30th Birthday

I feel as thought I have been running low on creativity the past few days. I needed a 30th birthday card for one on my husbands friends and I am really waiting till the last minute on this one. I am not even sure if this one will make it into the mail. I may have to revise my posting later today. I know for most people male cards are a bit challenging and I think that is why I am always drawn to the masculine sets such as Card Games, Game Night, Totally Tool and more. I sometimes feel like if it is a masculine set then it is easier to use than taking a regular birthday set and "man-ing" it up. I am sure you can hear the pouting in my voice today over my card but it is all I have for you. Sorry;(

Back to School

Today I have another progressive page for you. I cant take credit for it however. This page I found on Splitcoast a while ago and it is a total CASE. Click HERE to see the original. I have had this page in my scrapbook album for a while now but I thought that is was good timing to share it with you now considering school is starting up again for most of you. For this page I think just about any colors would work. Just think how cute it would be in your school colors. I used chip board for the ABC's. Then if you have the spiral punch it works great for creating your own binder paper for your back grounds. And look how cute the round tab punch is as an apple core. My daughter just started preschool a few weeks ago so I will definitely be making this page again for her album.

August Promos Leaving Us

September is fast arriving and though that means there are great new deals and products just around the corner, that also means that the great deals Stampin Up has offered us are leaving soon. Remember you still have a few day to take advantage of these sales so be sure to place your orders right away!

Spend $35 on stamp sets from the Growing Up section of the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog (pages 74-90) and receive a FREE package of Designer buttons--a $7.95 value!

Become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator with the limited-time $85 Mini Starter Kit.

Country Living Summer Cookout Kit- 40% off until August 31 or while supplies last.

If you have any questions about these great deals that are leaving us please don't hesitate to email me. Happy shopping!

Growth Chart Ideas

If you have been pondering the idea of purchasing the new Decor Element Growth Chart I would like to share with you some really creative ideas that some other demonstrators have send in to the Demonstrator web site. This first idea is too cute.

Julienne Davison, an executive from Champaign, Illinois, put her Growth Chart up in her playroom, and uses the cute birds made with the Birds & Blooms Sizzlit die (item #113485) to track her kids' growth. "Since my growth markers are movable," she says, "I plan to take photos of the children at various milestones and then record the date and measurement in a 'Watch me Grow' mini book." Isn't this adorable. I think I am going to copy this idea! Very creative. And what a cute keepsake is that book?

This last picture is an idea that really MEASURES UP!
Lisa Clark thought beyond the traditional use of the Growth Chart and created a ruler for her craft room. She cut out the ruler, then cut out the inch marks and adhered just the measurement marks to the edge of her counter. She then added the foot and half foot markers back in. Lisa uses this unobtrusive ruler to trim ribbon lengths, make quick measurements of scraps, visualize layouts, and more.
When asked about the other pieces of the Growth Chart that she didn’t use, she says, “I may use the tree and birds elsewhere in my craft room for fun.”

Now those are some creative ideas! What do you think? Have you ordered yours yet?

Doggie Sympathy

Here is another one of those cards that are not so fun to make. This one is for my brother-in-law who had to put his 14 year old Lab/ Rot down. That is such a hard decision and I feel for him right now. Because the sympathy sets that I do have are flowery and I didn't think that would work and because I don't have the cute new D is for Dog set, I decided to do a little punch art. I found some really cute dogs to make but I really loved the paw print and the bones. I am sorry the picture is a little fuzzy today. I didn't notice it until I was watermarking the picture. Incase you cant see it, the bones read "Dogs leave paw prints on our hearts." I know this card probably wont make him feel much better but hopefully it will make him smile and let him know we are thinking about him.

Card Recipe:

Stamps: None

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip Patterns DSP

Accessories: 1/4 circle punch, Heart to Heart Punch, Word Window, RGB Color codes

Progressive Card

You can make a really great card with simple supplies. Sometimes the cards you make depend on the supplies you have, the time you have and even the creativity you are feeling at the time. In today's posting you can see the progression of a card that starts simple and progresses to an elaborate card just by adding a few extra steps at each stage.

In the first picture you can see a simple card made with just a Stamp set and Card Stock. Some of you may think that looks boring. But remember you are all pros! To those who don't stamp this is still an impressive card because it was hand made.

In the second picture I stepped up our design a bit by adding punches and DSP. It makes a difference, doesn't it?

Then in the final picture I finished the card with some ribbon and a Rhinestone Brad. What do you think?

Though they all look nice each one is very different and depend on your own style, time and supply stock. Incase you haven't noticed, the Happy Together Stamp set is my favorite right now. Thanks for stopping by.

Past Progressive Page

I have been cleaning out my scrapbooking room and organizing my supplies. I came across this progressive page I made a while back at a past party. I wasn't sure if I have shared this one with you yet so here it is. If this a duplicate the my LinkWithIn will probably find it and I am sorry. I just don t remember anymore. That was my main reason for the LinkWithIn. That is the feature I added that suggests other postings that you may be interested in to read. Like I always say I really love Progressive pages because it gives you options and it is a clean, perfect layout every time. Here are the supplies used for this page:

Stamps: Party Hearty Stamp Set

Paper: Washington Apple (Retired), Real Red, Bashful Blue

Ink: Pumpkin Pie, White Craft

Accessories: Bashful Blue Stripped Grosgrain Ribbon, Punches

Holiday Mini Sneak Peek

First off this morning I have to tell you my good news: I am a new Auntie!!!! My sis-in-law had her baby last night. And if I do say so myself, he is adorable. Man, I really miss newborns.

Now back to today's post. Today I have a sneak peek for you of the NEW Holiday Mini that will come out on September 1. There is a ton of great stuff in this mini that I cant wait to show you but this stamp set in particular was my favorite. It is called Delightful Decorations and the best part is that there is a punch to match. I used both of those on this quick card I made. There is also some great Rub-ons and a wheel to match as well. This set is perfect for making your own gift tags and if you are coming to the next class you will get to see that in person and take a few home. Email me today to reserve you spot if you haven't done so already.

Summer Fun

Here is an an adorable card that I received in the mail the other day. It is a Jenn creation. I really like the simple layout. The colors are so warm too. I think you did a great job! It is always great to get a just cause card that you aren't expecting. Oh, thank for the pictures too. They were really cute. It is a little hard to see in the picture but the background is rolled with the Lazy Days wheel that goes with the Just Beachy stamp set. I believe the paper used is Crushed Curry, Sahara Sand and Thoroughly Modern DSP. Jenn added a bit of the Bermuda Bay Polka Dot Ribbon too. I like how she added her own phrase to the card. Remember you can always print your own sayings on you cards and match the ink color to your paper by using the RBG Color Codes located in my Stampin Tools section of my blog. Thanks Jenn!

Happy Birthday Lorraine

Today is my cousins birthday and here is the treat and card that I gave to her when I saw her yesterday. These creations where inspired by many. I have seen the Scallop Envelope Die used to make lots of cute boxes. I used four of them together to make sweet little Easter baskets for our friends this year. But is really like the simple version of using just two. I copied this creation from a cute Christmas version I saw. Click HERE to see the original. The envelop is Mary Fish inspired. I have always loved how she adds this nice touch to the inside of the envelope. I have to admit though, once I did that I couldn't bear to seal it. So the envelope went to Lorraine unsealed. Then, the card was my own creation. I used my new Happy Together Stamp Set. It matches the Tall Tails DSP perfectly and it is so cute. I filled the box with the card, a gift card and some Hersey Kisses. Hope she liked it.

Now Lorraine, just be sure to take the day off today! You work too hard. Enjoy your day!!!

And the Winner is.....

Thank you so much to everyone who helped contribute to my first 10,000 hits. I really appreciate it and also thank you for all those nice comments that you left for me. I will try my hardest to keep creating, inspiring and sharing as much as I can. For those of you that are demonstrators also I am glad that I am able to keep you coming back, I know there is a lot of talent out there. I hope that some of my creations can help assist you in your business. For those of you who are Stampin Up fans and love the product as much as I do I hope when the time comes to book your party, place your order or attend classes, if you don't already have one, I would love to be your demonstrator! Again thank for all of your support.

And the winner is....... Alicia who wrote this lovely comment: "Congratulations on your blogging milestone! I enjoy that you post often, and that you use exclusively Stampin Up. Keep up the good work!"- Alicia.

So, Alicia if you are reading this today, Congratulation! When you get a chance please send me an email with your full address so I can get your goodies out to you right away.

Lovely Lattice

Here is my most recent Decor Element I have received. I got this one for FREE by hostessing my own party. I love Stampin Up! and I love it even more when it is FREE! I bet you would too. Becoming a Demonstrator didn't hurt either, now I earn even more free products, I get a discount on what I do buy and I get paid for what I sell too. It's great! But back to today's post. I really love our Decor Elements and I was walking around my house this the catalog picking out places to put each of the designs. I really loved the Lattice design and I kept staring at the hood of my stove. I thought that would look nice there. So I got out my measuring tape and decided on the Medium Chocolate Chip Lattice. I know this may make some of you nervous but I am used to putting tape all over my Stainless Steel refrigerator to put up my little one's artwork (because you can't use magnets). I am always able to clean the tape with Stainless Steel cleaner and the Decor Element are a little similar to that if I ever feel the need to take it down. But I don't expect to do that any time soon because I am really happy with the way it came out. What do you think?

Hostess Gifts

These little catalog bookmarks are just one of the gifts I will be giving out to my Hostesses for the months of September and October. What else do they get? Well I guess you will have to book a party to see;) These are great for marking your spot in you catalog and also will hold a few of your wish lists in the back. These are just what you need to keep organized and ready to place you next order. Remember September has a great Hostess plan coming and dates for parties are already filling up. Email me today to get your FREE Idea Book and Catalog, adorable Catalog Bookmark and more!

Snips and Snails

In anticipation of the new little nephew that will be gracing us soon, I made this card. I love the new Everything Nice Stamp set which I used on today's card. I matched that with the snail from my Bugs and Kisses stamp set, another cute one that just made it back into the Idea Book and Catalog from the Dormant List. The DSP used here is from the Moments and Milestones Simply Scrappin Kit. I think that kit is worth the paper alone. So cute! I used the kit to make my sis-in-law her baby book but it is perfect for cards too. That is what I love about those Simply Scrappin Kits, there is so much you can do with them. So, the colors on this card are Tempting Turquoise, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White. I added a few button which I think are always cute on a baby card and I glittered up my little snail with my two-way glue pen and some Dazzling Diamonds. Now hopefully he will get here soon so I can give it to him!

Stamp Camp is Coming!

Hello Ladies. Hope you had a great weekend!

It's time for our Regional Stamp Camp back by popular demand!!!

This is a really great way to build up your card inventory and have a great time out with the girls. We'll be using some of the newest stamp sets, products and punches so you won't want to miss it! So invite your friends and family so you'll get extra tickets for the Grand Prize....a shopping spree of any Stampin' Up! products you want!!! Don't forget your camera because there will be tons of samples to take pictures of and make at home.

Don't hesitate to send in your registration, every camp has sold out ahead of time and I'd hate for you to miss out on the fun. If you are interested in attending please email me so I can send you the registration form right away!

Trick or Treat

The Batty for You stamp set is one of my favorites. It was on the dormant list for our last catalog but it made it's return for our current catalog. This set is so fun to use. Just think of all the cute Halloween treats you can decorate with it: Decorate some york patties, add a belly band to a Hersey Bar, add a cute tag to a trick or treat basket, etc. The stamp fits perfectly with our 1 1/4" Circle punch. I also like to add the 1 3/8" Circle punch as a matte and the scallop circle behind those to add some "WOW." I am sure you will see many more projects with this set before Halloween reaches us. Be sure to add this set to your wish list. Treat season will be here before you know it!

Card Recipe:

Stamp set: Batty for You

Paper: Basic Black, Old Olive, Orchid Opulence, Whisper White

Ink: Old Olive

Accessories: Black Gingham Ribbon, White Jumbo Brads, Chit Chat Rub-Ons, Corner Rounder Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch

Kind Thanks

Just for some change of scenery here is a fall inspired card. I am already dreaming about my favorite time of year: The Holidays (or as I like to call it, Stampin Season!) That's right. Those fun holidays are just around the corner and it's time to start thinking about all the fun projects you will be making this year. I know for me this year will be especially full of stampin gifts because they save me money and the recipients love getting them (and I have fun too.)

So, back to today's post. This Thanksgiving card was a quick make. I used Soft Suede for the base of the card and stamped my pocket silhouettes in the same Soft Suede Ink. Then the top layer is mimicked with the same stamp in More Mustard and Dusty Durango. I finished the card with one brad and the Kind Thanks stamp from the Thank You Kindly Stamp set.

Tag Box Class

Its time to mark your calendars for our September class. In our next class you will learn how to make this quick and cute gift to give to your co-workers, friends, family and more! What a great little gift to give just in time for Christmas. Or maybe you don't want it to be Christmas themed. Once you learn how quick these little boxes are to make you can recreate them in different themes. The location of this class will be determined closer to the class date. Mark your calendar for September 17th at 6:00. The price of the class is $3 and a minimum order of $10 the day of class. This class will be just in time to order from our new Holiday Mini too. So be sure to email me right away to join us for a fun night of girl talk, treats and a fun little project!

WOW! 10,000 Hits

I am super excited about my first mini-milestone. I still consider myself a new blogger so this is super exciting to me. Thanks to everyone who frequents my blog. I do appreciate it. And I hope you keep coming back! I honor of my first 10,000 I am offering some Blog Candy as a thank you to my readers. The blog candy includes a retired Chocolate Chip Finesse Flower, some embossing powder, a unmounted Darling Dots stamp set, a stack of 4/14 X 5 1/2 (last years) In Color Card Stock, a Print Pattern paper pack and bunch of various ribbon (some retired). All you have to do to be entered into the blog candy contest is leave me a comment. I just want to know what you like about my blog: What keeps you coming back, what would you like to see more of, or what do you like in other blogs you read? Your comments will help me in making my blog better for you. Even if you are a fellow demonstrator and don't need the candy I would appreciate your comments too. I will do my drawing next Thursday so you can let me know then if you want me to draw someone else for the prize. But again, Thank you so much for visiting Stampin With Niki!

Welcome Neighbors

Welcome Neighbors. We had some new neighbors move in across the street. We are super excited to have some new friend to play with. So, I made this card that I will be dropping off today the welcome them to the neighborhood. I used my Welcome Home stamp set and some Thoroughly Modern DSP. I hope they like it. Here is the full recipe for the card:

Stamps: Welcome Home

Paper: Thoroughly Modern, Soft Suede, Summer Sun, Old Olive

Ink: Soft Suede, Summer Sun, Old Olive

Accessories: Soft Suede Polka Dot Ribbon, White Jumbo Brads, Twine Hemp

Amazing new Hostess Incentive Coming Soon!

Hostess Promotion
Dates: September 1-November 30, 2009
Promotion Details:
We're excited to bring you this sweet deal for hostesses September through November:
Host a workshop totaling $250 or more and choose any one item* from the 2009 Holiday Mini Catalog for only $10! *Offer excludes hostess sets and My Digital Studio.
After My Digital Studio is released, this offer will become even sweeter:
Host a workshop of at least $400 and get My Digital Studio for 50 percent off the retail price (retail price: $79.95; promotional price: $39.97)!
This is an exciting offer because it is in addition to the already great Hostess Program that we already have. I know you don't know what "My Digital Studio" is yet but trust me you will love it! It is ideal for those of you that love to scrapbook but have a hard time finding the time. This is on my wish list for sure!! Be sure to contact me right away to plan your party. The month of September will be here before we know it so lets get your party on the books. Hosting a party is a great way to earn free supplies for those Christmas gifts and Christmas cards you will be making this year!

Welcome Baby Girl

I have been playing around with the idea of this card in my head for a while now. I love my heart to heart punch and I liked the idea of creating a "family" of hearts with it. I now have the reason for it. Our good friends just welcomed their second child into the world. They are now a family of four with one little princess. So I thought this would work perfect for them. I used my new favorite color combo: Soft Suede, So Saffron, Regal Rose (or Melon Mambo works nicely too) and Whisper White. I punched one heart for each existing family member in Whisper White then added the Regal Rose "baby" heart which I covered in Dazzling Diamonds. I matted the hearts on So Saffron and matted that with a piece of Regal Rose that I embellished with the Scallop edge punch (I added to the scallop edge by punching extra holes using a 1/16" handheld punch.) Those pieces were attached to the Soft Suede Base. I then used my Short and Sweet Stamp and a word window punch to add my Welcome Baby phrase. Then I finished my card with a few buttons from the Button Latte pack and some of the White Satin Ribbon. What do you think?

Decor Element Growth Chart

I finished it! Well it took me more time than I expected but it is done. I put my Decor Element on the wall in our bathroom (which has a glossy finish to the walls). That is not recommended when using the Decor Elements, they work best on flat surfaces. However tedious it was to get it to stay on the slippery surface, it finally did work. And I love the way it came out!! I kept my Element the full size of over 6 feet tall but you can always shorten it to or add it to a board if you think you may want to take it with you if you decide to move. If you want to order one of your own please let me know. You can click here to view the new Growing Up promotion flyer which includes the Growth Chart Decor Element as well as a fantastic button offer.

What's in the Box?

Well, first off it's my new Growth Chart Decor Element! I am super excited about this one. As you can see I tried to put my wonderful brother to work when he came out to visit me yesterday. I was hoping to have this one done for you today so I could show you, but it is still in the process. So instead my show item will be Sean (my brother.) Yes, ladies he is single! And I am looking for a sister-in law. He is a real catch too. He is a wonderful brother, he is great with my girls and he is super handy too! I think I might even make him the September gift of the month so start getting your orders ready ladies, just kidding..........kinda.

Next, I also got my pre-order (pre-orders are another benefit that you can enjoy by joining my team and becoming a demonstrator) from the new Holiday Mini coming out soon. If you are an existing customer of mine then your Holiday Mini will be on its way to you soon. If not, then you can place an order with me (by email or online) to get on the mailing list or send me an email and I will send you a mini myself. The new Mini is wonderful! You will love it. There is just too much great stuff in there. So that will start our handy-dandy countdown clock again until our orders can start. So here we go...

Inspired by Laundry

I credit this card to Sammie and her laundry. As you can see I always have SU! stuck in my head. Even when I am doing my Mommy chores around the house I am dreaming of being in my craft room instead. As I was folding my laundry yesterday I was staring at this shirt that my little Sammie has worn a million times. I thought, I bet I could make these little birds with some punches. So once my girls were down for a nap I got to play around with it. I really like how the birds came out. But I think I ran out of creativity and didn't know what to do with the rest of the card. I think I will have to work on it a bit more. What do you think so far? Have you been inspired by something around you? Let me see what you got!

Ribbon Share

Our ribbon share jars are ready. Here is yours! These little cuties include 5 yards of each of the NEW Polka Dot In Color Ribbon. This ribbon is too cute and this is a good way to figure out which colors you use the most before you buy the full roll. These jars are $24 each. As mentioned before, these are and idea from my upline Beverlee. She always comes up with great stuff. Check out her blog by clicking HERE. Hope you like how they turned out.