Gift Card Holder

I think it is safe to share this great idea I found on "Roxy's" blog. Aren't these so cute? I made them for my September swaps and tomorrow night at my first Stamp Club meeting. (If you haven't signed up yet you are missing out)!! I don't know about you--but we send out a lot of Gift Cards for Christmas. We have family halfway across the country and I hate standing in line at the Post Office, especially right before Christmas. As soon as I saw this I knew it was the perfect way to dress up a gift card and make it seem like more of a personal gift.

Neglecting You!

No, I have not dropped off the face of the earth, I have just been busy--homeschooling the oldest, teaching part-time, chasing the very active two-year old, and soothing a teething four-month old. I have been stamping a little bit although nothing super exciting (it is kind of hard to stamp with a grabby four-month old on your lap) but look for some new samples coming up by the end of the week! Mommy needs some stamping therapy!

I did learn a very important lesson recently...Stampin' Up!'s Craft & Rubber scissors are VERY SHARP! Well, mine are, especially since I was using my brand new pair. I mistook my finger for sticky strip :-) OUCH. Stitches weren't necessary but I came close.

So here is my tip of the week:

Be very careful using scissors--you never know when they might bite back! :-)

Together Forever

I needed a couple of anniversary cards this month so this is my design. I used the "Together Forever" stamp set which is so sweet and fun. This card is great because it can work for a wedding anniversary or even a wedding.

RECIPE: CS--Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze, & Basic Gray; Stamps--Together Forever; Ink--Basic Gray, Pink Pirouette, Sage Shadow, Baja Breeze; Punches--1/16 Handheld & Scallop Edge Punch; and Tools--White Gel Pen and Piercing Kit.

ONLINE ORDERING NOW AVAILABLE!!!!

Stampin' Up! has now made Online Ordering an option! How incredible is that? Now you can place an order 24/7. You don't have to wait until the next time you call me or for the next workshop. You can order whenever it is convenient for you. I am so excited about having this option to better serve YOU--My fabulous customers!!! Want to check it out? Than CLICK HERE to see how easy it is! You want to go through my Stampin' Up! website if you want a great deal on products. Look in the upper right corner on my homepage for the SHOP NOW button. I hope you will find this new feature as exciting as I do!!

Christmas is Less Than 100 Days Away!!

As soon as I get back onto the school calendar, the days seem to fly by. We also have an upcoming Christmas Card Stamp Camp, CLICK HERE for the information, that has me thinking of Christmas.

This is another card that I made over the weekend at my Mom's house. I got the idea from page 44 of the catalog. I love the sample with the Wonderous Gift stamp set. I think the tree looks so pretty how it is cut out. It is such a simple design but it is also very eye-catching. So after playing with layouts and looking at the stamps this is what I came up with...

RECIPE: CS--Always Artichoke, Whisper White, Mellow Moss, More Mustard & Baja Breeze; Stamps--Wonderous Gift; Ink--More Mustard, Tangerine Tango, Baja Breeze, Whisper White & Always Artichoke; and Extras--White Gel Pen and Stampin' Dimensionals.

Apple Core Tutorial

School starts this week for us. Which always means a busier schedule for our entire family. It also means less time to stamp :-( since I teach a few hours a week and home school my oldest. Not to mention dance lessons, brownies, etc. and all the running around that comes with three kids. Time always seem to fly by once we are on the school schedule.

I saw an apple core card on Aimee Gandara's blog and I knew I wanted to CASE it. It was so cute and seem to fit the time of year perfectly. She didn't know who came up with this idea so I have no idea who the original artist is so I apologize for not being able to give proper credit. I have always had a thing for fruit, don't ask me why, I just think they are fun. I love the Tart and Tangy stamp set and as soon as I saw it I knew I had to have it! So here is my salute to fall and back to school.



1. As always gather your supplies...
RECIPE: CS--Real Red, Whisper White, & Old Olive; Ink--Real Red & Old Olive Markers, Basic Black Classic Ink; Stamps--Tart n' Tangy & Enjoy Every Moment; Ribbon--Real Red Grosgrain; and Punches--1 1/4 Circle, Scallop Edge, 1/16 handheld & Round Tab Punch


2. Color your apple with markers. Don't forget to breath on the stamp after you are done coloring it. This moistens the ink so you can stamp the image again. I used the Tart n' Tangy apple to make my own DSP for this card. I wanted a fun colorful look for this card (plus I am rearranging my office and stamp stuff and couldn't find my Summer Picnic DSP). :-)



3. Using the Round Tab Punch, punch out a white tab and a red one. The white one will be the core of the apple and the red one is the peel.



4. Gently and carefully tear off the top and bottom of the red tab. This will be the top and bottom of your apple core. Attach it to the white tab, making sure to match up the white and red edges. As simple as that you know have an apple core!




5. Add seeds, a stem and some leaves and you are all set. Don't know an easy way to make leaves? Go to this tutorial to learn how.


Aren't our punches fabulous? There is so much that you can do with them. Here is another picture of my finished card. I hope this card helps you get ready for autumn! I know it has put me into the "Fall Mood".

Re-Thinking Silhouettes

I love our brand new stamps in the new "Silhouette" Style Watch on page 10-11. The images are so simple and elegant. I have always been drawn to nature. As soon as I saw the "Inspired by Nature" stamp set I knew that I had to have it. I could just imagine all of the cards and scrapbook pages I could make with it. But I have to admit, this is one of those sets that can get you stuck into a rut. All you can do is silhouettes of flowers or grass, not always exciting, I have to admit. Just making silhouettes in different colors can get very boring.

So thanks to the inspiration of CeeCee Cote I now look at this stamp in a brand new way.

Yes, I did "paint" the black-eyed susans on this card. It looks like something you would find in an art gallery hanging on the wall. It is so simple to take the basic image of "Inspired By Nature" and create a masterpiece.

1. Stamp your image in a light color (yellows such as So Saffron and Barely Banana worked better for me; I used So Saffron for this project).
2. Starting with the lighter colors, using your blender pens, gently color over the image. Be careful not to go over the same area too often or you will notice the paper will start to tear slightly.
3. Add the darker shades to create your shadows and "voila!" you have created a beautiful piece of art.
4. I gently sponged sky and grass around the image to make the flowers pop and to ground them on the page (the flowers looked like they were floating until I did that).

5. Attach it to a card or put it into a frame to display!

I hope you will look at the "Silhouette" collection a little differently now.

RECIPE: CS--Very Vanilla, So Saffron & Chocolate Chip; Stamps--Inspired By Nature; Ink--So Saffron, Kiwi Kiss, More Mustard, Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke & Bashful Blue; and Ribbon--Chocolate Chip Taffeta.

Grandpa's Birthday

I had a fabulous Labor Day weekend and I hope you all did too! I haven't posted any recent pictures of my projects due to all the exciting happenings going on in the Stampin' Up! world. ;-) But I got to stamp this weekend and thoroughly enjoyed myself! I went to my mom's house and stamped Saturday away with her and my sister-in-law.

I always have trouble coming up with masculine cards. I just like all the girly stamps, what can I say? But my Grandfather is turning 83 this month so I wanted to make a special card for him. My grandfather and I are very close and I spent most of my summers with him in California when I was growing up. We went fishing, worked in his garden, went camping and just enjoyed spending time together. He is not as active as he used to be but he still loves to garden and cans or preserves most of what he grows. He is also an incredible cook and makes the most delicious Portuguese Beans you have ever had! (I am not really a bean or chili person but I love his). He is full-blooded Portuguese (his parents immigrated to the states at the turn of the century from Portugal) and he loves to tell me all about our heritage.

So I started to flip through the new catalog for ideas of what kind of card I could make for one of the most precious people in my life. I love that our catalog is full of so many samples and ideas, don't you? I came across pg. 53 and the Loads of Love stamp set. I LOVE this set! It is so versatile and masculine but it can also be very girly if you want it to be! I like the card sample on that page. So after tweaking the colors a bit and changing some of the embellishments, this is what I came up with! Enjoy!

RECIPE: CS--Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip, & Whisper White; Stamps--Loads of Love; Ink--Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Baja Breeze & Tangerine Tango; and Embellishments--Hemp & Copper Hardware (non-SU!).

Big Shot! Big Deal!

The Stampin' Up! Exclusive Big Shot is finally available for YOU! This is such a fabulous product. If you didn't get a chance to use mine during my open house than check out this video and see the Big Shot in action.

Did you know that the Big Shot can cut through 50 different products using Bigz dies? How incredible is that? No other die cutting machine on the market can boast that!!

Still not quite sure what you would use a Big Shot for? Than check out this list of incredible projects that were made using the Big Shot. The ideas and projects are endless! For me personally, the big shot has added a whole new dimension to my card making. Keep checking my blog as I make more and more projects using the Big Shot!

I am offering a SEPTEMBER BIG SHOT SPECIAL!!! This is only available through me (US Customers Only Please). Purchase the BIG shot Special Edition Starter kit and recieve a FREE BIGZ Die Your choice ( $19.95 value). But the deal gets even better...You will also receive a FREE Hostess ONLY level 1 stamp set and $20.00 to spend on whatever you want out of the new catalog or on other dies for your NEW BIG SHOT.

Check out all of the great new Sizzix products Stampin' Up! is offering for you!

Here is what comes in your Special Editon Starter kit:
Big Shot Die-Cut Machine
Multipurpose Platform and Standard Cutting Pads
2 Stampin’ Up! Exclusive BigzTM Dies (Scallop Envelope and Top Note, shown on page 3 in the brochure )
1 Stampin’ Up! Exclusive Sizzlits 4-Pack (Birds & Blooms, shown on page 3 in the brochure )
1 Stampin’ Up! Exclusive Decorative Strip (Join in the Cheer, on page 4 in the brochure )
Decorative Strip Cutting Pads and Extended Spacer Platform

Don't forget to add...
1 FREE Bigz die ( Valued at $19.95)
FREE Hostess only stamp set level 1
$20.00 in FREE money to spend in the catalog

This offer is only good from September 2nd to September 30th. E-mail or Call me NOW to take advantage of this limited Demonstrator Special on the Big Shot!!