PROBLEMS!

We had to do some network changes here today, and my computer STILL won't hook up right. SO, I maynot get much up for a bit. I'm sorry - but don't give up on me!!!

A Quick Christmas Card!

Good evening, y'all! Tonight is our CHOCOLATE! class - basically, it's an excuse to get together and eat chocolate.

But I'll tell you all about that some other time. :D

Today's share? A pretty Christmas card - IMHO....

See? Pretty! :D

Card stock: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Real Red

Ink: Real Red, Whisper White Craft

Stamp sets: Many Merry Messages, Christ is Born

Accessories: tcket corner punch, Frost White Shimmer Paint, dimensionals

The shimmer paint mist showed up a bit white in the photo, but it's REALLY pretty and shimmery IRL. Stop by and ask to see it, if you wanna! :D

OK, I'm outta here. Time to make some more chocolate! :D

Have a wonderful day! And please, be SURE to take the time to STAMP something! :)

Guess who! :D

OK, I've finally downloaded photos from the camera - and I'm trying to get ready for classes, MORE travel, and other work. I'm feeling CRUSHED - but I keep telling myself, "Just hold out until Thanksgiving!" LOL!!!

Today, I'm going to share one of our quick cards from the HOLIDAY QUICK CARD CLASS on Monday. We had a great time! This was the least favorite. LOL - it's because of the water coloring. I used to have customers who loved to color - now, not so much. :D

But it IS cute, I think you'll have to admit! Remember, these are QUICK cards, so not too fancy!

Card stock: Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, watercolor paper

Ink: Jet Black Stazon

Stamp sets: Grateful Greetings, Greeting Card Kids

Accessories: Aqua Painters, Stampin' Write Markers, dimensionals, SNAIL

This is such a cute image set!

OK, I'm off to do more - usually it's two minutes doing this project, then get distracted by another project and work on it for two minutes, then get distracted.... :D

Have a WONDERFUL day! Be SURE and take the time to STAMP something!

Well, shoot!

I keep meaning to get started on the hostess appreciation description, but life is NOT cooperating with me. :D SO, I'm going to show you a simple way to decorate for ANY holiday - use your stamped cards!

Heck, you don't even have to have a time of year to decorate with them! People LOVE to look at the designs, and OOH and AAH over them. :) This is a simple picture holder - we look for them at garage sales, where they're cheap! :) Take your favorite cards, and stick them in the holder. Now, place it on a side table, or anywhere you want a splash of color!

Be sure to put your friends' cards in the holder when they're coming over. :D It makes them feel really good, and you might be surprised how awesome things look together!

OK, I'm outta here - class time! :) See you tomorrow - I hope....

I know, I know!

I've been VERY absent lately. It's been a long, BUSY week - and I'm not done yet! Tomorrow is the Hostess Appreciation Luncheon, and although I've got a LOT done, I've still got some stuff to do! Things like cooking, and writing instructions for a project, and then it will be time to greet my friends! :D

Anyway. Here's a card that's a full sheet of card stock - so it's 5-1/2"x8-1/2". Be sure to click on the photo to see the large size, if you want!
You've seen one kind of like this one before, but it is a bit different.

Card stock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Basic Gray

Ink: Whisper White craft, Basic Gray, Basic Black, Jet Black Stazon

Stamp sets: Occasional Quotes (level 3 hostess-only stamp set!), Simple Friendship, Define Your Life (inside)

Accessories: 2-3/8" scallop circle punch, 1-3/4" circle punch, white embossing powder, embossing buddy, heat tool, dimensionals, organza ribbon, sponge, Vintage Elements 1 decor stencils, color spritzer tool

This thank-you card was for a contributor for our travels/ministry; we included a 5x7 of one of the shots from our Oregon trip. :)

Anyway. I really love the way it turned out; I love the way the white looks sponged through the stencil onto the Basic Gray. And I love the quote stamp on the front; it's so versatile! :D

OK, I'm off to work on stuff for tomorrow! Those of you who are coming, I can't wait to share with you. :) If you're not invited this year, or couldn't come for some reason, it's never too early to get your party in and get invited NEXT year! :D

Have a WONDERFUL weekend! Be sure to take the time to STAMP something!!!!!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

A repost of my Christmas card for you from last year - I'm still pretty impressed with it. :D We're at SIXTY-SIX days until Christmas, folks!!! :D


Here is my Christmas card for you this year, dear friend. Please be sure to read the inscription on the inside! :D (Just click on it to get it bigger!)

Here's the outside....

And here's the inside!
:D OK, you don't have to stamp today. If your family traditions are like mine, you're not gonna have time! :D MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Sheesh!

Does life ever get normal?!?!?! I'm in East TN; we spent the whole day in the Smokies. It's simply beautiful, and I got so much fresh air, I think I'm going to pass out tonight. :D

ANYWAY. Today's the day that we start Stampin' Up!'s Holiday Bundle Sale!

The first number and price are for wood-mounted; the second are for Clear Mount.
Vintage Christmas Card Bundle
Bells & Boughs Set and Deck the Halls
Designer Series Paper
124067;
$23.92
124068;
$19.92
Contempo Christmas Card Bundle
Contempo Christmas Set and Jolly Holiday
Designer Series Paper
124071;
$20.72
124072;
$17.52
Tags til Christmas Bundle
Tags til Christmas Set and Decorative Label Punch
124077;
$38.32
124078;
$31.92
Gift Packaging Bundle
Gifted Set and Mini Lunch Sacks
124083;
$26.32
124084;
$19.92
Simply Adorned Gift Bundle
Charming Set, Simply Adorned 1" x 1-1/4" Charm, and Simply Adorned 24" Chain
124076;
$39.88
---
Frame Gift Bundle
Definitely Decorative Chunky Frame and Small Chocolate Chip Dotted Flourish Décor Elements
124075;
$19.92
---

OK. Tomorrow, I'm going to re-post an old idea. Saturday is the Hostess Appreciation Luncheon, and the 12 Weeks emails will start VERY soon - and I've got more traveling coming up. WHEW! I'm still stamping, tho - I brought a project to work on for Saturday. :D I hope YOU will take the time to STAMP something, too!

Oops! Sorry about that!

Yesterday was a bit weird, and today's Kenn's birthday. :D So, this is a QUICK share! It's the last of the three cards from Saturday's class - and the one you're probably most familiar with: the pink ribbon.
Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, and Whisper White compliment each other very nicely, don't you think??? :)

If you have any questions about my "ingredients", please leave 'em in the comments, or email me, and I'll answer you tomorrow. :D We're on our way to Huntsville for the day!

Have a WONDERFUL day, and be SURE to take the time to STAMP something!

Another RIBBON OF HOPE card!

Good morning, everyone! We're on our way to a cool-down here in middle Tennessee, and I'm SO excited! :D Thursday is Kenn's birthday, and we're going to go down to the Huntsville Botanical Gardens for a quick day trip - and the weather's calling for 73° and sunny! WOOOOOO, HOOOOOOOO! :D

On another note, please say a prayer for my dear friend and customer, Mary; she's very sick (hopefully, it's just a virus!), and just not feeling at all well. Thank you!

Now, then. Today's ribbon is YELLOW, which on this card is for military support, and for me, POW/MIA. Kenn's best friend was a POW, and it still effects everything he does today. SO. Say a prayer for those in harm's way, and enjoy this simple card! :)

Card stock is Whisper White, Real Red, and Not Quite Navy. Ink colors are Not Quite Navy and Daffodil Delight. The words are from FABULOUS PHRASES - and we stamped the "gratitude" definition from DEFINE YOUR LIFE inside.

Don't forget the ticket corner punch! Love that little thing.... :D

OK, I'm outta here. Kenn's brother and sister-in-law are leaving today, and Mom and I are going to go out this afternoon. Tonight's class got postponed, so I'm looking forward to spending the evening with Kenn. :D It's gonna be a GOOD day - and will include stampin' something. YOU be sure and MAKE the time to stamp something, too, won't ya? :D

Happy Monday! :)

Saturday's class was a fun one - and FAST. :D We were done inside an hour - but I think we had a good time. :D For this class, each particpant got the RIBBON OF HOPE stamp and a list of different colors and what they stood for.

Here's today's share! Dark purple is for, among others, Alzheimer's. It's an awful disease, and I have the UTMOST respect for families who keep their inflicted loved one with them as long as possible. Any caregiver, actually! :)

So, here it is!
Card stock is Whisper White and Concord Crush; ink is all Concord Crush.

It's a super-simple card, but I feel good about it. I'm sure you can see the symbolism for yourself! :)

OK, I'm outta here - I'll have to sit down and post about where all I've been and where I'm going, but not today. :D Kenn's brother and sister-in-law came to visit for just two days, so we're making the most of it! :D

Have a wonderful day! Take the time to STAMP something!!! :)

Friday - time for a 3D project! :)

What a week it's been! Tomorrow's it's the RIBBON OF HOPE class, and I can't wait to show you the simple yet meaningful designs I came up with! :)

Today, however, I want to show you an idea I got from a magazine; we'll be using this concept sometime in November at one of the Christmas stamp classes, so I'm not going to give you step-by-step instructions. :) Maybe I'll come up with a kit you can purchase!

Anyway. I will tell you the stuff I used. :)

Let's see. That's Crumb Cake card stock and DSP from the NEUTRALS pack. Pumpkin Pie cs, pumpkin sizzlit, craft knife, Versamark, embossing buddy, black embossing powder, heat tool finish it out - oh, and the Big Shot ♥ :D and matchbox die.

Isn't it cute? It would make a great table favor for guests, OR a fun thing to give to the kids in your child's class! It will hold four Hershey's Nuggets - which you can wrap in either DSP or stamped paper, to match your project! :)

Off I go. Kenn's brother and sister-in-law are coming this weekend to celebrate his birthday, so it should be fun for us! :) Whatever you do, enjoy each moment with friends and family - and be sure to take the time to STAMP something! :)

Well, it DID feel like fall....

Hi, my friends! It's back up in the 80s here in middle Tennessee again, but for a LITTLE while, it felt like it was fall. We even had frost advisories out! YEA! :D I love fall; the colors and the crispness and the snuggly clothes. Ahhhhhh, fall. :D

So, today's another design JUST for you. I'll do it just like yesterday!

Card stock:
More Mustard, cut to 5.5"x8.5"
Early Espresso, cut to 5-3/8"x4-1/8"
Crumb Cake, cut to 5-1/4"x4"
Naturals Ivory, cut to 5-3/8"x4-1/8" for the inside.

First, stamp leaves from AUTUMN SPLENDOR randomly on your Crumb Cake CS; I used More Mustard, Cajun Craze, and Cherry Cobbler.

Now, take your color spritzer tool (page 192 n your Idea Book & Catalog!), and use an Early Espresso marker to blow random dots onto the stamped CC. Take your embossing buddy and rub it all over the card stock - you might want to give those EE spritzed dots a few seconds to dry. NEXT - and I am SUPER excited to have discovered this works! - take your VERSAMARKER and spritz random dots of IT all around. WARNING: you won't be able to see i too well, so don't over-spritz. You can come back and put more dots in after the next step, if you want. Now, use gold embossing powder and your heat tool to heat emboss those Versamarker dots! It's VERY subtle, but you can definitely see it! (Remember: you just click on any photo on my blog to enlarge it!)

Set that aside; take a scrap of Early Espresso card stock, and use the "gratitude" from FABULOUS PHRASES and Versamark to stamp on the card stock; using your gold powder and heat tool to heat emboss the word. Don't forget to use your embossing buddy!

Now, use the modern label punch to punch out the word.

You can assemble your card now, or wait until you've stamped the inside. :) It's up to you - just use dimensionals to put the punched piece on the front when everything else s adhered!

Now, for the inside!

I took two of the leaves and stamped them in opposite corners, and took the one I'd stamped n More Mustard, off-stamped, and stamped it in the middle of the Naturals Ivory.

Now, use your embossing buddy, gold embossing powder, and heat tool to put your choice of verse in the middle - mine uses the OCCASIONAL QUOTES stamp set, but I know not many of you have had a party to earn it yet! :) It's a level three stamp set, and I LOVE IT!!

That is all there is to this card - but I really love it. Both the front AND the inside are beautiful art by themselves! :)

OK, I'm outta here. Time for some lunch with Kenn. :D Have a WONDERFUL day - try to enjoy the sunshine! - and be sure to take the time to STAMP something!

Christmas card!

Good morning! I hope you're having a wonderful week! It's a GLORIOUS day here today - and only EIGHTY DAYS until Christmas! Goodness, this year has FLOWN by! It's DEFINITELY time to start your plans for Christmas, ladies and gentlemen. I don't know about you, but money seems even tighter this year - so plans for special HOMEMADE gifts are in the works. :)

Today, I have a Christmas card to share with you that I designed JUST for sharing with you. :D That means step-by-step, I can tell you how I did it. The bad news? It's a super-simple design. Good news? It's VERY rich-looking with little besides card stock and ink. :D

Here's the outside - scroll down for an inside look. :)

First, cut your card stock:
Cherry Cobbler - 5.5"x8.5"
Always Artichoke - 5-3/8"x4-1/8"
More Mustard - 5-1/4"x4" for the OUTSIDE, 5-3/8"x4-1/8" for the INSIDE

Then, put a Chocolate Chip cartridge in you standard wheel handle; it's best if you don't re-ink it before doing this card. If I do this one again, I'll be sure not to get such a good impression on the bottom of the page! :D Load in the Music Notes Stampin' Around wheel, and wheel the More Mustard piece.

Next, get out a sponge and sponge the edge of the MM card stock with Cherry Cobbler ink. You want the ink to go in toward the center a bit. After that, sponge JUST the edge with Crumb Cake ink. Rub your embossing buddy all over the MM card stock; this will help get rid of any static or oils from your fingers, so the embossing powder won't stick where you don't want it! Now, ink your stamp - from CHRIST IS BORN, as are the interior stamps - with Always Artichoke craft ink. (Have you noticed that there are EMPTY full-sized craft ink pads in the Holiday Mini? Stock up now, and fill them as you need them with your favorite colors!!) Stamp the image, and use clear embossing powder on the ink. Go heat it with your heat tool, until the embossing powder is set.

If you want, you can go ahead and assemble the outside of your card - MM on the AA, then on the CC. :D

Now, tick the corners of your inside MM card stock. Using MM ink, stamp off before you stamp the poinsettia stamp onto the card stock. Use the embossing buddy again; ink the message stamp, and emboss. Do the same sponging around the inside - but I did it a bit less. Now, adhere it inside the card.

YOU ARE DONE. Isn't it a beautiful card??

I think it's really a RICH color combination, and really simple to put together. What do YOU think? :)

OK, time to work on some more things. I hope you're having a WONDERFUL day! Enjoy yourself, and be sure to take some time to STAMP something!

Well, I MEANT to post this last night...! :D

I'm in a frenzy around here! It's time to start getting ready for the Hostess Apprecation Luncheon on the 23rd. The invitations are almost ready to go in the mail; the menu's been decided on, and I'm trying to figure out what projects would be enjoyed the most. :)


So, yes, it's a MESS around here. But it's not too late to qualify for an invitation, y'all! I'm looking for ONE person to host a party this month. Just one! Or to place a $150 order to qualify. Just call or email me, or leave a comment for me - and I'll get back to you ASAP! :D

You truly don't want to miss it. If you've not been, or you're new to my blog, here are a couple of posts from past years:

2007

2009

I can't WAIT to have fun with my friends who have hostessed in the past year. :) Be on the lookout for your invitations!

Now, then. Go take the time to STAMP something, while I figure out what I'm doing.... :D

TGIF!!

Whew. A week ago today, I was in the Portland Airport, waiting for my plane home. What a week it's been!

Here are the two projects we did at the hostess clubs last week. We had a great time, and I think everyone enjoyed the projects. :)

First, a birthday card!

I happen to think it's pretty cute. :D

Card stock: Real Red, Whisper White, Sahara Sand

Ink: Real Red, Sahara Sand

Stamp sets: Got Treats, Occasional Quotes (level 3 hostess-only stamp set)

Accessories: 2-3/8" scallop circle punch, 1-3/4" circle punch, 1-3/8" crcle punch, dimensionals, Neutrals DSP pack

One of the ladies who was with us said she had someone to give this card to the next day, and was going to make banana muffins to go along. :D Isn't that perfect?

And how about a Christmas card? It's not long now, ladies. Seriously. :D Take a look at that countdown tree in the right-hand column!

The shimmer really came through on this photo! :)

Card stock: Whisper White, Night of Navy

Ink: Whisper White craft, Night of Navy (insde)

Stamp set: Many Merry Messages

Accessories: Big Shot (I have to tell you, it was SO funny Monday night; I asked Amy to hand me my Big Shot, and all of a sudden, it was all about how much I ♥ my Big Shot, and be careful....:D), Northern Frost Sizzlit Strip (Holiday Mini; if you haven't checked it out, you should! SO MUCH FUN STUFF!!!), 2 way glue pen, ticket corner punch, embossing buddy, white embossing powder, heat tool, Frost White Shimmer Paint, alcohol, spritz bottle

It's MUCH more subtle IRL, I promise. :) Very pretty - we talked about how the shimmer paint spray absolutely changes the character of our cards. :)

OK, I'm off. Have a WONDERFUL day, and be sure to take the time to STAMP something! Enjoy your weekend! :)