It's time for club!

Thursday is such an exciting day!  Not only do I get to spend time with some of my great customers, but it is also the first day of the Holiday Mini catalog!  Are you excited??!!   I'm excited to show off some of the new products that Stampin' Up! is featuring in this fun new catalog!

Aren't those score lines lovely?    How exciting is it that in just 2 days, you can order your very own Simply Scored and make this card!?!   Score lines can add so much detail to a card while allowing it to remain flat and easy to stick in the mail with a regular stamp.  I did some sponging and color spritzing on my card to give it a more vintage, distressed look; Nature Walk is such a perfect set to show off that style. 

Even though it is still over one hundred degrees every day here in Texas, I think it is time to get started on some ideas for fall and the holidays we have coming up.   I love this card by Connie Babbert and was inspired to make my own pumpkins and ghost.   CUTE!   My husband always comments that I gravitate towards "cute" Halloween things rather than scary ones, but I'm okay with that.  Who doesn't like cute?  :o)

Now for the hard one...  The card is not hard, but coming up with Christmas ideas while wiping sweat from my brow sure was!    If anyone has cooler weather, please send it this way.   Last night I was so excited to see 88 as a high for later this week but it was back up to 92 today.   *sigh*   Between the heat and water restrictions, I think this is the worst summer ever.  Anyway, back to Christmas.   This card shows off yet another new product from the Holiday Mini.  Who doesn't LOVE stockings?!  And did you see the mini jingle bell?   Love, love, LOVE it!   I'm not a big fan of gifts, but I love filling stockings and grabbing mine off the fireplace on Christmas morning to see what goodies Jason has picked out for me.   There's just something about sticking your hand down in there to see what is next!  

I hope my club ladies will enjoy making these projects this month.   I do have a few spots open in my clubs, so let me know if you are interested and would like more details.  

Hot & Lazy

Sorry for the lack of posts lately.  I've worked on some cards for my design team and then totally got caught up in a book!   I love my Nook, but it can steal away much of my stamping time.   :)   I started reading The Lincoln Lawyer and couldn't put it down last night.   I think the battery finally died around 1:30am, so I had to come scramble to find the charger so that it would be ready to go when I woke up this morning.   After DH left for work at about 6:45, I started reading again and finished it.   I needed a nap after that of course. :)

Here are some of my bag tag samples that I made up this week.  I thought I'd add in a few designs and see if that would help my sales a bit.   I also did a couple custom sports ones and really liked them as well.  

With the temperature predicted to be 107 degrees today, there is not much going on here.   The kitties are all enjoying some good naps and I'm working on some ideas for next week's club cards.   I think I'm going to search for another book to read and then relax until DH gets home from work.  We have The Lincoln Lawyer here at home to watch, so that will be our together time later tonight.  I can't WAIT to watch it and hope it is as good as the book!

Bandit is enjoying some Stampin' Up! time today, as is his sister, Bella.   (They love to flatten out the brown packing paper and then nap on it).

Bailey likes to show off her petite figure by laying in the window.   She's the only one who actually fits there without a lot of extra hanging over the side.  :)

Hope all you folks on the East coast are staying safe!   

Stamps for Sale

My room is getting a bit crowded, so I need to find a new home for some stamps.   I had no idea that I had so many!   Where did they all come from?!     If you see something you like, feel free to make me an offer.   I will ship the cheapest way possible unless you want priority mail of course.  :)    Email me if interested.

Really Rust ink pad:  New in Package $5
In Color Hostess Pack (2011) $12

$3 sets:
Little Hellos (used, sentiments mounted on the side)
Beyond the Basics gently used

$4 sets:
Polka Dot Punches (new, unmounted)
Love Ya Bunches (gently used)
Best Blossoms (excellent)
Itty Backgrounds (have 2 of these, some staining)
Merci (excellent)

$5 sets:
Friendship Blooms (new, unmounted)
Yummy (new, unmounted)
Too Terrific Tags (excellent)
Botanical Blooms (new, unmounted)
Tag Time (slight staining, some unused)
Birthday Whimsy (new, unmounted)
So Many Thanks (excellent)
For a Friend (excellent)
Lots of Thoughts (new, unmounted)

$6 sets:
Wellness Wishes (excellent)

$7 sets:
I Did It (excellent)
Punches Three (new, unmounted)
So Many Scallops (new, unmounted)

$8 sets:
Greetings Galore (very good)
Print Pattern Background (good, some staining)
Occasions Collection (excellent, only 4 are mounted)
Itty Bitty Buds (good, staining on one block)
Congats (new, unmounted)

$10 sets:
Afterthoughts (clear, new)
Silhouette Sentiments (clear, excellent, some unused)
So Many Sayings (excellent, only 1 mounted)
Forest Friends (excellent)
Trimtastic (very good)
From the Garden (new, unmounted)
Best Friends Alphabet Upper (good, most unused)

$12 sets:
Basket Full of Fun (excellent)
Because I Care (clear, excellent)

$15 sets:
Birthday Bakery (clear, new)
Sanded (excellent)

Owls!!!

While Jason and I were enjoying watching The Help and having dinner at Red Lobster yesterday, the UPS man dropped of a box of goodies for me!    I love the owl punch, but I also wanted to try my hand at the larger, funkier owls as well.   I figured I could use the pillow box die for some cute holiday treats as well, so I didn't feel too bad about ordering it for the owls.  :)    I also got the woodgrain background stamp to replace the Woodland Walk designer paper from the past catalog.    I made my big owl first, but then decided he needed a matching card.   Aren't they adorable?  I used retired paper to test it out because the first attempt usually doesn't turn out.   I think this one actually did though!  

Card:
Stamps:  Woodgrain background, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink:  Concord Crush
Paper: Hostess In Color stack (retired), Concord Crush, More Mustard, Whisper White
Tools:  Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch, 1 3/4 scallop circle punch, 1 3/8 circle punch, Owl builder punch

Owl Box:
Paper:  Hostess In Color stack (retired), Concord Crush, More Mustard, Whisper White, Basic Black
Tools:  Big Shot, Pillow Box die, 3/4 circle punch, 1 1/4 circle punch, Blossom Petals Builder Punch, retired heart punch
Accessories:  Basic Rhinestones

Monkeys for The Paper Players

I needed more cards for kids, so I decided to pull out one of my favorite sets, Fox & Friends, and use it with this week's sketch from The Paper Players.   I added in a few things from my recent order and I think the old and new really worked great together on this card.   The Stripes embossing folder is great for just about any type of card and look at that super fun sentiment!  Isn't that the coolest font?  I love it!   

I also added in a special element, the number.   What's so special about a number you ask?   Well, that number symbolizes what I love about Stampin' Up! and being a demonstrator.    As some of you know, I was on the Creative Crew design team on Splitcoast Stampers during much of the summer.   I had the honor of working with some great ladies, but one of them became so much more.   Kathy from Stamping Still is now one of my great friends and I enjoy our emails so much.   She's all the way over in Australia, but that doesn't matter thanks to technology.   She has created some adorable cards that have the addition of numbers on them and I had once commented that I loved that special touch.   Unfortunately, I didn't have the dies needed to do that on my cards.   Well, one day I open my mailbox and guess what was in there?   A whole bag of numbers that she had cut for me and one of her beautiful cards!   I cried of course.   :)   That's why I love being a demonstrator.  It's not just about selling stamping supplies, it's all about the bonds of friendship.  

Now before I leave you, I'll share a picture from last night.   Someone totally took over my spot on the couch.     :)   He's such a silly boy!

Cupcakes & Cards class

Just a few highlights from my class today:

My Shirley Temple cupcakes.  I am not a cake decorator, but I think they turned out pretty cute.  :)   

Rebecca & Cindy with their awesome cards.   

If that looks fun, you should come to my next class!   Even better, I have a new stamper's group starting up on September 16th!    I still have a couple of spots open, so if you are interested, contact me today for all the details!    It's a great way to build up your supplies, plus you get the opportunity to earn hostess benefits!   

Cupcakes & Cards class

Tomorrow I'll be hosting a fun day out for some lovely ladies.   We'll be making 4 cards, including this one, and snacking on some cupcakes.  I'm making these yummy looking Shirley Temple Cupcakes with a matching drink!   :)    I'll post more pictures after I get my baking finished.  (Just don't expect them to look like the website; I am NOT a cake decorator.  I failed miserably at the one Wilton class that I took!)

And seriously, I'm going to CRY on September 1st when I can't use this set for classes!   I LOVE it so much!

Stamps:  Word Play, The Open Sea
Ink:  Not Quite Navy, Riding Hood Red
Paper:  Whisper White, Not Quite Navy, Riding Hood Red, Nautical Expedition designer paper
Accessories: Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine
Tools:  Cutter Kit, sponges, 3/4 inch circle punch

Tutorial Time :)

During Convention, my awesome roommate, Jackie Topa, challenged me to work up a tutorial to add to my blog.   So...here it is!   Button Buddies is my favorite new stamp set, so I focused on it and the Brights collection.   The cards are designed to use for a stamp-a-stack or as a class.  Or if you just like the set, get it and make the cards for yourself!    The ink pads and markers are unique for each card so that you can easily set up stations.    All the measurements and directions are included.   But wait!  There's more!  Each of these cards also has a stepped up version and the measurements and instructions are included for those as well!   It's almost like getting two tutorials for the price of one.  :)  

So for $7.50 you get:
A picture of each card, both the simple and stepped up versions.
Measurements for each card.
A supply list for each card.

No materials are provided, just directions.  Please see my Stampin' Up! website to order.  :)

The .pdf will be sent out within 24 hours of purchase.   See my sidebar to get going!

Now that I'm finished, I can go stamp for fun!  This has been quite a bit of work.  :)