Happy St. Patty's Day!

I have green and blue socks on but I might get pinched before someone looks at my socks!  I haven't gone anywhere today though, other than to the mail box, the compost heap and the wood pile so nobody has tried to pinch me yet.  Here are a couple of the St Patrick's day projects I made, I had a couple of the leprechauns left over after the M&M's ran out so I put them on cards.  The punch art is the same as I made last year, he is just too cute to change it up or not make him again!

I also wanted to share a couple of more projects from the retreat I went to in Alabama. 
 I love this card, isn't it beautiful?  It was a CASE from somewhere but I can't remember who to give credit to for it.  It was stamped with the Gold Metallic Encore ink pad.  The sentiment was also embossed with gold embossing powder.  We used the new Scalloped Tag Topper Punch to punch the top of the tag.  It is a cool punch, you just cut your paper 2" wide and punch it to the length you want it.  I'm sure you are seeing a lot of projects done with this punch already.  I also made a card Saturday with this punch on either side of the card and then folded in and tied with a ribbon.  I'll post that one soon too.  The card is embellished with a lot of fun embellishments from the Occasions Mini catalog, Watercolor Wonder Washi Tape, Gold Sequin Trim and Gold Baker's Twine.  A half of a Tea Lace Paper Doily.  Small amounts of these items make a mighty big difference on this card, don't you think?

 This bouquet of flowers was easy to make with 2 new products.  The Spiral Flower die makes the rose quick to make, just run it through the Big Shot, rub the bone folder along the sides to quickly curve it some and adhere with a few glue dots or other favorite adhesive and you have a beautiful rose!  The other flowers were equally simple by cutting a strip of DSP, cutting the edge with the Fringe Scissors and twirling it around the dowel.  We used a circle punch to punch the leaves, punch a circle and then reinsert the circle partially in the punch to make the leaf shape.  We used the Fringe Scissors to make the "grass" at the mouth of the jar and the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch to make the ends of the belly band.  It didn't take very long to make this nice bouquet!

Retreat projects

I showed the swap I made for the retreat in Huntsville last time.  We did some great projects there too.  I'll share a couple of those tonight since I haven't created anything this week.  We got several inches of ice Sunday night/Monday morning and couldn't get out of the driveway so my husband hasn't gone to work and we have been doing fun stuff like washing windows and walls the past 2 days.  He plans to go to work tomorrow so I might find some time to play then.

 This is one of the cards we made.  The stamp set is from the set Perfect Pennants which we got with the price of the retreat.  You will be seeing the quotes from this set several times as I post the cards and projects we made.  It is a great set.  Did you notice the fringe on the bottom of the card?  We also got a pair of the new Fringe Scissors in our kit and you will notice them on a couple of the projects too.  It is a fun look and a big time saver.  it was so quick to make the fringe when the scissors have 5 blades!  Another new product used on this card is the Banner Framelits Die.  It is so easy to line up and creates a perfect  banner around any phrase that will fit within it.  It comes in a set of 6 so will make a wide range of sizes.

 Have you seen the new box cards?  At least I have seen more lately than ever so I guess it is kind of new.  We created one in Huntsville and they are pretty fun.  The card folds flat so you can mail it in a regular envelope.  What a fun surprise for someone to get in the mail!  These first 2 projects also used the Kaleidoscope DSP, one of the paper packs available in the Spring Mini Catalog which goes until June 1st. 

Here is one of the swaps, I haven't decided if this is upside right or upside down.  Without a sentiment it is hard to tell.  When I put a sentiment on it and decide which way is up I will post it again so you can see what I did.  I'm thinking it is probably upside down in this picture.  Isn't it a pretty card?   I like the embossed stripes she drew on with the Simply Scored board, it looks great with the Adorning Accents embossing folder used to accent the design stamped with the So Very Grateful stamp set.  It is a beautiful card!

I'm still here!

Hi, did you miss me?  I've been around, just super busy and barely have time to stamp at all the past few months.  I have only taught one class since Thanksgiving.  I have been doing the Winter Market every week so any stamping and crafting time have gone to making things to sell there.  It has been a very good year there.  It goes until May so I'm working on St. Patrick's Day things and have Easter projects in mind for later in March.  I wish I had kept up with the number of cards I have sold there.  I would probably be surprised if I knew.

Here is a special order I got a couple of weeks ago.  One of my regular customers wanted a very special 50th anniversary card for her parents.  I made it larger than most cards, a full sheet of cardstock folded in half.  I used lots of gold on the card, the Brushed Gold Cardstock that is discontinued  but I still have several sheets along with Champagne glimmer paper for the large die cut background and behind the hearts I punched at the bottom.  I found some large chipboard numbers and covered them with glass glitter.  My customer was very happy with the card.  I was relieved.  I thought she would like it but I always stress out when I get a special order! 

Last Saturday I went to Huntsville, AL for a Stampin' Up Retreat.  It was a fun day and we did some great projects.  Of course we swapped!  They say there is a first time for everything and last week was certainly a first for me.  I finished my swaps 2 days before I left for the retreat!  Those of you who know me know that I am usually working on my swaps on the way to the event.  It was strange to be able to relax the last couple of days instead of having to frantically work on the swap.  I used the Sweet Sorbet DSP in the Sale-A-Bration mini catalog for the accents and the cute Flower Shop stamp in the circle.  There is still time to get the FREE Sale-A-Bration items, just check out the link for my Stampin' Up website.  

Well, I gotta run.  I'm feeling the need for a Cantina Bell bowl for supper and I reckon I should try to get home with them by the time my husband gets home.  If you haven't had one you should try it.  I always get the one with chicken and it is sooooo good!  Yum!  Bye!

leaf turkeys

Mercy me!  It has been a month since I posted anything!  Where has the month gone?  I've been super busy but have still found the time to stamp and punch and create.  I remember when I was a kid we used to make turkeys out of different leaves.  I looked at the leaves on the Autumn Accents die and knew they would work for a turkey so I put the tail together and then thought on it for a few days before I figured out the rest.  I have seen lots of turkeys with a similar head using the Owl Punch so I used that idea for his head and added wings from 2 more leafs.

Here are the pieces I used except I forgot to put the owl punch in this picture.

I stacked the leaves and trimmed off the bottom for the tail, then I put 2 leaves together for each wing.  I used the smallest flower in the Boho Blossoms punch for the waddle.  I made 2 waddles from each flower.  I trimmed off a petal, skipped 2 and trimmed off another petal and cut what was left in half.  The beak is one of the little hearts on the owl punch.  I placed these on the front of the owl who had his feet and ears cut off (ouch!).  I had several sizes of wiggle eyes.  On the smaller eyes I also used the circles from the owl punch behind the eyes to make them large owl eyes. 

 I used regular tape runner to put the tail and wings together but I used red tape to adhere them to the purse.  I cut it without the flap and it makes a nice little box to hold candy. 

I filled it with some kisses, peanut butter cups and Hershey's mini candy bars.  I think it would be cool to put a little sign in each turkey with the names of your guests and use them for place holders at the Thanksgiving table!

Here is another turkey I made to put on treats.  I used the same owl punch turkey face but used the 2 3/8" Scalloped Circle and the 1 3/4" scalloped circle (2 of each) for the tail and the Bird Builder punch wings for the little turkey's wings.

I learned how to make a box with the Envelope Punch Board so I used the little scalloped circle turkeys to put on the front of these too.  They are a perfect size to hold an individually packaged  Reeses Peanut Butter cup.

 

I hope you have time to  make some fun paper turkeys for Thanksgiving.  They are easier to make than a real turkey but I don't reckon they taste as good! 

Test Drive Stampin' Up - An Amazing Stampin' Up Opportunity! And a couple of projects too.

Stampin' Up is making an unbelievable offer for the next week, until Oct 21st.  To celebrate Stampin' Up's 25th anniversary, you can try out being a demonstrator for just $25!  If you have EVER considered it, now is the perfect chance!  If you don't like it then you still have over $25 worth of Stamps and if you do like it you have a fun job that will introduce you to some amazing friends.  I love being a demonstrator and I especially enjoy my "wholesale account".  I'd love to have you join my stampin' team, we have a lot of fun! 

Click on the picture above to get more details!

Isn't this owl bag adorable?  There was one sitting on every table at the Holiday Retreat for us to put our garbage in.  Well, being the thrifty person I am, I simply couldn't throw it away with the garbage!  I dumped it out and brought him home with me.  I know Mary Robinson put lots of work into making all of the bags and hope mine wasn't the only one saved from the garbage.

Here is a nice Thanksgiving card I got in the swap at the retreat from a sweet friend, Mychael Allen.  I love the Off The Grid stamp, it is a single stamp, I need it!  There are also some splattery accents with the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set to add some texture to the background. She finished it off with the 2-step leaf stamps from Gently Falling and a sentiment from the Tags For You set with  the coordinating Bracket Punch.  As much as I dread Winter coming and know that Fall is bringing it on faster, I love the colors and harvest symbols of Fall.

This card was also made by the wonderful and talented Mary Robinson.  It shows the versatility of the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set.  The great background was stamped with 4 of the 5 stamps in this set to give an amazing textured card without the bulk.  She also used some fun Washi Tape across the card and placed a sentiment from the Tags For You set. Isn't it a great card!

 

Now, if you want to attend retreats, join in the swaps and get discounts on stamps and other great Stampin' Up merchandise, contact me or sign up on my website here.  I'd love to have you join the fun!

Swap and Holiday Retreat Project

The Stampin' Sister's Holiday Retreat was so much fun!  I sat at the table with some wonderful ladies and we had fun stampin' the day away.  In the morning we did a lot of 3-D type projects and it was very fast paced.  In the afternoon we did cards so we could relax a little but the cards were great.  We also did a swap after lunch so with all these classes and swaps I got lots of ideas for future classes.

I'll share a couple of things with you today, first of all is my swap card.  I had seen a video on Stampin' Connection (an idea share site for Stampin' Up demonstrators) that showed how to make the new thinlit flip cards with an extra flap on the right side so you would have more room to write a message.  I loved the idea and since I had just gotten my Label Thinlit die I got busy and designed a swap card for retreat.  I wanted it to be in Fall colors and decided to make it a Thanksgiving card.  Do you ever send a Thanksgiving card?  I have so many wonderful people in my life that I am thankful for that I believe I need to send out some Thanksgiving cards to them. 

I used Pumpkin Pie card stock for the base of the cards.  I pulled out the tried and true Lovely As A Tree to stamp the card and the new Tags For You Thanksgiving sentiment.  I love that the Tags For You set has a matching punch, the Label Bracket Punch.

Open up the card and see the flap.  I used the Autumn Accents die to cut the acorns.  The Designer Series Paper is from the Quartrefancy pack.  I wouldn't have thought about using that paper on a Fall card but the yellow was perfect for this one!

Open the flap and you have plenty of room to write a message inside.  I thought about putting Whisper White panels inside to write on but the plain Pumpkin Pie is good too.  Besides, I was making 33 of them so that was the first thing to go to save time!

 Here is a fun project we did at the retreat.  What a great idea for the large stamp storage boxes!  We put the DSP cut to size inside the cover of the box and then used Sticky Strip to add a Chevron ribbon handle.  We made cards to put inside the box, what a great gift!  For some reason my computer won't let me add the picture though so maybe I can put it in the next post.  Technology kind of drives me nuts sometimes!

 

Well, I reckon I need to go gather more pears.  They should be all gone by the end of the week.  As much as I will enjoy the "fruits of my labor" all Winter, I'm going to be glad to have those hours spent cutting and canning over for the season.

A Swap Card and 2 Layouts

Wow, I can't believe it has been over a  month since my last blog post!  I came home from convention and visiting the new grandbaby to lots of grapes that needed to be made into grape juice, 42 quarts to be exact.  I love grape juice so I was pleased to get nearly a quart a week put up.  Then the apples came in and I had to get busy canning those.  Before the apples were finished the pears got ripe.  I even made some apple/pear sauce and juice!  Yummy stuff.  There are still lots of pears to can but I think I might have a little breathing room now. 

I have had very little time to stamp the past month but I have found a spare minute here and there.  First though, back to convention.  This is one of the swaps I made for convention.  I made 120 of these, whew!   I used the En Francis background stamp in Crumb Cake and then took 2 sizes of smaller blocks, inked the actual block up and stamped those on for extra dimension on the background.  The Oh, Hello stamp set provided the other stamps and the sentiment was stamped with one of the Teeny Tiny Verses stamp.  There were a lot of steps but it didn't take too long by doing them assembly line style.  I did decide to leave off the die-cut edge on the right and made all layers straight. 

 

I went to a crop a few weekends ago and did some more cards and a couple of scrapbook pages.  These pages both use the Tea Shop DSP that retired with the new catalog.  I do love that paper!  Have you noticed that the new Afternoon Picnic DSP is the same design, just different colors?  It's kind of nice to have the wonderful designs around for another year.

 The first layout has a ton of banners on it.  I love the look of banners but maybe this one is a bit overdone.  I still like it.  I'll put pictures on the 4 Very Vanilla banners on the left page and maybe another one on the circle.  I haven't decided what pictures I will put on these layouts yet.

I hope to get back to stamping regularly soon.  And another post should be just a few days away, thanks to everyone who is still coming to check out my blog!

 

 

There's No Place Like Home!

I finally got back home last Wednesday night.  I loved the trip, especially getting to spend so much time with the grandchildren in Colorado but it is good to be back home.  I'm still trying to get back in the swing of things.  When I was fixing supper Wednesday night I was standing in the kitchen trying to remember which cupboard I kept my plates in!  I'm starting to remember things now but it has taken some time. 

Today was day 1 of grape juice season.  The grapes did a lot of growing while I was gone and I've got quite a crop!  I wonder how many quart jars I need to get out of the attic to can all the juice they will make.  I didn't even pick half of them today and I have over a bushel.  I love, love, love homemade grape juice!

It has been so long since I posted, let me post a few more things from convention.  I actually found the time to make a card Saturday but I'll save that for later.  I'm going to post some scrapbook pages to hopefully inspire me to get busy on a scrapbook for the 5 week vacation I just got home from!

I love the banners!  One for stamping and one for journaling is a great idea.  The DSP on this page is from the Soho Subway package and the stamp set is the Ronald McDonald house set for the year, Tag It.

The triangle punch background in this set is great, I'd put more pictures on the page though.   

I love this I Dig You page.  There are many great little touches and it is a fun page.

More banners!  I like the splattered ink look background she put on the page too.

The stamp set is called Gorgeous Grunge, it is one of the sets we got at convention this year and I can already tell that I am going to use it a LOT!  It makes a great background for this page, doesn't it?  I love the big flowers with the button centers too.  This is actually a wood frame but it would make a good scrapbook page too.

 

Well, I reckon I better get to bed so I can start juicing those grapes first thing in the morning.  We are under flash flood warnings till around noon tomorrow so I might not pick the rest of the grapes until tomorrow evening.  I've got enough to keep me busy anyway though!

Convention display boards

There are thousands of great samples of cards, 3-D items and scrapbook pages posted on display boards at the convention every year.  Here are a few of the pictures I took this year.  I'm sure you will find some inspiration here!  I love Stampin' Up!

Have a great day everyone!  I'm still in CO helping with the new grandbaby so I will be having a good day!  I reckon I'm beginning to look forward to getting back home though.

Still On My Way Home

I am in Colorado now.  My grandson will turn 8 on Wednesday so he is excited about his birthday.  I'll be home next week and I can get some time to ink up my stamp sets I got while at convention.  3 stamp sets come with our registration to make the projects with and I won 4 other sets so I have 7 sets that need to see some ink!  I only have 2 ink pads with me and almost no paper so it would be hard t actually come up with a card design that would use my limited supplies.  I might need to figure something out though, it's been too long since I created!

I showed a couple of the projects I made at the 3-D shoebox swap last week but I didn't show my project.  It was 2 pieces of 4X4 chipboard covered with DSP and a strip of cardstock along one side to attach the 2 pieces together and look like a book spine.  The ribbon serves a purpose -

 You tie the ribbon around the spine of the "book" and place money through the ribbon on the inside to make it a money book.  My grandson's birthday is Wednesday, I reckon I should make him one and put lots of money in it!  I told him I was getting him pink underwear.  I think he would like a money book a little more than pink underwear!

 Here is a project we made in the 3-D swap.  We used the chalkboard technique on the black paper and stamped in white.  It is so pretty that I hate to cover up the glimmer paper with a picture!

 I don't know who made this 3-D card swap but I love it!  There were some great projects shared at the pre-convention activities that the LNS group hosted.  I need to get home so I can create some of the things I was inspired by at convention.