Calm Christmas

Every year a Dr.'s office in town asks me to make their "bonus check" Christmas cards and every year I say yes, but always wait until right when they need them to get busy with the cards.  So this year I had a SU Party at my house and then had 10 cards to make….and was up until 2:30 a.m. finishing them.
Here's what I came up with:

I will say that they did look better in real life--not sure the colors are true in the photo.  Here's the inside of the card…

I sprayed a bit of sparkly over the front of them and they really were quite striking.  

Joyful Christmas Stamp Set of the Month

Hey all!  Sorry it's been so long since I've posted…it's just a busy time and with Thanksgiving and Christmas so close together it seems even more busy!  Here are the cards we made for the Joyful Christmas set.

This uses gold embossing powder on vellum and then the backside of the vellum is either sponged or colored.  I had a horrible time getting my vellum to dry so it was difficult getting it adhered to the card…anyone else have this trouble when using the stained glass technique?  I cased this card from Natasha at inkingoutofthebox.com

This one is so striking, but very easy.  Silver embossing powder on vellum, rhinestones and the beautiful Frosted Finishes embellishments.  I cased this, but it didn't have a watermark so I don't know who did it--but it's awesome!!

This is simple, but understated….I changed the ribbon and designer paper in my final--thought this one was just too….blah.  This was cased from Natasha at the same link as the first card.  

This is probably more my style than any of the others--love the real red agains the crumb cake.  I cased this from Sabine who is a demo in Germany.  Here's a link to her site.

I'll be back tomorrow to share the cards I did for bonus checks at a Dr.'s office using Calm Christmas.

SU Weekly Deals for Nov. 12 - 18

Hey my stampin' friends!  I'm going to be sending an order in tomorrow that includes some of these items so if you'd like to tag along with me to save on shipping let me know asap!  I've been waffling on the bow die for awhile, but just in the past week I found 3 different ideas that used it in alternative ways .....and now it's on SALE!

I sure hope I haven't waited too long....and it's sold out!

Halloween Treats

I have a first grade class of 25 students this year...they are a great group of kids and I'm enjoying our time together!  Every year (since I live in the country) I sit out in front of our school and let the kids come trick or treat me there.  I've done it for so many years that I often have past students come and visit me too!  Here are the treats that I made for my kiddos!  The bat idea I got from Julie Davison and I found the sucker idea on pinterest--Sara Stamper is the blog I found the directions on.  They were in cm  so I had to translate to inches....but they came together very easily.

I also give them a book along with the treats! 

A side note--towards the end of my time sitting in front of my school 4 middle school aged boys were coming down the street and as they huddled together about a block away I thought "oh great--what are they planning?"  and to be honest, I was a little nervous.  I was sitting in my lawn chair huddled in blankets since it was a bit cold and here they came.  I chatted with them and gave them some candy and as they walked away two of them held up some money and said, "We saw you from across the park and thought you were homeless....we were coming to give you some money."  Aww....made my night and really touched my heart.

2nd Stamp Set of the Month....Best of Autumn

I'm posting pictures of the cards we'll be making with this stamp set.....I'll be tweaking them a bit since these are my first tries with each.

I'm changing the stripe on the left side of the flap that slides up.

This is a repeat of a card I did last year---love the fall colors in this!

I love how this turned out...the only thing I'm changing with this is to add texture to the olive background.

This is on watercolor paper and uses blender pen and ink pad ink.

The cost for this is $20 which includes all the card supplies, directions and you get your own stamp set. We can get together to work on Sunday, Nov. 10 and/or Monday Nov. 11.  If you are interested, but those times don't work we can work something out!  Also--if you'd like to change the sentiments to make them birthday, anniversary etc...cards.  I need to know by Sat. November 2 to get the stamp set ordered for you!  Thanks!  

                

Ah....Fall!

I think fall is my favorite season.  I love the colors of the leaves as they change, the weather and the holidays that happen during fall.  We had our monthly stamping party last week and I'm a bit late in posting the cards that were made that night so here goes.....

The first card that I demonstrated used the stamp sets Wonder Fall, Gorgeous Grunge and Petite Pairs.  Of course I cased it from someone, but unfortunately I can't read her watermark--her name starts with a D.  I first made the card using cajun craze, but my stamp pad was a bit dry and I didn't have a reinker so I decided to try it with the in color raspberry ripple and I really like it as a fall color.  It pops a bit more than the cajun card.

The second card I demonstrated used the stamp sets Oh Hello and Pennant Parade.  I like that it isn't toogirly and could be used for a male's birthday.  This is cased also--from Jenny Peterson.  Love how she used the cute clips to frame the greeting.  The Oh Hello chevron stamp was used with the decorative label punch.  

The third card used the Sweater Weather dsp and the Truly Grateful stamp set from the Holiday catalog.  It featured the sun or starburst technique.  This was the first time that I tried the candy dots and I really liked them.    I stamped the wheat shock in crushed curry and then thumped it with a pumpkin pie marker along the edges.

Here's the link to the tutorial where I got my measurements and directions.

We then did 2 make and takes--one using the stamp set Tags 4 You and the matching bracket punch that featured how to make a file folder card using the envelope punch board.  Directions here.

Here's how I decorated the inside of the file folder. 

I also had the supplies so they could make a Thanksgiving one instead of Halloween.

The other make and take used the stamp set Spread the Joy created by a SU employee in a contest.  I love the big oval stamp in this set.  This used sahara sand (because I have a lot of that paper and never seem to use it) card stock.  The filagree from the stamp set Creative Elements was stamped in soft suede.

I stamped this in stazon black so I could use my pool party ink and my blender pen to color over the words.  I used my melon mambo marker to color in the hearts and added the melon mambo bow.

I'm headed to my stamp room to put stuff away and get busy on my next Stamp Set of the Month installment which will take place on Sunday, Nov. 3 or Monday, Nov. 4.  Watch for more details tomorrow!

First Stamp Set of the Month -- September!

Hi All!
Today I met with the 2 brave souls who were willing to come and give my Stamp Set of the Month project a go!  Sasha and Lena are such fun and I had a great time--hope they did too!

Our set this month was "Perfect Blend" which I think is so cute!  Here's what they did during their 3 hour "therapy" time!  =-)

This one uses Etcetera designer series paper, Gorgeous Grunge, and the Chalk Talk framelits and a coffee cup (for the ring) in addition to Perfect Blend.

This uses the cute muslin bags available in the holiday catalog, Gorgeous Grunge and were filled with chocolate covered espresso beans.

This is a gift card holder...

It uses the Window Frames framelits,  the polka dot embossing folder, a retired embossing folder (I don't own Beautifully Baroque yet) and the stamp set Lovely Little Labels. Thanks to my sister-in-law who just sent me a Starbucks card this week in the mail!

This card uses retired ribbon from a mini catalog a few years ago and the chevron embossing folder along with Perfect Blend.

 Our bonus project was this little mini coffee cup to go....they got to choose the paper they wanted and how they wanted to decorate their cups.  Here's the link to where I found the pattern, video that showed me how and the link to the company where you can buy the cups from.

Here's how Sasha and Lena's cups turned out---take notice of Sasha's beautiful nails!  Her sister did them for her and they are lovely...but they made the crafting tough!  Thanks again ladies for joining me for my premier of this club!

  

Keep an eye out for October's upcoming events----Stamp Set of the Month and Home Decor!

Washi CASE and more of the Banner....

This is the last card of this design that I made--it's a total CASE from Connie Collins (an Artisan Designer this year and super talented)--I changed just a bit on the card base, but really loved her use of the dap with the embossed texture.    I tried to add a bit of bling on the little heart by the sentiment, but I'm going to replace it--it just doesn't seem to go with the card.    Really love the use of wash tape and dap--and I'm getting better at creating the ruffle with the doilies.

On another note here's my cute banner that I posted a couple of days ago hung up in my classroom.  

I originally made 3 large pencils and since I didn't use the 3rd I made a little banner for my wonderful student teacher this fall--here it is hanging on her desk...

Banner Love!

I've been recovering over the past week from a sinus surgery....which means I haven't been sleeping well due to swollen sinuses.  As I've laid awake during the night I've been thinking about what I wanted to do with my new banner kit that I received from Stampin' Up....I knew I wanted to make a "school themed" banner for my classroom, but I couldn't decide on the work or how I'd decorate it.  However in the midst of my dreams (or lack thereof) I got an idea for a Seasonal Banner Class which in turn firmed up my ideas about what I wanted to do for school.  Here's my banner and even though it's not perfect--I love how it turned out!

I did all the punch art pieces first--I got the idea for the pencils from a banner here (Aug. 9, 2013 post) and the owl with banners here.  I found the bus punch art on Diana Gibbs' blog.  The Teach stamp is from a super old PTI set that I have.  

After I got all the punch art done it was time to tackle the "learn" banner.  I decided to use sponges instead of the spritzers to do my dots, stripes and chevrons.  Actually it was super easy--I was most worried about keeping things straight with the chevrons and stripes.  Then came the letters.....I think I got a bit over-confident since the "l" was so easy....and I wasn't careful---as seen by my smudgy "e." 

Oh well--it really doesn't take away from the banner.  Did I mention I love how it turned out??  Ha!  I can't wait to see it in my room since I made it to go with the curtain that's on my window where I'll be hanging it.  I'll be sure to post a picture after I get it hung this weekend.

Think you might like to make a banner?  Your chance is coming! 

Getting Better....and Exciting News!

School is off to a good start and I have my 3rd sinus surgery in the past 2 years under my belt so now I'm ready to rock and roll and get back to stamping and posting a bit more regularly!!   I had to stay home from school for this past week after the surgery and you'd think I'd have gotten a lot of stamping done, but to be honest my head hurt too much and I spent much of my time resting.
However....I do have some new stamping ideas up my sleeve.....

I'm starting a new monthly class that I've not yet given a clever name--so it's called Stamp Set of the Month Class or SSMC---surely I can come up with something better than that!!
The first class is coming up at the end of September and features the stamp set "Perfect Blend."  If you participate in the class you get the stamp set and all the materials needed to make 4 projects (plus a bonus project for our first class).  All for $20.  Here's a sneak peek at the projects:  3 cards and a muslin bag that holds some chocolate espresso beans.  I can't show the bonus project since I'm still waiting on some supplies for it!

Here are the dates/times:  Sunday, Sept. 29th,  2 - 6 p.m. or Monday, Sept. 30th from 6 - 8 p.m.  Both times are come and go.  If you'd like to participate you need to let me know by Sept. 17th so I can get your order placed.   E-mail or call me if you have any questions!

Don't Turn into a Pumpkin!

Time is running out on Stampin' Up's Paper Pumpkin Deal!  You can't beat half-price for the first 2 months--and the best part is that you get great crafting projects delivered each month right to your mailbox!  If your have any questions you can e-mail me--or check out the info here by going to my demonstrator website  and clicking on the link to the Paper Pumpkin website.  By going through my site you will get the promo code to get the deal which ends on August 31st!  Meanwhile.....take a look at this cute commercial for Paper Pumpkin created by a SU demonstrator for their annual commercial contest--it didn't win first place, but I liked it a lot!

 

I've received my Paper Pumpkin since it started and love it!  Want to join me?  Sign up and we can create together!

Quick Post....

Hi all!  I'm up to my ears in getting my classroom ready to go for the school year.  Kids come on Wednesday for the first day and (as always) there is a ton to do so I'm organized for the start of the year.  This is my year to clean out cupboards--I try to do it every few years---and it borders on overwhelming!  Especially when all I can think about is my new stamps that I really want to ink up! Instead of "Calgon--take me away," for me, it's "Stampin' Up--take me away..."  Unfortunately, that's not happening much in the next few days.  I did sneak in a couple of cards while I was digging out beginning of the year stuff in my basement late last night...you know how it is...the stamps were calling my name and I hated to neglect them.  =-)

The first card is a total case (except for the button) of Connie Collins' swap card that she posted here--love it!  Connie is one of the Artisan winners this year and does awesome work!  Here's my attempt!  I used a scrap from the sentiment, but it was so small I had a hard time getting it to fit in the heart AND be straight.

Then I tried one with the same layout with the Gingham Garden washi tape--

Both cards use the sentiments from Regarding Dahlias.  My card used the smallest framelit from the Floral Frames set.  I'm off to school again!  Have a happy day!

Pumpkin of a Deal! 50% Off!

Just for you--here's the deal!  Stampin' Up has a product that is perfect for the person who loves to be crafty but doesn't have a lot of time to invest!
Paper Pumpkin comes to your door once a month and with it you will find a project with EVERYTHING included to create it in 30 - 60 minutes.  Each project--cards, mini scrapbook, party(that's what I've gotten so far) comes with preprinted materials, stamps, mini stamp pads to complete your project.  The normal cost of this per month is 19.95/month, but if you sign up anytime this month you can get your first 2 months half off!  $10 a month!

Think you might be interested?  Here's a video that Stampin' Up releases highlighting each month's Paper Pumpkin.  

Still have some questions?  Here are some answers!

•   Price does not include tax, where applicable. Shipping IS included. 

•   After you receive two month's worth of My Paper Pumpkins kits, the price will go back to the regular price of $19.95/month.

•   Special pricing is only available for NEW customers and only for the first kit that is ordered. (If you order two kits/month, the first one will be discounted and the second will be regular price.)

•   Each kit includes stamps, ink, paper, and accessories-everything but adhesive.

•   You Paper Pumpkin will be shipped on or around the 15th of the month.

•   You need to sign up for a kit by the 10th of the month to get that month's kit. If you sign up on the 11th of the month, your first kit will come the next month. (Let's say you sign up on May 10, we'll send your kit around May 15. If you sign up on May 11, we'll send your first kit around the June 15.)

There's no commitment, you can cancel your monthly Paper Pumpkin at anytime. You can also skip a month if you want.

If you are interested in this I'd love to "Paper Pumpkin" with you each month.  We can get together and craft if you want!

Sign up here!   Don't forget to put in the promo code:  PUMPKINDEAL

July SU Party Projects

Sorry I didn't get a post done yesterday--our sweet corn was finally ripe and my husband picked about 32 dozen ears!  We husked and I put up corn from 1 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.  Oh my I was tired, but I'm going to love every bite of that corn during the next year!

Here are the last two projects that I had to share from our party on Tuesday.  The first is a card front that I had all the pieces done for, but never found time to put together at Convention.  It uses the stamp set Timeless Talk and the new Modern Medley designer series paper which I really like!

Aren't you loving that professional photography?  Ha!  My hotel room in Salt Lake City had terrible lighting except in the bathroom.....'nuf said.

Our last project was a 3-D project that I found online here the night before the party--it was so cute we absolutely had to make them!  Love what Sue Campfield did!  Click on the link and there's a video that goes with them too.   I can't stop looking at them they are SO cute!!  They use the Zoo Babies and Chalk Talk stamp sets and framelits with cellophane bags filled with animal crackers and tied up with cute ribbon!

The only thing I changed was adding the rhinestones in the center of the wheels.  =-)  The colors used were crisp cantaloupe/calypso coral and coastal cabana/bermuda bay.  I need to make some more using the other animals in the Zoo Babies set!

As always, if you are looking for any of these Stampin' Up products to buy--click on the link on the left column of my blog to shop now!  If you'd like a catalog--e-mail me and I can make that happen!