TAKE IT TO HEART WOW! SWAP

Happy Monday stampers! I hope you all had as fabulous a weekend as I did :-) I spent the weekend hanging out with my husband - first time in a looonnnngggg time we have both had some downtime on a weekend! Saturday we just lazed around and then went out to dinner, and then yesterday we went over to my in-laws for the game and some yummy food! Really had a nice weekend.....but now, it is back to the work week and I have lots to do! However, since I have one of the funnest jobs around, I can't complain too much *wink* Today I want to share with you the card I made for my WOW! swap during Leadership. My group decided to have an organized swap of our own, and I am so very glad I participated because this is one amazingly talented group of stampers - their cards are all BEAUTIFUL! This was my take on a WOW! swap, and I was really happy with how it turned out! Lots of different products on this one, I was having a blast playing with all my stuff, lol!

The stamp set I chose to use is the uber cute set from the Occasions Mini called Take It To Heart. I love this set because the heart images coordinate with our new Framelits Hearts collection making is super easy to cut the hearts out! I love all the detail that you can see on these images, makes them really fun to color in, or you can emboss the image like I did and give it that extra WOW! look. I used  Cherry Cobbler embossing powder and stamped my image on the Naturals White card stock because I like the more natural look of this paper. I did not cut the heart out on the Big Shot until I had done all the stamping and embossing. Soooo easy to just line up the image with one of the framelits, run it through, and BAM! instant heart image for my card :-)  The patterned paper is from the Twitterpated paper pack, also in the Occasions Mini - love this paper!! I cut it out using the other set of framelits we have - have to try them all out, right??! The heart image is mounted on a 3 inch circle that was cut out on the Big Shot and then embossed using the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. The background of  this card is actually stamped as well, but might be hard for you to see here since it is Crumb Cake ink stamped on Crumb Cake card stock. I used the Parlor Prints background stamp. The ribbon is some of the new Blushing Bride pleated ribbon and oh, it is so yummy!!! The sentiment is actually from another stamp set in the mini called PS I Love You - I love all the fun sentiments in that set! I hope you like my take on what a WOW! swap is - I sure had fun making it *wink* If you like the products you see here and want to purchase them, you can do so in my online store and remember, SALE-A-BRATION is going on so for every $50 you spend, you get FREE things too!! I love FREE, don't you??!! If you would rather email me your order, I am happy to put it in for you! Now, I am off to the stamp room to get some fun things done for my upcoming classes and workshops. If you would like to take one of my classes, you can check out my class listing on my website - I would love to see you!!! Have a fabulous day and don't forget to take some time out to be creative :-)
Card Recipe:
Paper - Crumb Cake, Blushing Bride, Early Espresso, Pool Party, Naturals White card stock, Twitterpated Designer Series paper
Inks - Versamark, Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler stampin' inks
Stamps - Take it To Heart, Parlor Prints(background), PS I Love You (sentiment)
Tools - Big Shot, Framelits (hearts and labels collections), Perfect Polka Dots and Square Lattice embossing folders, 3 inch Circle Die, Modern Label punch, Adorning Accents Edgelit Die, Heat Gun, Dimensionals
Accessories - Pool Party Seam Binding Ribbon, Basic Pearls, Blushing Bride pleated ribbon
 

A MIXED BUNCH

Good morning stampers! Life has been very busy here in the Hobson household - we had a couple of family emergencies that have thankfully been resolved and everyone is doing much, much better! I have been able to get some stamping done as well, and have lots to share with you! Today I am sharing a workshop card I made using the fabulous new products from the Occasions Mini! This mini is chock full of amazing products, and I just love playing with them :-) And, to make the deal even sweeter, for every $50 spent on new product, you get FREE stuff from the Sale-a-Bration catalog - AWESOME, right?? 

This card is the one we made in my workshop last night -we had a great time, and everyone enjoyed using the fun new stamps and papers! We made this one using the fun set called Mixed Bunch! It has beautifully detailed flower images and they are all different so layering them all together looks amazing! I also love this set because it comes with a coordinating flower punch that makes cutting out and layering these images a snap!
 We also used the Enchanted Designer Series paper from the SAB catalog and holy cow! this paper is beautiful!! I will honestly say it is my absolute favorite paper to play with right now, and even better, it's FREE!!!!!!!!  Yep, FREE! The colors used on this card are from the 2012-2013 in-colors, and I love them! I never thought I would stamp Valentines cards with these colors, but they really come together and work! It's nice to not always use pink *wink* The flowers are done in Pear Pizazz and Pool Party with Peach Parfait in the centers. Both the flowers and centers are punched out and layered with dimensionals so there is lots of dimension on this card. The ribbon is the yummy Pear Pizazz ruffled ribbon - love, love, love this ribbon! So nice that is is already beautifully pleated, and it really adds the perfect WOW! to all your projects.

The sentiment is actually from another Occasions Mini set called PS I Love You - I love this set because is has so many sentiments in it, which makes it very versatile for many different occasions.  I just love the little cupid too - very sweet :-)  I will be sharing another project tomorrow that is made with this same stamp set - and yes, I used the little cupid, lol! I couldn't help myself!  I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the fun, new products used in my card today! If you would like to have any of these items, they can be purchased in my online store, or you can email me and I will be happy to place your order for you! Remember, with every $50 order, you can receive something FREE - don't miss out on this amazing deal, it won't last forever :-) I am off to stamp and get ready for one my favorite times of the month - my downline meeting!! We will be getting together and doing some fun projects tonight, and enjoying some wonderful girl time! If you would like to be a part of such a fun group, now is the time to join - with the $125 starter kit price and FREE paper pack or Digital Downloads for a year, this is a GREAT time to be a demonstrator  :-) I wish I could sign up again, lol!!! Have a wonderful day, and I hope you take some time to get creative!!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Poppy Parade, Peach Parfait, Whisper White card stock, Enchanted Designer Series Paper
Inks - Pool Party, Pear Pizazz, Poppy Parade, Peach Parfait classic inks
Stamps - Mixed Bunch, PS I Love You
Tools - Blossom Punch, Eyelet Border Punch, 3/4 inch Circle Punch, Modern Label Punch, Dimensionals
Accessories - Basic Rhinestones, Pear Pizazz Ruffled Ribbon

SALE-A-BRATION IS HERE!!!

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 rack can 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 AND earn 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 up to $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 your choice of either FREE Designer Series Paper (you pay for shipping) or a FREE My Digital Studio Download (no shipping charge) EVERY MONTH that you 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!

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

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 :-)

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!

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