Did you want to know who won?

:D Well, so do I! So here we go....

Drum roll, anyone?


And the winner of the 15,000 hit BLOG CANDY is...



Carol P.!

Carol said, "Congratulations, Lori! That's great. BTW, I loved reading your story on your blog about how you became a Stampin'Up Demo. Thanks, also, for all the inspiration and a chance to win."

Thank you, Carol, for reading - and for ALL of you for coming along on this ride. :)

Have a wonderful weekend! :)

It's BLOG TOUR TIME!!!!

WELCOME to TOUR #2, STOP #6!

Hi! My name is Lori, and I'm SO glad to meet you! If you've already been on the tour for a few stops, I'm thrilled that you've stopped here, too! If you're just getting on the Blog Tour here, I KNOW you're going to have a lot of fun!!! There is blog candy, explained after the samples - as well as the next stop on the Blog Tour!! If you want to see the cards bigger, just click on any picture!

My feature from the Occasions Mini Catalog is the Oval All stamp set and the scallop oval punch. This is a GREAT set and punch - I'm having SO much fun with it!

Before we get to the show, I'd like to remind you that you have a GREAT opportunity right now with the GET CONNECTED special! For every $40 from the Occasions Mini Catalog you purchase, you may choose one free item from the "Under $10" Page in the Idea Book & Catalog FREE!! They're listed here for your convenience. :)

Item Description Retail Price
116209 Note of Thanks Mini Note Kit $9.95
116210 Birthdays Count Mini Note Kit $9.95
114494 Forever single stamp $5.95
114492 Beautiful Baby single stamp $7.95
114486 Birthday Wish single stamp $6.95
114490 Glad Friends single stamp $5.95
114498 Flowers in Silhouette single stamp $7.95
114496 Celebrations single stamp $7.95
114484 Elegant Thank You single stamp $6.95
114552* Gracias single stamp $5.95
114488 Fun Flowers single stamp $5.95

Now, ON WITH THE SHOW! We'll start with a simple card, and work our way up. I'll do basic recipes; things should be pretty self-explanatory, but if you have ANY questions, please don't hesitate to ask me!

Stamp sets: OVAL ALL, Boho Backgrounds

Card stocks: Whisper White, Basic Black, Brilliant Blue, Green Galore, Summer Sun, Real Red

Inks: Basic Black, Brilliant Blue, Green Galore, Summer Sun, Real Red

Accessories: Scallop oval punch, corner rounder, large oval punch, dimensionals

There are lots of potential color combos for this easy card! It reminds me of a circus. :D

The next card takes it a little further. To do the centers of the background flowers, I mixed some Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, and Certainly Celery re-inker. That's also the dots on the oval scallop punch! For the flower on the oval punch, I stamped it twice - once in Pixie Pink, the next in Pretty in Pink, and cut them out. I curled the edges with my fingernail, and sponged the edges a bit. Then, they're put on top of the oval punch with dimensionals, and I used a little bit of Crystal Effects on the edges of them and on a few little places in the rest of the stamp; I smeared some CE over the words, and poured Dazzling Diamonds glitter all over it. It's SOOOOOO sparkly!

Stamp sets: OVAL ALL, Simple Friendship

Card stocks: Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink

Inks: Pretty in Pink, Pixie Pink, Certain Celery

Accessories: Scallop oval punch, Crystal Effects, Certainly Celery re-inker, sponge, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Pretty in Pink grosgrain ribbon, large oval punch, ticket corner punch, dimensionals

This one is actually really simple! It's a 3"x3" card - great for putting on a gift! It uses one of my all-time favorite tools, the Big Shot! :)

Stamp set: OVAL ALL

Card stocks: Whisper White, brushed silver

Inks: Encore silver metallic

Accessories: Scallop oval punch, Big Shot, Stampin' Up!® exclusive Texturz Plates, large oval punch, silver embossing powder, embossing buddy, dimensionals, Mini square envelopes

This is the last sample for today - but come back tomorrow, and I'll show you at least two more! :) I've had a great time playing with this stamp set and punch - it's really versatile, and super simple to use!

ANYWAY. :) The rose and smaller flowers and leaves are cut from Bella Rose Designer Series Paper, and I cut the interior sections and stacked them with dimensionals. Again, I curled and inked the edges. I used a 2-Way Glue Pen to place the glitter exactly where I wanted it. :)

I am NOT a good ribbon-gatherer; this is the first time I've tried on a card, and anyone who comes to my classes KNOWS I'm not good with anything that needs to be STRAIGHT. :D But I really like it on this card!

Stamp set: OVAL ALL

Card stocks: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery

Ink: Rose Red

Accessories: Scallop oval punch, eyelet border punch, Bella Rose Designer Series Paper, large oval punch, 2-way glue pen, Pretty in Pink grosgrain ribbon

I hope you've enjoyed the samples today!!! To enter to win my blog candy (a surprise package!), just leave a comment telling me which one you liked the best and why! :) AND how to get ahold of you!!!

Your next stop on the Blog Tour is LINK REMOVED! It's a GREAT stop on the tour - you'll love her style. She has wonderful ideas to show you!

Have a WONDERFUL time - and enjoy sightseeing on the rest of the tour!

Pack your bags!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mark April 27th on your calendars!

That's the date when you can hop onto my blog to see more examples of projects made with the Occasions Mini Catalog stamp set "Oval All" and the scallop oval punch!

But wait, there's more!

After you browse my examples, you'll find a link to my friend Frances Hicks's blog. She'll be showing you how to use the beautiful designer series paper "Walk in the Park" from the Occasions Mini Catalog!

But wait, there's even more!

On Frances's blog, you'll find a link to yet another blog and examples from a different stamp set in the mini! There will be a banquet of ideas and beautiful projects. There are 20 stops on this tour, and you won't want to miss a single one. The links will be available only on April 27th, so please don't miss the bus.

But wait! Yes, you guessed it, there's more!

Because Stampin' Up!'s "Getting Connected" promotion will still be running, spend $40 on Occasions Mini Catalog products and choose any one item from the "Under $10" on page 208 in the Spring-Summer 2009 Idea Book & Catalog for Free.

Stay tuned, because there is more to come! It's an event not to be missed! This tour will take you all over the place! Be sure to hop on at my stop and then travel the road laid out for you!

More surprises to come, so keep checking back!

Pack your bags on April 27th! You're going to love the trip, and you won't even have to leave your couch.

I received an award! :D

A week or so ago, Nettie left me a comment telling me she had given me something on her blog - and look what I found! :D Nettie's got some great designs on her blog, so be SURE and go check it out. THANK YOU SO MUCH, Nettie!!! I'm truly honored that you like my blog! :) I'm sorry it took me so long to pick it up - it's been like that around here recently.... :D

RULES:

I have to pick 7 of my favorite blogs and…

1. The winner can put the logo on their blog

2. Link the person you received your award from

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs

4. Put links of those blogs on yours.

5. Leave a message on the blogs of the girls or boys you've nominated.

So here I go!

Yvonne Metz - another Stampin' Up! demonstrator with lots of fun ideas. :)

Paula Goff - another SU! demo, and someone so incredibly talented - I sooooooo admire her work!!!!

Becky Peterson - one of my best friends, and one of the greatest COLORERS you'll ever find!!

Mary Jo Price-Williams - great designs!!!

Barb Mullikin - a really nice person, and some great ideas on her blog.

JanTink - Again, a SU! demo who's INCREDIBLY talented!!!

And last but CERTAINLY not least - and there are a LOT more great blogs out there, I just can't list them all! :D - is Lisa Somerville. When my creativity grows up, I want it to flow just like hers!!!!!!!!!!!! And the same with Andrea Walford!

Flagged my blog, can you believe it???

:D Blogger's spam-prevention robots flagged my blog as a possible spam blog. What the heck IS a spam blog, anyway?!?!?!?

So, I'm going to go ahead and get this post ready to go out as soon as they've reviewed my request to be UN-flagged. Silly. :) Edit: I've been RELEASED! :D Or you wouldn't be reading this.... ;)

Here's another watercoloring sample I did the other day. Again, it's using my Stampin' Write markers. It's an unusual color choice for me, but I really do like it. The bacground is Cameo Coral, and the mat is Not Quite Navy. Using SUMMER BY THE SEA - one of my all-time favorite sets!!! :) It's also stamped on watercolor paper. I really like working with this medium! With aqua painters and my set of markers, I can color almost ANYTHING! :) Look out, world!!!

OK, I'm off - Kenn and I are taking off this weekend, so I need to pack! I'm taking some stampin' stuff with me - I hope YOU are taking the time to stamp something, too! :)

No, I haven't vanished from the earth! :)

LOTS of personal business going on that's affected every area of my life, and I apologize for not posting here for a VERY long time. But here I am, and I KNOW you want to know who won the People's Choice for the Annual Birthday Challenge!!!!! (Better late than never, right???)

And the winner is...

DEB LEHIGH!

Thanks, Deb, for sending in your entry!!!! I'll be sending out your prize by Monday - and HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY to YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

I'll be back with another post soon, another sample to delight and cheer you - and hopefully inspire YOU to take the time to STAMP something!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

I've started a new blog!

If you like my photography, I hope you'll check out Heavenbound With A Lens. It's just for my photos - with maybe an applicable quote thrown in for good measure. :)
I hope you'll check it out! Let me know what you think!

Happy Thursday!

So, how's your entry for my Annual Birthday Challenge going? Are you excited about what you're designing??? I've received one, and knew that a few more are on their way. :) I can't wait to see what y'all come up with this year!

So. This is a card from the Manly Man Card Class. I featured it in my Stampin' Up!® newsletter this month; if you're not signed up for it, email me at poohisstampin@aol.com and let me know you want it! :) The stamp set is WINDS OF GRACE; the colors are Bravo Burgundy, Creamy Caramel, and Very Vanilla. But that's all I'm going to tell you! :D It's a beautiful set....

So, don't forget to enter the Annual Birthday Challenge, and go to my personal blog to enter another giveaway there!

I won an award! :)

My dear friend, Jamie, awarded this Arte Y Pico award to me! Thank you, Jamie! Go check out her website - she's linked in the sidebar, as well, but click HERE to go to her site!

There are 5 rules attached to this and they are:

1) You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contributes to the blogging community, no matter what language.

2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3) Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.

4) Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of "Arte y Pico" blog , so everyone will know the origin of this award. http://arteypico.blogspot.com/

5) To show these rules.

So, now, I get to pick five other blogs I enjoy visiting! :D These are only five off the top of my head, girls - please don't get your feelings hurt if you're not listed!!!!!

Becky - She inspires me with her wit, creativity, great coloring skills, and friendship. Be sure and take a look at her blog!

Cheryl - She's very creative, energetic (Just look at all those layouts!!!), and encouraging. She's won at least one contest here on my blog. Definitely worth your time to visit!

Dawn - Very creative! You'll enjoy her site! :) She's really got a lot going on in her life, and she keeps it all together. I'm kinda jealous! :D

Nancy - Quite an eclectic blog, but she's a FASCINATING person. Be sure and read the posts on herbs; she's VERY knowledgeable. Lots of things to read, and she's quite the crafter!

Kathy - She's from Indiana, what can I say? :D She's got some great projects on her blog - be sure to look at the Easter eggs with rub-ons on them! :D

Congrats, girls! Thanks for your inspiration! Have fun handing out your own awards!

BLOG CANDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you trust me????? This blog candy is going to be AWESOME - but I'm not going to tell you what it is. :) Just know it will be better than the last time - I mean, I've got over 10,000 hits!! :)

To enter, you MUST post a comment to this blog entry, telling me SOMETHING you enjoy about visiting my blog. :)

Make me laugh, make me cry - just let me know you appreciate me. ;D

I can't wait to start reading!!!! Invite all your friends - this blog candy is going to be AWESOME, I promise.

Happy Wednesday! :)

Good morning! (Yes, it's still morning HERE!) I hope you're having a great day! It's hump day, people - the weekend's not far away!

I wanted to share this card that Becky P. sent me last week. :) Isn't it pretty? Thank you, Becky! Amy loved the watercoloring!! :D

Don't forget, everyone, the request for tutorials I put out! I only received ONE suggestion! Go back and give me some ideas, people!

OK, I'm going to run. :) I've been stamping today; have YOU?? If not, I certainly hope you'll take the time to STAMP something! :) Have a wonderful day!

Supplies are Stampin' Up!...

But the stamps sure aren't! :) This is a thank-you card for my stepdaughter and her husband; they gave this Pooh alphabet set to me for Christmas. :) I embossed all the letters with black EP, and just chose select things on each image to color in with Stampin' Write markers. They're big stamps - this card is 6" long! - but I couldn't NOT do this card! :)

I need to get some more thank-you notes done, but my room is full of furniture from the flooring going in, so it's hard to move around....

Starting January 1, I'm going to begin another blog, called "Musings of a Proverbs 31 Wannabe". I hope you'll check it out; I won't be posting lots and lots over there, but there are days I want to talk more than craft....:D

SO. Go stamp something, and then BLESS someone with it - or get started on next year's birthday cards, or gifts!~ :)

We have a winner!!!!

Today is THE BIG DAY!!!! Are you ready???? I know there are a LOT of you who will be disappointed that you didn't win this great blog candy, but keep watching! I still have a challenge going on, too - send me either a scan or pic of your SPLIT NEGATIVE card, and we'll have a contest! I have TWO entries so far. Who else? If you don't enter, I'm going to seed it with MY CARDS so I have a chance of not having to give anything away! :D

SO. Do you want to know who won? :D Here you go.

The lucky winner is...

ANDREA HAYS!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations, Andrea. :) I'm just waiting for her snail mail address to get it off to her. :) Be sure and tell me how disappointed you are - leaving me a comment, not hate mail, please. ROFL!!!

Thank you, dear readers. You sure do make giving things away fun!!! NOW, then, go make time to STAMP something - I am! :D

Well, well, well!

It's true! Women DO have a serious sweet tooth! :D

Thanks for turning out in such large numbers to enter for the blog candy. The counter doesn't know what to do with itself - it keeps rolling over. :) Of course, I know it will slow down again soon, but I'm grateful for the hundreds of hits I've gotten in the last two days!

Please keep coming to visit me! I promise I'll be as loquacious as possible soon. I'm also going to be offering instructions and kits for some projects, so stay tuned!!!

This card was one of the Christmas 10/10/10 cards we did earlier this month. Good ol' Frosty; I kind of expect him to be saying goodbye when the Retired List comes out in 18 days. The tag is from the Level 2 hostess-only set, PERFECT PRESENTATIONS - if you want IT, you ONLY have until Dec. 29 to earn it by hostessing a $330+ party, dear reader! CONTACT ME TODAY!

Anyway. Colors are Brocade Blue, Whisper White, and Rose Red. I know it's an unusual color combination for Frosty, but I like it. :)

I STILL only have two entries for the challenge, readers! I hope you'll play!!!!!

And I'm still selling our calendars - I pick up the first printing tomorrow. C'mon, you can think of someone who would LOVE it, can't you!? Email me at poohisstampin@aol.com if you have questions!

OK, I have to run! I have a new customer/friend coming to meet me in real life, and I don't want her to have to wait on me. :D Go ahead, enter the contest and challenge and buy a calendar - but TAKE THE TIME TO STAMP SOMETHING, TOO!!! :D

FIDDLE-FADDLE?!?!?!??!!

OK, readers, I NEED to hear from you!!!! There's a discussion going on on one of my email groups; they're saying that blogs are full of "fiddle-faddle" that they just don't care about! PLEASE TELL ME: do I fill my blog with fiddle-faddle????????

This is another challenge item, but it's not a card! It's a 6x6 scrapbook page, done by Amy. When all I could see is a piece of card stock that wasn't going to work for my project, Amy saw a background for a scrapbook page! :) It's fun, isn't it?!? It's done with the All About Christmas Jumbo Stampin' Around Wheel, Real Red and Whisper White. SUPER-SIMPLE!

Tonight's private workshop is doing letters with the Pretties Kit - like the one I posted on this blog about six weeks ago. I've got thirteen letters sitting on my table with a base coat on them! :) I hope everyone has fun tonight....

OK, that's it for me - I have to go clean up to give everyone a place to sit. :) Do let me know about the fiddle-faddle part, though, OK? I want YOUR opinion!!!!!!

Oh, yeah. :D TAKE TIME TO STAMP SOMETHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

Challenge from Dawn!

This was on Dawn's blog today - you can find the link to her blog to the right, at the top! - and I thought it was kind of fun. So, I'm going to put a picture of another variety of the card I posted earlier today, and do this challenge of hers. :D



For each question your answer has to start with the same letter that your first name starts with. For boy/girl names the name can't be the same as your own. I challenge you to try this out with YOUR name.


Your Name: Lori
Famous Artist/Band/Musician: Lionel Richie
4 letter word: LOVE!
Vehicle: Longboat ;)
TV SHOW: LOST (Never watched the thing, but...)
City/Town: Louisville - great city!
Boy Name: Leo
Girl Name: Lessa
Occupation: lentil cook
Something you wear: Leotard (NOT me, however...!)
Celebrity: Lee Iacocca - does he still count?
Food: lemon meringue pie!!!
Something found in a kitchen: lettuce
Reason for Being Late: late night
Cartoon Character: Lou Whooooooo!!
Something You Shout: LOSER!

Kinda fun. Of course, I can't think of anything FUNNY.... :D

So, YOU try it! If you've got a blog and do this, be sure to let me know!!! :)

Oh, yeah. Be sure to take some time to STAMP something!! No posts tomorrow, unless I get ambitious - CLASS TIME!!!