Summer Smooches

The Summer Smooches Promo is leaving us. Time to shop! Remember some of these items will be returning in the much anticipated NEW Catalog coming out soon(June 1st) but if you cant wait that long to order them again you may want to stock up now.

Those beautiful Fabric Brads are already sold out and wont be returning in the catalog. Tear!
The stencil is still available but also will not be making an appearance in the catalog. Time to swoop it up now.

Click here to shop now. And don't forget about those Retiring Products that are flying off the shelves.


***Speaking of new catalog! Remember to send in your registration form for the Launch Party. Come pick up your new catalog, make a few projects and have a great time!! email me if you need a copy of the registration form: niki176@aol.com

Nicole's Meeting

Yesterday, I told you I was heading off to one of my downline's first downline meetings. I was there to assist with reports and questions. It. Was. Amazing. I will seriously be stepping up the way I do my meetings for now on. Nicole made the whole day feel not like a business meeting, but like treat. A party. A tea-party!! Check out her gorgeous spread.

 Everything we did was tea shoppe themed. She had food, tea (of course. Four of them), decorations, make and takes, note pads, gifts, and she even made us all favors (stay tuned for picture of those) all with the tea theme.Oh, yes, and she even made her own pretty grid paper too.

 Look at this. Yummy. I want to go back there today and do it all over again. Strawberries, scones, croissants, finger sandwiches, sparkling lemonade and tea!! Oh yeah, and for dessert there was 3 different bunt cakes and a chocolate pie. Get out!! Seriously.

Here is a shot of some of the girls working on those make and takes.

What a fun, special day. I love Nicole! She really knows how to make us girls feel special ( and her downline totally deserved this after how hard they worked!) It was so much fun. It was inspiring. And just one more reason I love hanging out with Nicole?? Every time I do she hooks me onto something new to love. I am totally into tea now!!

Thank you, Nicole!!!

Downline Fun

Today, I am off to assist one of my downlines with her first downline meeting of her own. I'm pretty excited. Excited to see what she has in store for her group, excited to meet a couple downlines for the first time, and excited to share in everything SU. We have a swap we will be doing and above you with see the card I am bringing with me. You may recognize it as the card I made for my friends' birthday a few days ago.

I am assisting in the "downline reports" section of the meeting. This was an exciting project for me. I got to pull all the sales reports for each girl on Nicole's team and highlight were they are doing good, or great, or beyond great, and let each of them know what they need to promote to the next level. What and awesome feeling to tell them,"Congratulation, you met your quarterly minimum" or "Good job, you earned a volume rebate (bonus) last month!" or "Whoo Hoo, you are just around the corner of another promotion!!" These girls are stellar! Seriously.

Check out Charlette for example, she has only been a demo for a few short months and she has already earned 4 FREE stamp sets in the Stampin Start program. With more on the way too!!

Okay, gotta run. I will be back tomorrow with pictures and fun to share with you!!

Want to join our fabulous team?? Its easy. Just click here and your on your way!

Look what I made......

 I have a new obsession, thanks to my friend, Nicole. She is an amazingly talented jewelry maker, and she has taken time to hold a few classes for us crafty-girls that love that learn any new craft. This was class number two for us.

 Wire Wrapping. Now, Nicole said that we would be cursing her, breaking beads and going nuts at first. But I don't think anyone did. That should tell you something about her teaching technique. She is an awesome teacher.

Next she is gonna teach us how to make this awesome key chain that she made as roommate gifts for Leadership. I cant wait! The beauty of this piece was hard to capture in this picture, but it is really stunning in person.

Here is a picture I borrowed from Nicole;) This is us last night working away at our newly learned technique. That's me in the back in the white shirt.

Want to see more of Nicole's fabulous creations?? Yes, you do!! Hop on over to her new blog and check her out: teehee4two.

Tiny Travelers

Back to MDS for a minute. This page is a little pre-Disney photo session. Here we are on our first plane flight with our girls. They were so excited, redy to go with their little backpacks. They did great! Traveling with kids was pretty enjoyable. Granted, it was a one hour flight, not too bad. But it was still an exciting experience for all of us.

 

Thanks for stopping by! See you tomorrow.

Retired Accessories

Get them before they are gone! The retired accessories and Definitely Decorative (including Décor Elements) lists are now available and won't stay around for long--these items are only available while supplies last! 

Click here to view the Retiring Definitely Decorative Items

Click here to view the Accessories      

And remember there are still retiring Stamp sets to add to your list too.

To start shopping now go directly to my online store.

** Remember** These items go fast. They are while supplies last and some items are up to 60% off the regular price.

Always remember to select NIKI TOLL as your demonstrator to receive prefered pricing!!

Happy Birthday

 As promised here is the birthday card for my friend, Heather. We got to spend the day with her and family for her birthday and since she is super prego, her birthday present was sweets. Cheesecake to be exact, which was also a gift for me too. Its my fav too. It was really nice to spend some time with them.

As for her card. Its pretty simple. Yes, of course I used Mixed Bunch again and the matching punch, because they are my favorite. But I also love this color combo too: Gray, Wisteria, Saffron, Concord and White.

What do you think? Thanks again for stopping by. See you tomorrow!

Tween Birthday

 Esh! This little birthday card went to one of our little buddies who turned 10 today. 10! I cant believe one of my friends has a 10 year old (a 12 year old, a almost 2 year old and baby number four on the waytoo. But anyhoo.) I remember when Faith was born. I remember holding her as a baby. What happened!! She's not even mine and clearly I am not handling this well. 

Happy Birthday, Faith. We love you so much. Faith also shares her birthday with her step-mom ( how cool is that!?!) So happy birthday to Heather too. Stay tuned and I will show you her card tomorrow.....

A tween card is a challenge for me. I didn't think I had any stamp sets that worked (totally need to buy more stamps now.) So here is what I can up with. Just play up the "10" thing and add in a fun,bright color combo. There you have it. Thanks for stopping by. See you tomorrow!

Disney Cruise, Part 2

 More MDS pages coming your way. Part 2 of my Disney series. These again, are simple pages. I will spruce them up later. Here we are soakin up the sun. Man, I love my girls when they are in "vacation mode." So cute, so excited, so much energy!

For those of you who don't already have My Digital Studio, did you know you can try it for 30 day.......for FREE. Yep, so why not? Just click here to down load the free trial.

You also have two options when purchasing the program. Buy it complete now ( for only $79.95) or buy it in two parts Express MDS (for$39.95) and add to it later with MDS Booster Pack ($39.95)

From there,  be sure to check out mydigitalstudio.net for inspiration and to learn more.

New digital downloads available every Tuesday too, for purchase.

Have MDS questions? Just ask. niki176@aol.com

Belated Birthday

 I did a terrible thing. Terrible. Yesterday, I had some time to catch up on a few birthday cards on my list, so as I sat down to make them I realized I hadn't flipped my birthday calendar to April yet (I know, we are half way through the month Where was I !?!) Anyhoo, I flipped to April and horror was starring right at me!!! I forgot one of my downlines birthdays!!!

Sarah, I am so sorry. I feel so bad. So of course, your card was top priority to me. I made this one for you and its on its way to you now. I hope you had a really wonderful birthday.

This Mixed Bunch Set is my FAV! The girls and I were chatting about it at our class this week and there seems to be a consensus here. Everyone loved Mixed Bunch and the punch. This card layout I cased from a fabulous card I found on Pinterest. Gotta love Pinterest too, right!!

Okay, that's it. Hope you have a great day. I am off to meet with an old friend. I am super excited. See you back here tomorrow!

Join Us for a Class

Look at these girls. Don't they look like they are having a ball?? They are. Here are the ladies from our class last night showing off those awesome Envelope Scapbooks. They all turned out great, and they were all different.

So here is your chance to save the date for some upcoming May Stampin Event. Hope to have you join us too!

Thursday, May 3rd @ 6:30- Launch Party Meeting. This event is for the planning team only. We have an exciting NEW catalog launch party coming your way. You wont want to miss it. If you didn't already receive your invitation/registration form email me and I will send it your way: niki176@aol.com

Thursday, May 10th @ 6:30- For Mom. Come make a few simple projects to wow mom with. Cost of class is $8.

Friday, May 11th- Stampin Up Bunco- Bunco Night! This group is open to demos only. If you want to join in our Bunco fun, join my team! We will get you in the next go around;)

Thursday, May 17th  @ 6:30- Last Chance Class- Those last chance lists are out and items are going fast. Come make a stack of cards featuring stamp sets and other items that will be leaving us soon. Cost of class is $10

Saturday, May 19th- Kim's Catalog Sneak Peek Party- For Demonstrators only. This is a fun day for all those in our team to join together, play, share and inspire each other with new items (that demos get to see and purchase first.) You too can see items before they are released and join in our fun. All you have to do is join my team! Email me for more info: niki176@aol.com


Thursday, May 31st- $8 for 8. Come make 8 cards for only $8. These cards are express cards or clean and simple cards. Simple layouts and minimal to no embellishments.

Please be sure to RSVP to all classes in advance so I can be sure to have supplies and a stampin space ready for you.

Nicole's Swap

 Aren't these fun? I love this. This was the swap my friend and downline, Nicole made for all of us. Now, I haven't made these myself, yet. But they look fun. I love the bright colors of the one I got, but Nicole made these is all sorts of patterns and DSPs. They looked so pretty.

And here it is open. It pops into a little box. Cute, right? I gotta give this a try. Thanks, Nicole!

Okay, off and running again. See you tomorrow!

Disney MDS, part1

 Finally catching up on some much needed MDS. Not sure I am 100% happy with the pages. I will go back and spruce them up with more detail as needed at least I am getting them in the 2012 book. That at least makes me feel a bit better.

So now I am on to our Disney Cruise pictures. These pages I couldn't fit into one page. I have about 8 pages so far. That's what you get with a weeks worth of Disney fun.

These first two pages are just us setting sail. It was fun! Straight to the lunch buffet, then to the poolside party. Amazing! Anyone else done the Disney cruise before??

Stay tuned some MDS to come........

Messages For Mom

Here is another card I received at our Imprints meeting swap. I am not sure who the creator was but if anyone know please give credit. The picture doesn't do this one justice either. I love the way she popped up the word "Mom." And I love all the sparkle.

Messages for Mom is a retiring set. So if you love it and still have it on your wish list be sure to hop on over to my store and pick it up before its gone for good.

Click here to shop all the retiring sets. Have a great day!

Envelope Scrapbook Class

Join me for this weeks class

Envelope Scrapbook Class

Thursday, April 19th, 6:30pm at Panera

Cost of class is only $10. This fun class will make a great mother day gift too. Please be sure to RSVP so I can have your space and supplies ready for you.

Retired List

Hundreds of stamps and accessories from the 2011-2012 catalogs are retiring, and this is your chance to get them before they're gone. Many products are only available while supplies last, so be sure to get your orders in early!

Click here to view a PDF version of the list

Or

Click here to go directly to my online store.

Happy Shopping!!!

More Retired goodies coming April 25th, be sure to check back with me then.......

Let's Ride

I have fallen pretty behind on the scrapbooking for the year. And is it just me, or is this year going really fast already!?! Anyhoo, I have made it priority to try and get a few pages done each day to catch up.

This page comes from Sammie's fourth birthday. In lieu of a party she wanted to ride horses. I found a great place where we could host a little party with her friends, but truth be told, she didn't want to share the horses. So it was just her and Ava, in a hour long private lesson. They loved it and by the end of the day they were leading the horses by themselves, doing figure eights through poles and even leading their horse up over bridges. We cant wait to go again.

Thanks for stopping by today. Have a great weekend.

Simple Birthday

 I don't think I have shared this card with you yet. I came across it the other day again and I just love it. This card was given to Sam by our cousin, Lorraine (and family. Of course.) It is so bright and fun yet still clean and simple. Perfect.

Those small details work great too. Love those mini brads, love the tiny detail flower. Love it all. Really, really great job Lorraine. Sammie loved it too!

Happy Birthday, Nina

 Today is my wonderful mother-in-law's birthday. Happy birthday, Nina. This card is on its way to you. I hope you receive it on time. I will try to give you a call later today an I hope we get to see you soon!

This is a clean and simple card. I used those fabulous flower cuts I cant get enough of and a polka dot in color brad. I also added in one of my new favorite stamp sets to the background, Everyday Elenore. I have been getting my monies worth on that set lately. I know, I haven't been showing you but its for my MIL's upcoming wedding. I have been creating like crazy but I cant show you any sneak peeks just yet. Stay tuned it will be here shortly.

Anyhoo, Happy Birthday again to Nina. We hope you have a wonderful day!

Summer Smooches Decor Stencil

What do you think about stencils? On cards? Kinda fun, right?? I think so. It sorta feels like a throw-back to my childhood days (many, many moons ago.......) When I saw the new stencil in the Summer Smooches Suite, I knew I had to have it. Aren't those flowers pretty?

I have seen some really great cards using it too. I love the soft water-colorish look it gives. Looks sort of air-brushed, maybe? Different. I like that.

When you purchase your Decor Stencil it comes with both the positive and the negative image so you can reverse this card too if you choose.

Click here to shop those great Summer Smooches items now and don't forget to grab that stencil found here.

Mini Card and Envelope Set

Back to our Summer Smooches, that I just cant get enough of. Here we made a fun little 3X3 mini note card and matching envelope. On this project the ladies sampled the DSP, Fabric Brads, Ribbon and the Diagonal Plate.

Making your own envelopes are great. One tip: Don't assemble your envelope while it is empty. Always place your finished card in the center on the envelope and wrap your envelope around it. That way you will create a pocket with enough space to side your card in and out.

That's it. Hope you have a wonderful day today.

Hybrid Summer Smooches

Morning Ladies! Hope you had a wonderful Easter. We did. I think I gained about 20 pounds in all the food we indulged in, the girls plays with those sweet cousins of hers, and I got to snuggle with our brand new (2 week old) new cousin. I couldn't be happier holding that little guy.

Today I wanted to show you another Summer Smoches Card the ladies got to make last week. This one comes from the digital downloads you can pick up, at a steal, as part of the new Summer Smooches suite.

Its is a quick card a a great way to introduce the ladies to MDS, if they don't already know about it. Before printing out the MDS card I changed to sentiment from "thanks" to "Smile." Not because I don't like thank you cards, but because I wanted to show them how even with the designer templates you can still change them up. That's the fun of MDS.

All the ladies had to do to complete their card was matte their print onto the card stock base, add a rhinestone and a bit on that new beautiful Daffodil Delight Seam Binding Ribbon.

That's it. Thanks for stopping by. See you back here tomorrow!

He Is Risen

He is Risen Indeed

Happy Easter to you and your family!

Happy Bunny Day!

Now before you check your calendars I will warn you: The Easter Bunny comes to our house on Saturday. Its so sweet of him to do that a little early for us. That way we can have a little bunny excitement and have Easter Sunday to focus on the true meaning of Easter. Its also Mommy and Daddy's attempt to not have to get up at the crack of dawn to squeeze everything in. Note: I said attempt! Yes, we have been up since 5:30 this morning with "Bunny Excitement." Thus the 3 MDS pages with this mornings pictures............
This first page is actually from yesterday. We took a little time to decorate a few eggs. I will be eating eggs now for the next few weeks! The girls love to decorate them and hate to eat them!

Next, we have our Magic Jelly Beans page. This was so much fun. Yesterday was yard work day and did you know if you plant a few Jelly Beans in your yard the night before Easter (or in our case, the night before Bunny Day) something special will grow over night?? Ava and Sam went nuts for this!!

And of course, The Hunt. This one really gets us up and running too early. Literally. The dog and cat were a little freaked out too. I guess all of us up at running around like crazy people so early makes them nervous. Like the pictures?? Notice how its still dark outside!?! Eshh.

Okay, I am gonna crawl my way back to the sofa and take and early morning nap while my sugared up kiddos run ragged in my house. Wish me luck.........

Summer Smooches Fun

Last night I had a great group of ladies join me to play with everything Summer Smooches! We played with everything! New DSP, New Fabric Brads, New Die, New Fabric, New Stencil, New Stamp Set, New Ribbon and the ladies even got to play with the New Diagonal Score Plate. They tried it all! Here is one of the cards the ladies made that featured our new fabric.

I love the idea of using fabric on a card. This layout sort of reminds me of a comfy ruffled pillow. I think this would make a great housewarming card, don't you think? Maybe change up the sentiment a bit.

Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow!

For Sammie

I received this card the other day, or I should say Sammie received it;) I thought it was adorable and I wanted to share it with you. She loved the card, Chan, and the gift too. Thank you so much!

This is such a princess card. So pretty. So girly. I love it. Now before you leave you need to hop on over the Chan's blog. She has great creations so check it out.

Two Rosie Cheeks.

Pentagon Treat Tubes

I am addicted to these little Pentagon Treat Tubes at the moment. I love them. Apparently they are all the rage and I didn't even know. I was first introduced to them when Nicole showed them as part of her super cool Imprints Meeting Demo. Since then, Easter has really snuck up on me and I had zero Easter inspiration and no clue what to make for goodies this year, so I came back to Nicole's project again.

Not only are they super simple to make, but they look cute too. I went a little Sweet Shop nuts on mine. I used just about everything from the product suite on these: DSP, Stickers, Brads, Bakers Twine.

When I googled this project to see how they are made I was amazed at how many samples came up. Adorable ones too. Where have I been?? Under a rock apparently. But in case you want to give them a try here are two fab tutorials I think you will love:

Pentagon Treat Tube Tutorial by Kim Score (via Splitcoast)

and

Birthday Treat Tube by Angie Juda (via Chic 'n Scratch)

Thanks again Nicole for the inspiration!