Home Again

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We are back today from our trip to the snow. I tried to leave plenty of crafts behind to keep you all busy so that I wouldn't be missed. Did you know I was gone?I think this was my best Thanksgiving ever. The girls loved it! We cooked our Thanksgiving Dinner at the cabin, played in the little bit of snow that was there when we first showed up, took the girls to Edgewood (to show them where Mommy and Daddy got married) and had a lot of wonderful lounging time! Friday we just wished that we could get a bit more snow. Then as luck would have it, we did! It started to snow around 7 o'clock Friday night and we went out in it in our jammies, boots and coats. It was so beautiful! The next morning we woke up to this:

Here is Mommy and Sammie on the sled. She was a bit nervous but I loved it!

And here is Daddy and Ava. Although Dad didn't fit on the sled, he made it down the hill anyway. Ava couldn't get enough.

As much as Brandon was having golf with drawls seeing the golf courses snowed over, I was having my own Stampin' with drawls too. So Sunday Brandon spent the day on the golf course and I was in my craft room;) I will have more goodies for you tomorrow. Stay tuned.......

Christmas Easel Card

Here is my first attempt at an Easel card. They are so cool! I love any card with a different fold. Just think how cute this would be with your family picture on the front;)

You can see in this side view how the card stands up by its self. If you already reserved your space for the Christmas Jingle class then I will show you how to make this style card. It is super easy!

Christmas Treat Trial Run

This is my first experiment with the treats I need to make for Christmas. I am still deciding between gifts tags or candy. What would you rather have? I love how easy the Big shot makes making these little pizza boxes to make. Not to mention that wonderful ornament punch. Love it!

Here is the open view. I included 9 gift tags with the box. For the tags I used Soft Suede, Bravo Burgundy and Old Olive. I also added some silver cord for them to be tied on with.

Here is the complete gift. What do you think? I have to make quite a few of these. We will see if these make it to the finals. I may be back with more ideas. Stay tuned.....

Merry Christmas

Here is a quick 3X3 card that I was playing around with. I had an idea in my head and I am not sure if I am 100% happy with it. I guess there is only so much you can do when you are working with a 3X3 card. That's a pretty small canvas, not a lot you can do with it. But, I recently got the Playground Buttons and I love the colors. So I decided to use some of the small Red buttons as berries for my Holly. I then added a bit of Dazzling Diamonds to the tips of the leaves. I wanted them to look a bit frosted. I couldn't see it untill I uploaded my picture but the gliter looks like it is all over the card. Sorry bout that;)

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! As promised, here is the other creation I made with the yummy popcorn. These went to some of the ladies that work with my husband. I was going to color in the Loads of Love stamps but I was running out of time and I kinda liked the simple look they had. Who knows, maybe their kiddos will enjoy coloring them themselves. I do love the touch of green with the Mini Library clips. Hope the ladies like the treats and enjoy the popcorn!
Hope everone has a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Gift

I saw this canister of yummy popcorn while shopping the other day. It looked like a blank canvas to me. I really love taking something store bought and making it my own. Sort of the Semi-Homemade by Sandra Lee type of a feel. Anyone know what I am talking about? I love that show!

This may look a bit familiar. I had a few extra pumpkins left over from the treats I made so I transformed them into a belly band for the popcorn jar. I think this will probably go to one of my neighbors for Thanksgiving. I have one more popcorn canister I think I will work something a bit different with for tomorrow.

Tiny Feet, Tiny Hands

Tiny Feet, Tiny hand. Yep, that is what is on the way for some of our good friends. I am so excited for them. This is the card that just went in the mail yesterday. I used the DSP and Textured So Saffron card stock that came in my Moments and Milestones Simply Scrappin' Kit. That kit has great paper for baby/kid cards. It was the pack I bought to make my sis-in-law's baby book. I still had some extra pieces and they worked perfectly. I used my Stars#2 Die for the big star and popped him up with a few dimensionals. I added one Saffron button from the Button Latte group and a bit of the White Satin Ribbon. The Rub-on greeting is from the Chit Chat rub-ons. I probably would have used another saying but my much loved Rub-ons are running low. It still works, right?

Huge Holiday Sale

Hurry! There is a Huge Holiday Sale going on. Save up to 50% off of select items. Click HERE to see what is on sale. You will even find great supply bundles as well. But remember this sale is for one week only. These deals will run out November 30th, that is if they last that long. These deals are also while supplies last. So, if something is a great deal and lots of orders are placed, once SU! runs out then the deal is gone! Ahhhhhhhh!

Remember you can place orders online through my store or you can email your list to me to add to my order. Now is a good time to jump start your Christmas shopping. And remember for every $10 you spend you will be entered to win a Stampin Kit holder too. Happy Shopping!

Happy Anniversary

Yet another fabulous card from our Imprints "Love" swap. This one was made by Lorraine. Be sure to stop by her blog too. I think she did a great job. I love the tag she added to accent the Word Window. That particular tag is part of the Lots of Tags sizzlet. That sizzlet is on my wish list. It works great with so many of our punches. Another great tip Lorraine shows us on her card is her ribbon. Maybe you love the Rich Razzleberry ribbon but you don't think the polkas dots are the right look. Turn it over! Then you have a great solid ribbon that is the right color without the polka dot design. Thanks for the card Lorraine. I love it.

Stampin Kit Holders

The other day while I was out shopping I came across these great little boxes. They looked to me like the perfect size to hold standard cards. Of course I also saw that they were a blank canvas for me to alter as well. They were on sale so I swooped up a few of them.

I then ran home to check the size and get decorating. I pulled out my rub-ons to start with. I added a few flowers to keep a subtle and clean look. Then I added some of my favorite ribbon: Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay and Rich Razzleberry. Then I personalized them with a few punches and some fancy letters. Right now they are all personalized for me. But that can be changed;)

Here is an up close view of the Rub-ons and other embellishments.

Look how nicely your Stampin Kit (snips, snail and bone folder) fit inside. It also holds our standard cards perfectly. Wouldn't these be nice to bring with you to classes or to our next Stamp Camp (in February)? Do you want one? Well here is what you have to do. Print out a wish list and fill it out (that shouldn't be hard to do.) Then pass your wish list on to your family members, you know, anyone who might want to get you a little something this year. Orders can be placed with me or through my online store. For every $10 purchase your name will be entered into a drawing for one of these. Then on Dec 15th I will draw three names. Those names will receive their tool holders. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Another Beautiful Imprints Card

Here is another beautiful card I received at our latest Imprints meeting. The theme of our swap was love. This card was made by Kim Molesworth and was also featured on Beverlee's Blog a while back. You may have seen it there. But I love this card. It has such a clean and subtle look to it. Though you cant see it in the picture. Kim Stamped the Very Vanilla card stock with the En Francais background stamp in (I think) Blush Blossom. Then she used the Lattice Die to cut the background and embellished it with our Dazzling Diamonds. The Butterfly is also a die and she used our Manhattan Flower Embossing folder to add some texture. This card is so beautiful. Perfect for any "love" occasion.

Kitty Sympathy

I am sure you can tell what this card is for. I cased one of my own cards that I made a while back for my Bro-in-law. This one is for someone that lost their much loved kitty cat. You may not be able to tell that this is a Hybrid card. Hybrid cards are half MDS/ half real embellishments. What I love about Hybrid cards is this:

-they are quick

-they allow you to map out your card before you start to cut anything

-if you are low on a certain color (like I was low of Chocolate Chip) you can add it in as a digital layer

-and my favorite thing is that the items in MDS don't retire. That means I can use all of the Baja Breeze paper that I want (that's my favorite color, ever!)

The only items on this card that are real are the jumbo brads, the ribbon, the white card base and the first matte of Chocolate Chip. What do you think?

Pumpkin Pie, anyone?

I found this card the other day on Splitcoast and I loved it. I love a clean and simple card. Luckily I had it in my favorites and I was able to copy it in a hurry. I forgot that yesterday was Ava's last day as a beginner Preschooler. She moved up a grade yesterday (sniff,sniff) and I forgot to make a card for her old teacher. So I ran to Edible Arrangements and picked up a box of dipped fruit and added this card to it. I thought that it was fitting since we are so close to Thanksgiving and it was a thank you card. What do you think?Click HERE to see the original artwork. I hope Ms. Ninfa liked it.

Ms. Ninfa-

Thank you for making Ava's first Preschool experience so special. She now loves school. You are a wonderful teacher and Ava loves you. We will miss your class.

Love,

the Tolls

Greetings, Earthlings

I love this stamp set. And for those of you who think this is a boy set, here you go. Girlie Aliens! Love it. This card was made by Jenn. I received this a few days ago and I wanted to share it with you. I am having a bit if trouble with my camera this morning so I apologize for the fuzzy picture. Jenn used some of our Water Color Paper for the Aliens. The water color paper makes coloring in your creation much easier. Whether you are using a Blender Pen or an Aqua Painter you will notice how much easier your colors blend when using the water color paper verses the card stock. Thanks for the card Jenn! You can check out more of Jenn's creations in the Guest Stampers label of my blog.

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Yesterday was my Grandpa's 80th birthday. Our family got together to celebrate with him and this was the card I brought with me. My Grandpa loves Stampin Up. Not only because he is a wonderful supporting Grandpa to me and his other Granddaughter that love it (Ashley, my downline) but also because he used it too! My Grandpa is an amazing wood carver. I have talked about his work before. He actually used to have his own t.v. show. He is part of the Wood Carvers Association and he also made these incredible carved remembrance pieces of art that were made from the 400 year old oak tree that fell at the Alden Lane Nursery last year. So, what does he use SU! for? Well he loves the images and lettering just like all of us do. So he uses the images as inspiration for designs he put on his carvings: signs, walking sticks and more. I asked him to send me some pictures. I hope to be able to show some of his work soon. Happy Birthday Grandpa, love you!

Thankful Treats

As promised, here is the project that I was working on during our Pajama-Rama. I needed a new Thanksgiving treat to give out to Ava's Preschool and a few other places. I found these little cuties while blog surfing. I found this fabulous blog and there is also a great tutorial too. Check it out by clicking HERE. Be sure to drop her a line and let her know who sent you.

I did change mine up a bit. I left out the cello bag and added my ribbon just to the top of the treat. I used a different stamp for the inside of my pumpkin and some Pumpkin Pie ribbon instead of the Soft Suede. The only reason I did that was because I had more of the Pumpkin Pie ribbon than the Soft Suede and I needed to make 28 treats. But as you can see for everything else they are the same. I really loved the circle pumpkin idea. These are just too cute. Don't you think?

Pajama-Rama Thank yous

Well, it's a slow morning. I slept in a bit and am moving slowly. I was up pretty late last night for our Pajama-Rama. I had a lot of fun and got a lot done. Whoo Hoo! I will show you what I was working on in a few days. Thank you to the ladies that came last night. I hope you had a good time. I know none of us got as much done as we wanted with all the snack, shopping and chit chat to distract us but it was sooooo worth it! I love my "Girls night out."

In the above picture you will see some thank you gifts that we made for our attendees. To make these I bought a cheap stack of paper tablets at an office supply store. I then asked the store to split them in half making them into thin note pads. Using some Sticky Strip I covered the existing spine and added a scrap piece of DSP. To finish them off I added a little shopping bag from the Things I Love stamp set. What do you think?

December Class

It's time to mark your calendars for our next Stampin class. This one is just in time for Christmas. Join me for a Christmas Jingle Simply Scrappin Class.

At this class you will make 16 beautiful cards to send out or add to a special gift you will be giving this year. The cost of the class is $31 and NO minimum order. The class comes with one Simply Scrappin Kit of which you will use to make your 16 cards in the class. The rest of that kit you will take home with you so you can continue to make a total of 36 cards, scrapbook pages or other projects of your choice. I will have plenty of example cards for you to follow along with but feel free to create as you wish! I will also have a select bunch of accessories out for you to add to your cards such as ribbon, brads, Dazzling Diamonds (glitter) and more. You will also be able to create an adorable tote to take your creations home in.

This class is perfect whether you have never attended a class of mine before or if you are an avid Stampin Up'er. The complete class makes a great gift as well. I hope you can all make it. Class date is Thursday December 3rd at 6:00. Remember you can always do the class by mail as well. Be sure to RSVP by November 16th as this kit is very popular right now and has been off and on the back order list so I want to be sure we all receive our kits before the day of class.

Love Card Exchange

Here is one of the cards that I received in my Imprints "Love" card exchange. I really love this card. I love the bright colors and to two new techniques that I learned with this card. Frederique made this beautiful creation. I love the marbled look of the medallion and check out that brad! Pretty cool, huh? Let me show you how it's done at your next party. Sorry quick posting today. Late for Preschool!!!

My Imprints Card

This is the card that I made for our last Imprints meeting. Our theme was love. I have to admit this idea was not my own I CASED this card from one I saw on Splitcoast. Click here to see the original. As you can see I didn't change it a bit. I loved it when I saw it. I thought it was simple and clean and perfect for our exchange.

I know it is hard to see in the pictures but the towels are textured with our texture plates that I ran through my Big Shot. To my surprise this card was voted the winner of the card exchange. I also came home with 14 other really fantastic cards, some of which I will show in the next few days. Stay tuned......

MDS Boy Birthday

The other night I had to go to the birthday on one of my friend's 10 year old son. The trouble is I don't have any stamp sets that work good for and old boy. That is where my MDS saved me. Kenneth is quite the All American Boy. You know, loves baseball and all the regular boy stuff. Luckily MDS comes with lots of stamp sets in the basic package that worked perfect. For this card I decided to use the Extreme Elements and the Sporting Stamp Sets. I whipped this card up in a snap (without having to create a mess in my craft room) and I even printed the card myself on my own printer.

NEW Stampin' Tools

With the help of my cousin I came across a really cool site that has some great tools to help all of us with our project making. While I was working on changing around my blog and playing with colors Lorraine helped me find a site that had the HEX color codes for changing the background of my blog to a SU! color. If you are also a blogger you may find that particular page helpfull. Click HERE to get those codes.

For those of you who aren't bloggers I was playing around on that same site and came across some other great tools that I think would be helpful.

First- Check out the Cutting Calculator! Do you have a bunch of cards to make and want to know how many sheets of paper you will need or want to know if you can be more cost effective if you use 12X12 or 8 1/2X 11 and which way is the best way to cut? This will help you!

Second- Check out the Layer Diagram. If you have a stamp on your card and you want to matte it maybe with one layer or maybe with 4 layers this tool will tell you how big to cut each piece of card stock so that your paper will still fit on your project.

Third- Is the Hex color codes that I told you about earlier.

Be sure to read the instructions on each page so that you know how to use each tool. I find all 3 of these very useful and I hope you do too! Into the Stampin' tools section of my blog they go!!!

IMPRINTS!, IMPRINTS!, IMPRINTS!

What is Imprints? It is our demonstrator meeting I attend every quarter hosted by my Upline Bevelee. These meetings are so much fun!!! Beverlee spoils us with project ideas, make and takes, inspiration and pie! Yesterday we made 4 projects, we had a card exchange (I got 14 new cards to share), we shared business ideas and tips and we had some fun girl time too. Thanks for a great meeting Bev!

In the picture above you will see all the goodies I came home with. I will show some of the cards up close in the next few days. Then, I won one of the top sales spots and Beverlee gave me a super cute Stampin Up! Reusable tote filled with goodies. I also was the winner of the card exchange/contest and I got another tote filled with more goodies. It was a good day!

I have to tell you, I have been a SU! customer for almost 6 years and a demonstrator for one year now. But there is something BIG that I have realized: Being a customer was only the tip of the Ice Berg when it comes to all the SU! fun there is to be had. Being a demonstrator is the most fun I have ever had. Did I tell you I am going to Leadership in January? Whoo Hoo! From what I hear it will be amazing. Huge card exchange (at least 100 cards), Memento Mall (a store full of Stampin Up clothes, tools and accessories) and more.

Did I pique your interest in being a Demo? Well lets chat about it. Trust me you will love it!

A Little Boy's Wish!!!

My cousin Lorraine is a member of the Late Night Stampers Group. She let me know about a tear jerking story that was sent to her via email about a 5 year old boy named Noah Biorkman, who is in the last stages of his 2 1/2 year battle with Neuroblastoma Cancer. Noah and his family will be celebrating Christmas next week and Noah's request was to get a lot of Christmas cards. So I am sharing this story with you in hopes that we can send this amazing little boy more cards than he could dream of.

I know we all love to make cards, you may even have a few already made, right? This sounds to me like the sweetest and bravest little boy. Let's make his wish come true! When you are ready to send out your cards( are you can send more than one!)please send me an email and I will forward his address to you. Thanks for your help and have a great day!

Be sure to hug and kiss your kiddos every day. They are the such a gift from God.

Pop Quiz

QUESTION: Look closely at the three cards in front of you. Can you tell the difference between them? Is it a set of cards or are they different?

ANSWER: They are all different. As part of my My Digital Studio Certification I had to create a project and print it using the SU! Professional Printing Service. So I decided to create a small series of cards to show the difference between a Hand stamped, Digital and Hybrid Project. I am also working on a scrapbook so that I will have hard copies for you to see in person at our next Stampin Event. Now I realize that Digital Paper Crafting is a preference.Some people love it while others love the original hand stamped versions. As for me I love both. So I will try to create with as much variety as I can. Now back to today's cards.......

This first card is completely hand stamped. I also wanted to mention that all the MDS projects I am creating right now are with the basic MDS package. I have not had to add any additional downloads yet (though I will soon.) The basic MDS program comes with a lot to get you started.

This second project is completely Digital. Some advantages to the digital are: There is no error when it comes to stamping, you can resize the stamps (without them pixilating), and you don't have to worry about wasting supplies. This program is also good to use as a map for your cards. TIP: Try creating your card idea on MDS to make sure the card and embellishments work the way you want them to. Move them around and make sure you get the perfect layout. Then when you are done, use the digital map to then create your card with actual card stock and supplies. No more waste!

And finally, this card is called a Hybrid Project. That means that some of the elements on the card are digital and some are actual. For this project all the card stock elements are Digital. Then I added a real card stock "O", a real brad and I popped them up with a Dimensional. The ribbon is also real. Did I mention how fast these Digital cards got to me? I ordered them and to my surprise they were in my hand 3 days later! So, what do you think? Are you liking MDS or do you still love Hand stamped????

Butterfly Birthday

I received this adorable creation for my birthday from my cousin Lorraine. Click HERE to view her fabulous blog. For this card and favor bag Lorraine used the Cottage Wall DSP because she knows it is my fav.

I love the layout of this 3X3 card. The butterfly dies are adorable too. Lorraine used the Taffeta Ribbon and Linen Thread to embellish the card. She also used some pearls from the Pretties Kit for the body of the butterfly.

The Fancy Favor bag has a ribbon handle and some of the Jumbo Brads to hold it in place. They came out great. I love it !