Love this card!

Here's another swap I received from my mail-in swap. I LOVE THIS CARD! When you pull the tab, the card folds up revealing a party invitation!

What a great idea for a summer party!

Want to learn how? Let me know!

Totally Tool and a simple technique

This card uses a technique called "Grounding". See the shading under the hammer? Ot's what grounds the hammer so it's not floating in air. This technique is often used under the wheels of a bike or car, or under a person or object. See p. 59 (the vehicles), p. 82 (the robot), p. 89 (the dog), p. 92 (the animals), p. 103 (the chair, flowerpot and basket) from the 2009-2010 Idea Book and Catalog for other examples.

All it takes is a little soft suede or basic gray ink and a blender pen and you'll be "grounding" like a pro. Give it a try and post your comments!

On a Pedestal

Another swap from my trip to Phoenix. (I told you it was a good trip!)...

Color combo - Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay

Don't you love how the cherry is tipped on the side? When we create, we often try to line things up perfectly. Next time you make a card, try something a little "tipsy" and let me know how it works out!

Do you remember the book about the Kangaroo with no pockets?

One of my favorite books when I was a kid was Katy No Pocket (I think that was the name). It was about a mother kangaroo who didn't have a pocket to carry her baby kangaroo. She wandered into the city, met a carpenter who gave her his carpenter apron, and then she had pockets galore to hold her baby and other little animals.

This kangaroo has a great pocket with lots of fun things to put in her pocket, including a baby kangaroo! I might need to break down and buy this set, Build-a-Roo ($25.96, set of 10), it brings back good memories. :) It's versatile enough to be used for many occasions - birthday, Valentine's Day, new baby, thank you, general love and friendship..... hmmm.... so many stamp sets, so little time. :)

Thoughts and Prayers

Here's another swap from my Leadership Convention in Phoenix. The stamp set, Thoughts and Prayers ($25.95, set of 8), is focused on comforting friends in time of sickness and loss, but the tree and flower stamps can be used for many occasions.

The layout of this card could be used with lots of stamp sets.

Wanted

My downline, Jenny, made this cute card for our demonstrator team swap.

A little bit of magic...

This stamp set, A Little Bit of Magic, reminds me of the fairies I painted on Sarah's wall when she was little, whimsical and cute. I love the textured background made by the square lattice embossing folder ($7.95).

This is from a mail in swap. All products are from the Summer Mini.

On creativity....

Do you ever find that your expectations of yourself are a little too high? Do you expect that every time you sit down you should be able to create a masterpiece? I was browsing blogs of some very talented demonstrators and I found that I had idea overload. When I sat down to design cards for some upcoming classes, nothing I made seemed good enough. I was in a creativity drought!

What to do? I asked myself what it was that I liked about the projects I had just seen. Layers, layers and more layers, unconventional sizes, layouts and texture.... So I started playing. The first card I made looked a lot like this one except instead of old olive, it was turquoise. I liked it for a day or so and then ripped off all of the layers and re-made the card on Old Olive card stock. I kept playing for a while longer and ended up with the cool butterfly card that is featured in my June 4th stamp-a-stack class!

To me creativity is about trying new things, persevering when you doubt yourself, the courage to make things you aren't sure are going to turnout, keeping your expectations reasonable and just PLAYING. :)

More Sweet Scoops!

The colors look as yummy as the ice cream. A cute combo of crushed curry, melon mambo and chocolate chip this card is sure to please!

I received this card in a mail-in swap coordinated by a demo friend in PA.

Watercolor Trio

It's amazing what a few markers can do....

This beautiful card is another I received from my mail-in swap! I love the colors: Melon Mambo, So Saffron, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive and Basic Black!

I may have to buy this stamp set just to make this card! This beautiful set of 7 stamps includes 3 floral images, three greetings and the cute little butterfly. Starting at $16.95 for clear-mount stamps, it's a bargain you won't want to miss!

Sweet Scoops

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! Put together your own ice cream social with our Two-Step Stampin’ Sweet Scoops set. Complete with hard or soft serve options, your choice of a cake cone or sugar cone, and some tasty toppings, you’ll be able to create a different ice cream delight for each of your projects. Get scoopin’ with this set on your next scrapbook page, birthday card, or party invitation. Available in wood-mount and clear-mount. Also available in French.

Set Quantity: 8

Sweet Scoops	117078
Price: $18.95 wood-mount, $14.95 clear-mount

This stamp set is perfect for summer birthday cards and invitations!

On this card, the ice cream is stamped in So Saffron, Bashful Blue and Certainly Celery. The ripples of the ice cream were stamped off in More Mustard, Not Quite Navy and Garden Green. The cone is stamped in Soft Suede on Kraft. Quick and easy!

June 4th Stamp-a-stack!

I just finished planning my June Stamp-a-stack! This group of cards was designed with NO water coloring, very limited hand-cutting and cards generic enough to apply to ANY occasion. Choose your own greeting to customize the cards for your upcoming celebrations.

Join us on June 4th at 7 PM to make 12 quick and easy cards! Class fee: $15. RSVP now to save your spot!

And the winner of the free stamp set is.....

Karen Sladden!

Karen - Thanks so much for posting comments. You've won the Hostess Level 1 Stamp set: Holiday Best!

Congrats!

Congrats, Grad!

Here's another Summer Mini Swap that I received. I love the layout of this card!

Elements of Style - Summer Mini

Here's one of the cards I received from my Summer Mini swap. It was made by my friend, Karen Burke. I like her color combo: Kraft, Bravo Burgundy, Regal Rose and Bashful Blue. Her ribbon technique is really cool too.

6x6 Technique Scrap book

I love this scrap book from the Summer Mini. I love polka dots and old olive, so what's not to love. The cover is a very durable vinyl, perfect for a technique book. Since I will be teaching more technique classes over the next few months, so I wanted to make a nice book to display them in. I was able to adhere design right to the front of the album. The techniques will be on 6x6 scrapbook pages so it will be a perfect fit.

I used the Scallop Oval Die, the Flower Fusion Sizzlit, the leaf from the Flower Layers Die and the smaller leaves from the XL Bird Punch.

Technique Tuesday - It's a piece of cake!

I hope you will join us on Tuesday, May 18th for Technique Tuesday. This class is a piece of cake!

Learn how to:
- make a GORGEOUS 3-D flower using one of my favorite punches
- make a goodie box shaped like a piece of cake
- use baby wipes(???) as a stamp pad
- dry emboss using the Sizzix!

I promise you will be inspired and have fun!

Materials to bring:
- adhesive (SNAIL/Tombow)
- Sticky strip tape (red tape)
- bone folder (if you have one)
- paper piercing tool (if you have one)

The class is from 6:30-9:00 PM at my house in Webster. Kindly RSVP by Sunday, May 16th. Class fee: $15 or FREE with a $50 purchase. See you then!

Happy Mother's Day! (Mom - don't open until Monday)

One of my mom's charming characteristics is that blue is her favorite color. Well, it's more than that, blue is the only color.... I love to tease her about it. Everything in her house matches, because, well, it's blue. My mom's home is beautiful; she has a knack for decorating. So, for Mother's Day I had to make her some blue decorative things for her house.

Happy Mother's Day, mom, I love you!

I'm giving away a free stamp set!!!!

Post a comment on my blog by 5 PM on Sunday and you may win a FREE stamp set!

Are you excited about the new Mini Catalog?????

One of my goals is to work hard to always bring you fresh, current ideas. This weekend I made 25 cards out of the new stamp set, Itty Bitty Bits, from the Summer Mini. I'll be mailing them off to my friend in PA who is organizing a swap. In early May, I'll get back 25 cards. Each card will feature a stamp set from the Summer Mini! I will have LOTS of fresh ideas to share with you so you can see the new stamps in action! If you saw my post on Monday, you saw "Sweet Scoops" (I earned that stamp set for FREE!).

Here's the card I made for the swap. The flowers are stamped in So Saffron and punch with the mini flower punch from the punch pack. The greeting is from Teeny Tiny Wishes. The leaves are from the two step bird punch.

Enjoy!

Did you know.....

Did you know that when you shop online, you can order from the Clearance Rack and get products up to 60% off??? How cool is that? Designer paper is only $3.99! Corduroy buttons $3.99. (The corduroy buttons can be found in Baja Breeze and Pacific Point, two colors that are returning as core colors in July. What a bargain!)

Stampin' Up! just announced that the following items from the Occasions catalog will be carried over. You can order them online and they will also appear in upcoming catalogs.

Yeah - the Butterfly embosslit is carrying over!

STMP = stamp set, WM = wood mount, CM = clear mount

Item #	Description	Price
116519	Charming STMP	$19.95
117690	Vintage Vogue WM	$23.95
118598	Vintage Vogue CM	$17.95
118882	Vague vinatge WM	$23.95
119109	Vague vinatge CM	$17.95
118091	Tiny Tags WM	$22.95
118592	Tiny Tags CM	$16.95
117535	DÉCOR ELEMENTS F IS FOR FOX CHOCOLATE	$4.95
117536	DÉCOR ELEMENTS G IS FOR GIRAFFE CHOCOLATE	$4.95
117529	DÉCOR ELEMENTS IS FOR BLACK	$1.95
117541	DÉCOR ELEMENTS L IS FOR LION CHOCOLATE	$4.95
117542	DÉCOR ELEMENTS M IS FOR MONKEY CHOCOLATE	$4.95
117544	DÉCOR ELEMENTS O IS FOR OWL CHOCOLATE	$4.95
117528	DÉCOR ELEMENTS SCALLOP FRAME BLACK	$6.95
117549	DÉCOR ELEMENTS T IS FOR TURTLE CHOCOLATE	$4.95
117552	DÉCOR ELEMENTS W IS FOR WHALE CHOCOLATE	$4.95
118072	PNCH CRNR PINKING HEARTS	$9.95
118870	PNCH CRNR SCALLOP TRIM	$9.95
117191	PNCH LG 2 STEP BIRD	$15.95
118073	PNCH LG FANCY FLOWER	$15.95
117649	PNCH MD BRDR PINKING HEARTS	$15.95
117190	PNCH MD JEWELRY TAG	$10.95
117193	PNCH SM SMALL HEART	$5.95
117310	SZX BIGZ L MINI MILK CARTON	$32.95
118138	SZX EMBSLTS BEAUTIFUL WINGS	$11.95
117332	SZX EMBSLTS SCALLOPED HEART OF HEARTS	$11.95
117335	SZX TI PERFECT POLKA DOTS	$7.95
120435	HEART TREAT CUPS	$2.95

The following products will not be featured in upcoming catalogs.

116772	RECIPES BY DESIGN	$24.95
118139	DS FOLK FLOWERS -SHELLI SIGNATURE COLLECTION	$12.95
117597	DS PAISLEY PATTERNS 2-STEP	$14.95

Shhhh..... don't tell!

Tonight is my downline meeting. The Doodlers, Ink. team is coming over and I have some surprises for them!

I'm unveiling my recognition program. I like to give presents, so this should be lots of fun. I'll be telling my team how they can earn more presents and more free stuff from me!

We always stamp at our meetings. Here's the card we are making together. Fun!


Oh, and I have another surprise for them too!

Anniversary Card for Margaret

As I've said a million times, the best part of my Stampin' Up experience is all of the amazing women that I've met. I can honestly say that I love my girls, every one of them. You are all a special part of my life. You enrich my life, challenge me creatively and laugh with me.

I made this card for one of my special customers/friends. Margaret is a true lover of stamping and a passionate, energetic friend. She brings joy and laughter (and a Stampin' Up catalog) wherever she goes.

This was her anniversary card for celebrating 15 years at Paychex. Margaret doesn't do anything small, so I had to make her a "big" card.

Love ya, Margaret! Congrats on 15 years!

Look what we made!

Last weekend I had a guest teacher. My friend, Sasha, designed a really cute bouquet of birds. Once I saw it, I knew she had to teach it at a class with me. We team taught - Sasha taught the bouquet and I taught the Totally Awesome Tote, from a tutorial created by Becky Roberts.

I actually sat down and made the projects with everyone. It was sooooo relaxing! Mine is the pink one, of course. We had a good time!

Color Revolution! New colors coming in July!

One of the things I LOVE about Stampin' Up is the fabulous colors! Just the other day I was lamenting how I missed some of the old in-colors and I wished they would bring some of them the back. THEN I saw the MOST exciting news from Stampin' Up!

Stampin' Up! is announcing its COLOR RENOVATION coming in July!!!!

This is VERY exciting! Didn't you miss "Wild Wasabi" and "Baja Breeze"? Wasn't it heart breaking thinking that "Rich Razzleberry" and "Soft Suede" would be gone soon! With the Color Renovation, these colors are now CORE colors!

Stampin' Up will be adding 5 NEW colors (Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight, Cherry Cobbler, Cajun Craze and Early Espresso), bringing back 10 retired IN-COLORS(Baja Breeze, Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette, Rich Razzleberry, Riding Hood Red, River Rock, Soft Suede, Tangerine Tango and Wild Wasabi), and moving colors around into four different color collections: Brights, Subtles, Regals and Neutrals. These collections are similar to our color families, but the brights are less overwhelming and the subtles are less pale. The new collections are based on years of research and market study!!

There will be 40 Core Colors and beginning in July, the in-colors introduced each year will stay for TWO years! They will even be introducing a getting started collection with an assortment of colors designed for the new stamper!

Sadly, 30 current colors will be retiring in June. The colors that are retiring are:
Glorious Green, Green Galore, Gable Green, Yoyo Yellow, Only Orange, Pink Passion, Pixie Pink, Orchid Opulence, Lovely Lilac, Brilliant Blue, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Really Rust, Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, Summer Sun, Bordering Blue, Brocade Blue, Ballet Blue, Taken with Teal, Handsome Hunter, Pale Plum, Blush Blossom, Apricot Appeal, Barely Banana , Mellow Moss, Sage Shadow, Almost Amethyst, Lavender Lace, Basic Brown, and Going Gray.


(Based on my observations over the last few years, if you want to purchase a re-inker so your stamp set will last virtually forever, I STRONGLY recommend you order in April or early May. In previous years the in-color re-inkers sold out in early June and many people were left stranded!) It is always sad to say goodbye to our favorite colors, but Stampin' Up hasn't let me down yet and I am soooo EXCITED to get my hands on the NEW colors!

Click HERE to print the Color Renovation chart.

Feel free to email me if you have any questions!

I admit it... I binged Easter morning on chocolate....

Chocolate chip ink that is! I took a joy break on Easter morning as the family was lazing around the house and went on a creativity binge with chocolate chip ink. A piece or two of actual chocolate MAY have passed my lips as well, but who's counting?

This stamping extravaganza features a sneak peak at the "Elements of Style" stamp set coming in the Summer mini catalog in May!

The heat gun was out too and look out.... I was embossing everything! This was the first time I played with clear embossing powder. I used a Versamark pen to color on the flowers and then embossed with clear embossing powder over the top. The "china blue" background is really a light wash of sage shadow. The background of the humming bird is done with a brayer and a few random shades of blue.

As I was playing, I pulled out my an old in-color and was thinking.... wouldn't it be nice if some of the in-colors came back...... (If this was a novel, this would be foreshadowing... hint... hint.... tease... tease... more news tomorrow!)

The girls

My sweeties -- my mom, my daughter and my puppy dog.

Hostess Club Cards

Here are the cards for April's hostess club workshop! Our club night was April 1st. In honor of April Fool's Day, we had a PJ party! The mother and daughter duo in matching jammies were the winners of the FREE stamp set!

The first card features the stamp set, Asian Artistry, and the color combo: Dusty Durango, Old Olive and Soft Suede. To add texture to the oval, we used the side of scissors to "rough up" the edge. This might be the quickest card I've made in years. :)

The second card features the stamp set, Awash with Flowers. This stamp set is a sneak peak from the new catalog coming in July! This month only you can get Awash with Flowers at 20% off! The color combo in this card is Brocade Blue, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery and Apricot Appeal. This set comes in traditional wood mount OR clear mount. I have to say that two-step stamping is much easier with the new clear mount stamp stamps!

The third card is a card I made from the workshop left overs. A girl's gotta play. :)



Two-Step into Spring!

From April 1-30 only, you can buy the brand-new Awash with Flowers Two-Step Stampin' set—or get it FREE when you host a $350 workshop!

Item	Description	Price
117062	Awash with Flowers (wood-mount)	$39.95
120549	Awash with Flowers (clear-mount)	$27.95

Plus, get 20% off a selection of springy Two-Step Stampin' sets:

Item	Page	Description	Regular Price	Sale Price
113824	94	Greenhouse Garden	$25.95	$20.76
113734	98	Fifth Avenue Floral	$24.95	$19.96
111578	101	Flower Fancy	$36.95	$29.56
113258	112	Trendy Trees	$17.95	$14.36

View the flyer to see the beautiful creations you can make with the Awash with Flowers set—then contact me to place your order or schedule your workshop.

Happy Easter!

Wishing you a joyful day!