Last Day to Sale-A-Brate!

Its that last day to Sale-A-Brate. If you still have items on that wish list now is the time to start shopping. For every $50 you spend you can earn one more fabulous Sale-A-Bration set. Once Sale-A Bration ends these fabulous stamp sets will no longer be available. Just be sure to email you order to me, or if you are shopping online, select me as you demonstrator to receive preferred pricing.

Also, for those of you that have RSVP'ed to tonight's 8 for $8 card class I have lots of goodies ready for us. I am looking forward to stampin with you. Stop by any time after 6:30. See you soon.

Material Girls

Ahhh, that beautiful weather is here (at least for this week.) We spent the whole day yesterday at the park, and we'll do it again today if it is just as beautiful. So it was time to tuck those heavy winter jackets away and pull out the light hoodies for school. But then I started thinking, its time for a little make over too.

One of the little jackets had a stain on the side of it so I decided to add a few fabric yo-yos over the top. Then of course, the other one needed it too. You know, I was told when I was pregnant with my second daughter (from every girl I know that has a sister) that girls hate to be dressed alike. So I promised myself that I wouldn't do that to them. Coordinating, yes. Matching, no. Then, go figure, I get the two that want to match. Every day, they want to match! Go figure.

I learned how to make these super simple fabric yo-yos at Leadership this year. Stay tuned for information on my upcoming fabric class. I will show you how to make these along with a few other adorable fabric creations.

Just Like Daddy

Really, its never to early for them to learn to earn their keep, right? She's four so its about time she starts pitching in more. I'm kidding. If daddy is doing it then Ava wants to be right there. She's our little helper, that's for sure. Its just so sweet to me that things like laundry, making beds or, in this case, mowing the lawn looks like fun. So as long as she is willing to help, we will take advantage. Yes, that and we will use these pictures as to show her how wonderful she was when she is a teenager and no longer thinking these kinds of things are fun. Are you using MDS? Love, love love it! Be sure to stop by www.mydigitalstudio.net for some tips and inspirational project ideas. You can also check out the Digital Crafting section of Stampin Up.com to see the latest Digital downloads you can add to your program. *Remember, when shopping online, to pick me as you demonstrator so you will be sure to receive the preferred pricing.

CAS Thank you

While shopping at the store the other day, I came across an adorable little stationary set. It had this great clean and simple look and it was so sweet. The price? Not so sweet. Not gonna pay $10 for a couple cards. So here is my version of the simple layout. I loved the trees and the little blossoms.

The trees are part of the Level 3 Hostess set, Playful Pieces. It doesn't get much simpler that this and I kinda like that look. What do you think? I think, I ready for actual spring! Please, lets bring on the beautiful weather!

Sweet

Simply Scrappin kits are great to have on hand. They come complete with everything you need to put together great projects and they are great when you need something quick. Enter this card. I needed a thank you card quick and I was able to pull this guy together in a snap. And its cute, huh? I love this kit. The owls are just so sweet, aren't they?

Sorry for the fuzzy shot here. I need to come back and fix this one. But he's just so sweet.

You may notice that I had to alter one of my punches on this card. The word window is one of my favorite punches but sometimes it needs to be just a bit longer or in this case a bit shorter.

So if you are trying to shorten your word window here is an easy way to do it. Start by stampin you sentiment and punching it out. Then attach the punch to the sticky portion of a post-it note and slide it back into the punch. Line it up and punch again, making the punch custom to the sentiment you are using.

Goodies by Karen

You know that I always say that I am part of a great team, right? Its so true. And it goes in all directions: Downline, sideline and upline! But look how sweet my Up-Upline Karen is. She braved that torrential downpour the other day to stop by with a little SU congratulations care package. She is so supportive to me and my SU business and I appreciate her so much! Above you will see the little congrats card she made me.

She also must know how much I love to read because she made me these great book marks. So fun, huh? I love the style of this top one. I have seen those before and have never tried making one myself. I think I will now.

And how pretty is this one? I love this. This is the same style bookmark that the ladies got from their SAMs at Leadership this year and I was so jealous. They were so pretty. Now I have one of my own. Yippie!

Thanks so much Karen for caring as much about my business as I do. Your support is so much appreciated! And I love all my goodies!

8 for $8 Class

Join me for our next class:

8 for $8 Class

Thursday March 31 (stop by anytime after 6:30PM)

Come by and make 8 quick cards for only $8. Work at your own pace, try out different tricks and tools and leave with 8 great cards.

no minimum order.

Please be sure to RSVP by Tuesday, March 29th.

**This will be our last Sale-A-Bration class so you wont want to miss it!!

Congrats, Congrats, Congrats

One bonus of being a demonstrator is this great magazine that comes every month. I love the Stampin Success magazine it is full of business tips, card ideas, and contests. I also has great recognition for those who a doing good in there business. Imagine my excitement to get this months magazine and see my name in the print. Whoo Hoo! Right under the "Manager" section of the promotion page. I am so excited to make this mark.

Double that excitement when I also see one of my downlines names printed right there with me under Supervisor. Congrats Sarah, that is a big accomplishment!

I also have to take a minute and say congrats to Nicole for getting her first recruit. She just signed up her sister, Andrea. So congrats Nicole and welcome to Andrea. Nicole and I both agree you are going to make a great demonstrator!

Well our team is growing that's for sure and if you are thinking about singing up let me know. There is one week left to join my team and get your kit 15% off plus a extra bonus kit valued at over $50. Its a great deal and a fabulous opportunity that you don't want to miss out on.

Email me and lets chat about it: niki176@aol.com

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday. Don't worry mom, I 'm not going to announce how old you are. But I thought it would be fun to tell some fun facts about my mom. This is probably going to horrify her. But it's all in good fun, right?
1. She was born in Minnesota and moved out to California when she was just a baby.
2. She is the complete opposite of me. Not crafty at all!
3. She is athletic. And laughs very time I say that. But listen to this: She played on the boys water polo team when she was a kid, she used to teach boys how to surf when she lived in Santa Cruz, she was a Ski hostess in Kirkwood when she met my dad, and she played on both an adult soccer team and a ladies softball team when I was little. (Trust me, you wont catch me doing all that!!)
4.She's a twin. Yikes! Yep, there is two of her out there;) So happy birthday to my Aunt Becky too!
5. She kissed Elvis. Yes, the real Elvis!
6. She's a fantastic Realtor. If you are thinking of buying or selling or just need some advice she can help. Click here to view her Real Estate page.
Here is a close up shot of the card I made for her. Sort of a Queen for a Day style card, but lets be honest, she's the queen everyday. Happy Birthday Mom!

You're In My Heart

One of those cards that are no fun to make. This one went to someone very close to me that had to go through something truly awful. My heart breaks for you and I love you so much.

This card was a case of a card I saw on Stampin Connection. I simplified my layout a bit because I didn't have all the supplies she had. But click here and you can see the original.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sammie's Thank Yous

Just a couple of birthday thank yous I made for all our little friends that helped us celebrate Sammie's birthday. I think I sure got my full use out of this set. Don't you think? I think I can give it a rest now for a while with the Build-A-Bear. But its just so fun, right?

I like to keep my thank yous pretty simple so I can whip them out quickly. Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Aaaahh, Anguilla!

Aaahh, I am home from one of the best vacations I have ever been on. Didn't know I was gone!?! I know, I left some goodies behind for you so you wouldn't miss me while I was on vacation. Where did we go? Anguilla, baby! If you watch The Bachelor then you may have heard of it, if not then you probably think I made this place up. But I didn't, it was one of the most amazing places I have ever seen. For those of you that are Bachelor fans, remember this:
I actually got to see where they did the filming. The beach they did the 2 AM photo shoot on was beautiful and is a very popular spot for photo shoots (its actually where they shoot for Victoria Secret too) We saw a live shoot going on while we were there. That was cool. But actually, we stayed at a different resort (even prettier) it was called the Vicroy. I wondered why they didn't choose our hotel (like how I call it OUR hotel) because it was so much prettier. Then I learned the the Vicroy has only been open since November and the filming of the Bachelor was done in October. This little private island was almost unknowed until it was aired on T.V. and now it is just absolutely booming. Pretty cool, huh?

This shot is from my absolute favorite place on the Resort. This is call Half Shell beach and the view looks right back at our hotel. Pretty incredible, right? This trip was actually part of Brandon's work. The trip was paid for by Mercedes Benz and they sure know how to throw a party! And talk about pampering too. There was only one day that Brandon had to work, the rest of the time was, relaxation, parties and excursions. From the second we arrived, we were showered with gifts (A-MAZING GIFTS!) and had an a great time.

So here are a couple of MDS pages for the family album. I can tell you, these were just about the hardest pages I have made. I have so many amazing pictures it was hard to narrow them down. I guess I am gonna have to print some of these to use as artwork in our home.

I hope someday we will get to go back to Anguilla. It was unbelievable. Thanks to Mercedes for treating us to this and thanks to my wonderful husband for working so hard to earn these incredible trips.

Now after all that travel (two planes, a bus, a boat and another bus just to get there) I am really glad to be home! I think I may need a vacation from my vacation.

Thank You Cards

Here is a quick little set of "any occasion" cards I made for myself just to have on hand. I used a few of these as customer thank you cards. I am loving our In Colors right now. Aren't you?

I had just gotten a pack of these In Color Glimmer Brads. Oh, they are so beautiful in person. They add just the right amount of "pop" to the card.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

BEARthday Fun!

Awww, this is the cutest. All those adorable little faces, and the kids too. Just kidding, you know what I mean! Just adorable. I love these kiddos. And we had fun hanging out celebrating Sammie's birthday together.

The sweetest thing about the whole party was when Sammie was making her bear and each of her friends added a special birthday wish (a felt heart) to the inside of her bear. Yep, I'm a sap because it made me tear up a bit. Just a bit. I know, I am gonna really embarrass my children when they get older.

Thanks to all our little buddies for making Sam feel so special on her birthday.

Top of the Mornin' To You

Don't forget to wear your green today. Or beware of pinchers. Just a warning. Here are a couple of goodies we made to drop off to our Preschool teachers and staff. Let me tell you, St Patrick's Day treats were not that easy for me to come up with, so these are pretty simple. But Rollos work, right?

Actually I was looking for some of those chocolate coins but they were a no-go. Couldn't find those anywhere. So this will have to work but I had to sneak a few as I was bagging them up and I can tell you, Rollos taste much better.

Anyway, time for you to go start that Corned Beef and Cabbage cooking. Mmmmm, I can smell it already;)

Birthday Buddies

Look at my little March birthday buddies. Aren't they the cutest? We did have a little double birthday party for Brandon and Sammie last week with just the family. Sam's birthday is on the 3rd and Bran's on the 6th.

Cute story about that cake. I took Sammie to the groceries store to pick out a cake for her and Daddy. I told her to pick any cake she wanted. Of course she love the Tangled cake, Strawberry Shortcake, Nemo, and every other cake too. But then we saw the golf cake. Sammie says," Oh, that's perfect! Daddy will love that. I think that's the best cake." I said, " are you sure? Daddy wont mind if you want a Princess cake. Just choose what you want." Nope. Its the golf cake. What a Daddy's girl! I just had to ask them to girlie it up a bit for Sam. Thus, the bright pink frosting;)

Oh, and those flowers?? Yep, those were from Daddy. Send right to her Preschool classroom. Do you think he's a little over the top when it comes to his girls!?! Yep, gotta love it!

Caleb's Birthday Playdate

Here we are at my nephew's birthday play date. For those of you not in our area, this is Super Franks. The girls love it here, as you can see. And so do the moms......as you can see. I have to tell you, those little bikes are pretty fun, and a pretty good work out too.

It was a great day. Happy Birthday Caleb! Thanks for letting us party with you.

Guest Stamper-Jenn

Soooooooooo, Jenn? When are you gonna start your blog?? heehee. That or maybe I should make you co-author of Stampin With Niki. huh? Yep, another adorable Jenn creation. This was the card she made for Sammie's birthday. Sam loves Tink so this is right up her alley. Nice job! Love all that sparkle.

Guest Stamper-Lorraine

I think I need to say thank you to all my friends for giving me the past few days off. I have had so many great cards that were given to Sammie and Brandon that I haven't had to find my own creation to post. So thanks ladies.

This one is an Auntie Raine creation. Nice job on the water coloring. And isn't that DSP to die for?? So fun to use. I love how you DSP'ed her little dress.

To check out more of Lorraine's creations hop on over to her blog. Click here.

Guest Stampers-Alyssa and Jack

How sweet is she? Well, you know Sammie had a Build-A-Bear party, right? This was the card that Alyssa made for Sam. And you know I love punch art, so this is perfect. Sammie loved it too. Check out more of Alyssa's creations on her blog. Click here.

And I just couldn't resist showing this one too. This is a Jack creation (Alyssa's son and one of Sam's best buds.) Just the sweetest! Thanks Jack.

Simply Scrappin Class

Join me for our next Class

Paper Bag Mini Album

Thursday March 24th at 7:00pm

Location: my house (email me for directions)

Cost of Class: one Simply Scrappin Kit. No minimum order

RSVP by Mon March 14th with the kit of your choice. Supplies need to be ordered with plenty of time for your supplies to arrive in time for class.


We will be making one paper bag album in class and the rest of the supplies are yours to take home with you.

Class can be done by mail as well. Please email me with any questions. niki176@aol.com.

Guest Stamper- Jenn

Okay, how cute is this!?! This is the card that my friend (and downline) Jenn made for Brandon's birthday. Perfect, right! I laughed so hard when I saw this. I love it. And it looks just like Brandon;)

Thanks, Jenn. You did a great job!

Karaoke Night!

Ask Brandon what he wants to do for his birthday? Golf, go to dinner, a movie, anything? No, he wants to Karaoke! Really. It's his favorite thing to do. The idea actually makes me cringe. Okay, fine. Its his birthday. I can be a good sport for one night. But I AM NOT SINGING! No way, not my thing at all.

Well, you can see how well that worked out. I'm a sucker. I tried it once and then I was addicted. You actually had to fight me for that mic. It was really fun.

Good friends, good music (debatable), good friends and good times. The thing with Karaoke is this: You don't have to be good, you just have to be brave!

Happy Birthday, Brandon!

Sunday was my hubby's birthday. We had a jam-packed birthday weekend. Lots of birthday festivities. I will show you what we did for Bran's birthday soon. But for now here is the card I made him. As you can guess, he's an Angry Birds fan. But I cant take credit for this one. I saw a couple of angry birds cards pop up on Stampin Connection and I went crazy. Brilliant, right? So I combined a couple of ideas from a few different cards and here is what we got. Thanks so much for the inspiration. Brandon liked this card. Like, really liked it! He says," Oh my gosh! This is awesome! Did you put this on your blog? This is great!" The girls liked it too. But then again, they are Angry Bird fans too;)

More Build-A-Bear

As promised here are a few favors I made for Sammie's goodie bags. First, just a little cello bag filled with, of course, Teddy Grahams. Have you had Teddy Grahams in a while? They are so good!

I added a matching tag. Some girlie and some boy-ish, of course. I also added a flag from my Petal Cone Die. It cracks my up but as much as I love that die, I find myself just going crazy over that tiny little banner it comes with. I love that thing!

And some mini coloring books. Now Ava and Sam love to color so they went crazy over these. I hope the other kids did too. You should have seen how cute all the kids were with there teddy bears. It was darling by the way.

This idea I got from Tammi White and she even posted a video tutorial on how to make them on Youtube. Click here to check it out. Thanks for the inspiration Tammi.