stamp set (wood-mount)
•I {Heart} Hearts stamp set (clear-mount)
•Clear-Mount Block C
•Homemade single stamp*
•Whisper White card stock (8-1/2" x 11")
•Brights Collection assorted card stock (8-1/2" x 11")*
•Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad
•Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin' Pad*
•Rich Razzleberry Classic Stampin' Pad
•Tempting Turquoise Classic Stampin' Pad
•Basic Black 1/8" taffeta ribbon*
•Color Coach*
•SNAIL Adhesive
 
*Sneak peek items
 
The Mini Starter Kit also includes the same business supplies that are in the standard Starter Kit (please note: no alternative selections can be made for business items). Contents are listed below:

•Getting Started DVD
•Getting Started Guide
•Guest Invitation Postcards (100)
•2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog (8)
•Summer Mini Catalog (8)
•To My Hostess Envelopes (10)
•Recruit Folders (5)
•Recruit Brochures (20)
•Hostess Brochures (20)
 
AND, new demonstrators who join Stampin' Up! in June, you will receive a free box of 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalogs during the first part of July.

Want to know more? Contact me now with any questions you may have. You can also check out the Why Become a Demonstator page that addresses many of the Frequently Asked Questions. And, if you are ready to join now, you can go to my website and join online - you will need my password which is iluv2stamp!

******LAST CHANCE LIST IS OUT******

 I love this time of year - the much anticipated new catalog is right around the corner and we all know that means fabulous new products!!! But, it also means we have to say good bye to some of our favorites.... and  June 1st marks the day to view the lists of STAMP SETS, the ACCESSORIES, and the DEFINITELY DECORATIVE ITEMS THAT ARE RETIRING.  So, if you to my Demonstrator Website, you can view the list of RETIRING ACCESSORIES - these items are limited in quantity and ITEMS WILL SELL OUT QUICKLY....so make sure you don't wait to place your order or YOU WILL MISS OUT!!!



Click here to download a copy of the Last Chance list and check out the following links below for more retiring information!

Check out the  list of  25% off retiring items
Check out the list of  50% off retiring items  
Check out all retiring stamp sets
Check out all retiring accessories
Check out all retiring home decor items
Check out all retiring Sizzix Items
Check out all retiring punches
Check out all retiring ribbons
Chek out all retiring wheels

WHEW!! There you have it - the lastest and greatest on the transition from the current catalog to the new one.....sooooo, what are waiting for??? Click here and shop with me now and get them before they are gone!!

PURSE CARD BOX

 I really did not mean to be gone for this long - I can't believe I actually missed a whole week!! But, I was crazy busy with getting ready for the Annual Scrap and Stamp Fest that happened this past Saturday and I am very proud and pleased to say that it went off without a hitch and everyone had a great time!!! I have pics to share with you a little later this week, but today I wanted to share one of the projects from the event.  It is a purse card box which will hold up to six A2 cards depending on your embellishments -this particular one I did four cards with envies and had plenty of room!  I used a lot of fun things to make this box and added lots of texture with my embossing folders! The front of the box you can see the Lattice Square embossing on the Tempting Turquoise center strip - LOVE the way this looks!! And, I just had to add some scallops as well, I just love how they look!

 Here is a picture of the actual cards that fit inside this fun box!  I wanted you to be able to see them all, so I realize there is not a real closeup, but you get the idea *wink*  These cards were so fun and easy to make using the Hostess Level II set called Punched Posies - I just love how each and every stamp in that set has a corresponding punch to match! Sure makes cutting them out a snap and they all look sooooo good together!  And, I used the yummy Island Oasis designer paper from the Summer Mini as well - I just love the bright colors and the summery feel they have! This was a fun kit to put together and the ladies loved it!! I will be sharing more projects over the next few days, so make sure you stop by and check them out!! Now, I am off to work on some projects for ME - don't get to do that too often, lol!!!! Thanks soooo much for stopping by, I love ya for it!
Card and box recipe:
Paper - Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise, Summer Sun card stock, Island Oasis Designer Series Paper
Inks - Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise, Summer sun classic inks
Stamps - Punched Posies
Accessories - Square Lattice embbossing folder, Summer Sun, Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie narrow grosgrain ribbon, Old Olive wide satin ribbon, twine, Pumpkin Pie Corduroy button, Scalloped edge border punch, Flower burst embosslit, butterfly embosslit, Butterfly Punch, Circle Scallop Punch, 1 inch circle punch, 1/2 inch circle punch, Extra large Fancy Flower punch, Five-Petal punch