Handstamped from the Heart

There's a blog tour coming!!!

2012-01-31T17:20:00.000-05:00

This post is sticky at the top until January 31st. Come back on February 1st to take part in the SUDSOL blog tour. You won't be disappointed!

While I was away...

2012-01-31T05:15:00.001-05:00

...it seems my blog hit over 50,000 views! Now...this may not mean much to awesome stampers like Patty Bennett, who likely has well over 1,000,000 hits, but in MY little Stampin' UP! world 50,000 hits is a pretty big deal!

And a pretty big deal means BLOG CANDY!!!!

How about this?

We received this set for FREE at Leadership! Stampin' UP! sure knows how to spoil us. Since I already own it, I'd like to give YOU the one I received at Leadership!

Just leave me a comment and let me know what YOUR favourite Sale-A-Bration item is (there is no wrong answer) and at the end of the month (January 31st, 2012), I'll have random.org select a number. If the number matches YOUR post, you win! Only ONE post per person please. Duplicate entries will be disqualified.

Oh...and I FINALLY got to meet Patty Bennett:

Pretty much the highlight of my trip...

Happy Stampin'!

Delightfully Digital

2012-01-27T08:25:00.003-05:00

Here's another quick layout from Leadership:

This was SUCH a quick and easy page! And that's one of the things I just LOVE about MDS. There are ready made pages and all you have to do is drop in the photos! It couldn't be easier!

After picking up our bags, we ran into Dale Hampshire, Manager of Stampin' UP! Canada. He is such a fun loving guy!!! He asked us "What's your angle?" meaning what works for YOU in your Stampin' UP! business. It was all part of the "MY WAY" theme at Leadership this year. We came up with SIN with Stampin' UP! I'll let you think on that one - LOL!

Of course, I had to include the picture of Patty Bennett and I in the layout. She is, after all, a new found friend!

What do you think?

Have you Sale-a-Brated yet?

2012-01-25T10:25:00.003-05:00

This is my SECOND post today, so PLEASE scroll down to see what I've been creating!

It's that time of year again where every $60 purchase earns YOU free goodies! If you place an online order, even the CLEARANCE RACK items count toward your $60 total! And, if you spend $200 you get 3 free Sale-a-Bration goodies as WELL as Hostess Benefits on your order. You really can't go wrong!

As many of you know, I attended Stampin' UP!'s annual Leadership conference in San Antonio, TX. The weather was FANTASTIC! There is nothing like great weather, 1400 like minded women and changes at Stampin' UP! to get you re-energized!

Stampin' UP! announced a re-alignment of the catalogue year beginning with this year. The BIG Idea Book and Catalogue will expire this year on MAY 31st rather that June 30th. That means a whole new catalogue will be available on June 1st! Now you'll be able to shop BEFORE you go away to the cottage for the summer and take all your goodies WITH you rather than waiting till you get back!

There will also only be TWO seasonal catalogues rather than three mini catalogues. The Holiday catalogue will be in effect from August to December (that's FIVE months instead of four!) and the Spring Catalogue will be in effect from January through to May (another FIVE months!).

I can't WAIT for all these changes to take place! I think it'll mean a LOT of good things both for demonstrators and their customers.

Speaking of which...this is a GREAT time to join my team and become a Stampin' UP! demonstrator! You can join for just $150 instead of the regular $215 and STILL get over $400 worth of stamping goodies delivered RIGHT TO YOUR DOOR (with NO tax and NO shipping!). And it doesn't matter if you're reading this in Red Deer or Little Heart's Ease, I support my team across the country!

Let me know if you have ANY questions at all! I'd love to have you as a customer, hostess or demonstrator, ESPECIALLY during Sale-a-Bration!

Happy Stampin'!

Everything Eleanor for the Stampin' Queens!

2012-01-25T02:30:00.002-05:00

Oh dear! I'm a little late to the game today! Cristena, THE Stampin' Queen, usually likes our posts to be up by about 2 a.m. so she can link us all up - OOPS!!! Hope she doesn't throw me off the team - LOL!

For today's card, I used a BRAND NEW set that I received at Leadership last week. This set has already made an appearance in the UK catalogue, but now it's coming to Canada (and the US too!) and I couldn't be happier! It's SO elegant! From the moment I saw it, I hoped we would get it on this side of the pond - WOOHOO!!

I opted for a simple card based on the sketch and used Sahara Sand, Soft Suede and Rich Razzleberry. I just LOVE the giant swirl in the set!

I first stamped the Sahara Sand "background" stamp and cut it out. Then I stamped the flower and cut it out too. As I was laying out the card, it looked a little "naked" so I decided to stamp the swirls - one at the top, one at the bottom.

I adhered everything to my Whisper White base using Snail and Stampin' Dimensionals (of course!). I haven't added a sentiment yet, because I decided it could be an "anything" card. This means that when I NEED a card, I can add an appropriate sentiment.

Here's the sketch on which the card was based:

What do you think?

STAMPS: Everything Eleanor

INK: Sahara Sand, Rich Razzleberry

PAPERS: Whisper White and Soft Suede Cardstock

ACCESSORIES: Stampin' Dimensionals, Basic Pearls (they're tiny, but they're there!)

Happy Stampin'!

Sneak Peek at the Stampin' Queens!

2012-01-24T12:50:00.000-05:00

It's Tuesday and (better late than never!) that means it's sneak peek day for the Stampin' Queens!

It's ALSO the first day of Sale-a-Bration, so if you've been holding on to an order just waiting to hit "send", today is the day! You'll get a FREE Sale-a-Bration item of YOUR choice from the Sale-a-Bration brochure for every $60 you spend!

The set I used for my Stampin' Queens card is a BRAND NEW SET that will be available in the new Idea Book and Catalogue beginning on JUNE 1st, 2012. Yes, you read that right! All the details of the catalogue changes and my trip to San Antonio for Leadership will be available in my newest newsletter (coming out the at the beginning of February), so if you're not a subscriber yet, now is the time to do it.

My card features Rich Razzleberry, Soft Suede and Sahara Sand. Be sure to come back tomorrow for the FULL reveal!

Happy Stampin'!

Sale-a-Brate by joining the Canadian Blossoms!

2012-01-23T10:00:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow is the VERY first day of Sale-a-Bration! Are you ready? I'm sure some of my customers are ready with their lists and just DYING to hit send on their online orders! Just a few more hours and you too can get your hands on the fun stuff.

Today's card is my Canadian Blossoms Team Card of the Month for February. Why am I showing it to you when it is normally reserved for JUST my team members? I wanted YOU to see it so you have an idea of what you'll be getting when you join my team.

When Sale-a-Bration starts tomorrow, you'll be able to join my team for just $150! You'll get EVERYTHING in the standard kit (it's NOT a smaller kit to match the reduced price). Also, if you join in January, you'll receive a FREE pack of Designer Series Paper or a FREE My Digital Studio Download in EACH month you place an order for the remainder of 2012. Free papers/downloads do NOT carry over, so you'll need to place an order each month to receive your goodies! Just so you know, the paper ALONE is valued at almost $150, so it's a GREAT deal. Actually, if you join ANY time during Sale-a-Bration you'll get that free pack of paper/free download for the remainder of 2012. Of course to get the MOST out of the deal, you'll WANT to join in January. :)

You'll ALSO get my Team Card of the Month...EVERY month during which you're active. That doesn't mean you need to place an order in every month, it just means you need to maintain your quarterly minimums, which will renew your Stampin' UP! demonstrator benefits for another three months. Make sense? If you're confused, PLEASE contact me so I can answer any questions you might have.

Want to see the card?

I created it using the Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper which will be available tomorrow for FREE with any qualifying $60 purchase. The tiny piece of 1/8" Organdy Ribbon is part of an embellishment pack which is ALSO available with any qualifying $60 purchase. If you want them both, you'll need to spend $120. The stamped image is from Take it To Heart, which is available RIGHT NOW in the Occasions Mini.

If you purchased the products I used to make this card, you would spend $124. Now, I KNOW that seems expensive for one card, but think about it. You would have enough product left over to make close to 75 cards when you were done with this one. AND you'd get the FREE Designer Series Paper and FREE Ribbon/Brad pack. That's only about $1.65 per card. Bet you can't get that at those big card stores. And it certainly wouldn't be from YOUR heart if you bought it at a store.

Joining my team is SO easy! All you have to do is click here and you can be done in a matter of MINUTES! Your goodies will wing their way to you and you won't pay ANY SHIPPING or ANY TAX on your starter kit! I'll get a notice as SOON as you join, so if you decide to do it before February 1st, I'll be sure to have a card ready to go out to YOU on that date!

Happy Stampin'!

A quick peek at Leadership!

2012-01-22T11:45:00.009-05:00

I'm sitting in the San Antonio airport (been here for 4 hours, got another 2 or so to go) and I decided that since I couldn't really STAMP anything (I have some materials, but no Whisper White or Very Vanilla on which to put ink to paper), I would play with My Digital Studio. Here's a little sneak peek of what we did while we were at Stampin' UP!'s annual Leadership Conference:

What do you think? The GREAT thing about My Digital Studio is that "old" products never retire. So, the Travel Log set which is no longer available in the Idea Book and Catalogue is STILL available in My Digital Studio. Did you LOVE Pixie Pink or Green Galore? You can still use them and even print them with My Digital Studio!

Have you TRIED My Digital Studio? If not, I have GREAT news for you! Beginning February 1st, you'll be able to download a 30 day FREE trial from Stampin' UP! Get your feet wet, dabble a little and give it a shot. You truly have NOTHING to lose!!

Happy MDSin'!

Edgelits!

2012-01-22T09:35:00.003-05:00

I'm sitting in Houston waiting for my flight home to Toronto. In a few minutes, I think I'll work on some MDS highlights of Leadership, but for now, please enjoy this video filled with tips to make YOUR very first use of the new Edgelits a success!

Happy Stampin'!

OOPS! What's the opposite...

2012-01-17T07:10:00.001-05:00

...of a day late and a dollar short? 'Cause...ummm...if you scroll down, today's OTHER post wasn't supposed to show up till tomorrow - OOPS!!!

Well...lucky you! You get to see the Stampin' Queens Sketch a whole day early and THAT means you have a WHOLE other day to create!

Ready? Set? GO!!!

I'll report in when I LAND in San Antonio later today.

Happy Stampin'!

Bordering on Romance for the Stampin' Queens!

2012-01-17T02:30:00.003-05:00

I'm in San Antonio - WOOT! - and scheduled this post to appear this morning. If the weather reports from last week are accurate, I'll be wearing CAPRIS and shades today!!!

It's the first day of leadership and today we're scheduled for Make and Takes at 2 p.m. This morning will be spent picking up our bags (I'll try and post a pic later!) and doing general swapping. I can't wait!!!

Anyway...since I'm actually posting this before I even GET to San Antonio, I guess I should just get on with the card, eh?

I started off with the idea that I wanted to use one of the new Framelits dies for my focal image and then went from there. Still in LOVE with Twitterpated, so I HAD to use some more of that paper. I chose a piece featuring Basic Grey because I had already coloured my image using Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink and Melon Mambo. The pink/red colours in the paper pack are actually Blushing Bride and Riding Hood Red.

Here's my colour combo:

Source: photocardboutique.com via Christyne on Pinterest

Don't you just LOVE it! So bright and cheery! Just like me in the San Antonio sun...sorry...sidetracked again!

Today's card is based on this sketch:

I chose not to add the ribbons for a clean and simple look.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Bordering on Romance
INK: Staz-ON
PAPERS: Pink Pirouette and Melon Mambo Cardstock; Twitterpated DSP; Watercolour Paper
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot Baby!, Framelits, Watercolour Crayons, Aqua Painters, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Thoughts of You - Twitterpated

2012-01-14T17:30:00.003-05:00

It's no surprise that I just love, love, LOVE the Twitterpated Collection from the new Occasions Mini, so when I saw this card on the Stampin' UP! site, I just knew I had to share it with you!

It uses both the Bordering on Romance and Thoughts of You stamp sets. Of course, it also uses Twitterpated Designer Series Paper.

Here are all the details:

Stamps
• Bordering on Romance
• Loving Thoughts

Paper
• Blushing Bride Card Stock
• Riding Hood Red Card Stock
• Sahara Sand Card Stock
• Whisper White Card Stock
• Twitterpated Designer Series Paper

Ink
• Riding Hood Red Classic Stampin’ Pad®
• VersaMark® Pad

Accessories
• Baja Breeze 3/8" Pleated Satin Ribbon
• Linen Thread
• Twitterpated Designer Buttons
• White Stampin’ Emboss® Powder
• Stampin’ Dimensionals®
• 3/16" Corner Punch
• Mat Pack
• Paper-Piercing Tool
• Big Shot™
• Heart Collection Framelits Die

Hope you like it too!!

Happy Stampin'!

Delightfully Digital!

2012-01-13T05:45:00.022-05:00

Stampin' UP! never ceases to amaze me with it's digital downloads! Another new batch was released this week and Twitterpated (my absolute FAVOURITE paper from the Occasions Mini!) was among them!

Of course, Stampin' UP! went one BETTER and included a BUNCH of other fun elements to go with the paper.

This download includes:

16-piece stamp brush set
15 Designer Series Paper patterns
12 buttons
4 ribbons
one-page 12" x 12" designer template

And features:

Traditional Twitterpated Designer Fabric patterns as well as digital Designer Series Paper patterns.

The thing I like BEST about My Digital Studio downloads is that you don't have to wait for the UPS man to deliver them. You go to my store, you make your choices, you check out and you download your selections. Then, you get to play! RIGHT AWAY!! Nothing could be easier!

What will YOU create today??

Packed for Mom - Freshly Made

2012-01-12T08:35:00.001-05:00

When I first saw these sets in the Occasions Mini, my first reaction was, "Meh...I don't need those." But I participated in a book-a-thon in October and December and all the participants got all kind of goodies JUST for participating! Those who booked workshops (like me!) got even MORE awesome stuff and the Packed for Mom stamp was among the goodness!

So...my mom's birthday is on March 11th. I'm PRETTY sure she doesn't read my blog, so I think I'm safe in posting this. If she sees it, it just gives me an excuse to stamp again, doesn't it? LOL!

I started off using the Freshly Made Sketch for this week:

but I wanted to something just a little different, so I went round:

I started off with a Real Red base and ran two 1/2 sheets through my Big Shot at the same time using the Scallop Circle Die. I added a piece of First Edition Designer Series Paper as a layer under the strips of Real Red.

The image panel was stamped on Very Vanilla using Basic Black Ink. I stamped the purse a second time and cut it out, coloured it and adhered it with Stampin' Dimensionals.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Packed for Mom
INK: Basic Black
PAPERS: Real Red and Very Vanilla Cardstock; First Edition DSP
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot Baby!, Scallop Circle Die, Stampin' Write Marker, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

I did it myyyyyyyyyyyy wayyyyyyyyy!

2012-01-11T02:30:00.010-05:00

Who knows that song? Am I dating myself? OOPS!

The theme for Leadership this year (as I may have mentioned) is "MY WAY". You may remember from this post that I received my Leadership name tag. etc late last week and you may remember from this post, that I found a way to pretty up my iPhone case.

Today's post is a combination of BOTH those things!! And it's the Stampin' Queens sketch with QUITE a few liberties taken. Hey...I never said I was a conformist!

Here's my new decorated iPhone ready for Leadership:

I used my Sweet Shoppe Alphabet sets to stamp the "My Way" in Tangerine Tango on Whisper White and then matted it on Real Red and punched a notch using the square punch. A little strip of Tangerine Tango was added under the banner before adhering it all to a piece of Tempting Turquoise. I just LOVE bright and cheery!!

And here's the Stampin' Queens Sketch on which it was based:

What do you think?

STAMPS: Sweet Shoppe Alphabet
INK: Tangerine Tango
PAPERS: Whisper White, Tangerine Tango, Real Red, Tempting Turquoise
ACCESSORIES: Punches

Happy Stampin'!

Thanks so much!

2012-01-10T11:25:00.001-05:00

THANKS SO MUCH CARD

Saying thank you has never been so easy! The Simply Set kit makes it easier than ever to say thank you. The cards are pre-cut/pre-scored. All you have to do is add stamps and ink and you're ready to go!

Stamps
• Everyday Wishes Set

Paper
• Baja Breeze Card Stock
• Simply Sent® Everyday Elegance

Ink
• Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin‘ Pad®

Accessories
• Baja Breeze 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon
• Stampin‘ Dimensionals®
• Decorative Label Punch
*During Sale-a-Bration, get this set of cards FREE when spend $60!

Bring on the Cake - CASE

2012-01-09T05:45:00.004-05:00

Remember this post? I just love that Stampin' UP! provides us with so many wonderful ideas. Sometimes the MOJO just isn't flowin' and it's good to know that as demonstrators we have a place to turn!!

This is my version of the card:

It's pretty much the same...though I think one of the flower buttons might be different. We made this during my birthday card/calendar class on Saturday and everyone LOVED it!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Bring on the Cake
INK: Staz-On
PAPERS: Whisper White, Rose Red and Pool Party Cardstock; Wild Wasabi DSP
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot!!, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Scallop Punch, Baker's Twine, Stampin' Write Markers, Subtles Buttons

Happy Stampin'!

Leadership Colours!

2012-01-08T05:30:00.026-05:00

So this past Friday, I FINALLY received my Leadership package in the mail. It had my bag voucher, my name tag and my Senior Consultant "banner" that goes under my name tag. I am SO excited!

The really funny thing was that I had made a card BEFORE I got the package and the colours of my card and those of the Leadership goodies MATCH!!! How fun is that? I REALLY hope that means the colours of the voucher/name tags will match the colours of the bag we get. If that is the case, we are in for a BRIGHT time! See what I mean:

This is the card my class attendees completed at Saturday's Calendar and Cards Class. And we had SO. MUCH. FUN. It's too bad YOU couldn't be there! You should definitely come to my next class though! It's featuring Easy Events and we'll be making eight bright and cheery cards using some fun colours. You won't want to miss it!

In addition to five cards, the attendees also completed a Perpetual Birthday Calendar, where they stamped each of the months in a month specific "theme". Here is August:

We used Up, Up and Away for this one. It seemed like a perfect set for the month!

If YOU would like a calendar, I still have a few available, though they are UNSTAMPED. They are just $8 plus shipping to you. If you would like it stamped for you, the cost will be $15 + shipping to you.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Pennant Parade and Grunge Rock (Card); Up, Up and Away (Calendar)
INKS: Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Tangerine Tango
PAPERS: Whisper White, Real Red, Tangerine Tango, Tempting Turquoise
ACCESSORIES: Punches, Bakers Twine, Stampin' Dimensionals, Glue Dots

Happy Stampin'!

Can you just IMAGINE?

2012-01-07T05:15:00.000-05:00

A FULL day of scrapping/stamping? No kids? No husbands? What would YOU pay for that kind of luxury?

Then you'll want to join Caroline and I at Crop and Create Markham!

We'll be there as Stampin' UP! representatives and we'll have LOTS of fun product that you can purchase right there on the spot! I'll have my class schedule printed up for the next few months, so you can collect that too and join me for classes of your choice in Mississauga.

When you register for the event, please let the organizers know you found the information on my blog. Thanks! Looking forward to seeing you there!

Delightfully Digital!

2012-01-06T05:00:00.001-05:00

Are you a scrapbooker? I used to be...but then card-making came into my life and scrapbooking fell by the wayside. I find creating cards so much more satisfying...mostly because they work up a WHOLE lot more quickly than scrapbook pages. And, in my house I can't leave a scrapbook page out since I work on our dining room table. Cards are a whole lot easier to whip up and then put away the bits and pieces.

Of course, LOVING card making does nothing to assuage the guilt of not scrapbooking my childrens lives. Enter the digital age!!

This year at Christmas, we took video, not pictures. I'm not sure if I can convert any of it to stills, but we'll see. If YOU took pictures, this kit is JUST the ticket!

This download includes:

* 12 Designer Series Paper patterns
* 21 embellishments
* One-page 8" x 8" designer template

You can see the page template in the bottom right hand corner. It's a great way to jumpstart your 2011 Christmas album.

Want to add to your digital collection? Just click here to see all the newest downloads! Stampin' UP! released new digital downloads on every Tuesday of 2011 and I hope they continue the trend in 2012!

Have a Delightfully Digital Day!

Time's UP!!!

2012-01-05T07:15:00.000-05:00

Today is the LAST day for the CLEARANCE RACK BLITZ. Now, this doesn't mean that the clearance rack will be going away altogether, it just means that some of the AWESOME deals will be over.

So, if there's something you've been thinking about, now's the time to go shopping!

And while you're there, don't forget that the Occasions Mini launched yesterday.

Just click on the "go shopping" image in my left hand sidebar and you're on your way!

Happy Stampin'!

Flower Fancy for the Stampin' Queens

2012-01-04T02:25:00.011-05:00

Happy Wednesday my friends and Happy Hump Day! If you work outside the home, you're on the downside of the week. Friday will be here before you know it!

As for me, I'm counting down the minutes till the kids are back in school! With Christmas falling as it did this year, the kids didn't have their last day of school before the break till December 23rd. That means they don't go back till January 9th!! I KNOW that it's still the standard two week break, but it just seems to be dragging on FOREVER! Thank goodness I have my stamps to keep me sane! :)

Today's card features Flower Fancy, one of my favourite two-step stamping sets:

I started off by using Melon Mambo and Garden Green markers and the direct to rubber technique to stamp the outline of the image. Then I reached for my Wild Wasabi and Pretty in Pink markers to stamp the "middles". I didn't use my Stamp-a-majig (though if you're coming to class on Saturday, I'll have it with me) and my stamping was a teeny bit off, but I'm OK with that. It's one of the things I LOVE about two-step stamping. It doesn't HAVE to be perfect.

I added some colour to the edges of the Whisper White panels to soften them and then added a sentiment along the bottom of the image panel using a stamp from Bring on the Cake.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Flower Fancy and Bring on the Cake
INK: Garden Green, Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, Wild Wasabi
PAPERS: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink and Melon Mambo Cardstock
ACCESSORIES: Punch

Happy Stampin'!

A peek at the Stampin' Queens

2012-01-03T05:15:00.011-05:00

How has your new year been so far? Have you found some creating time? I have a class this coming Saturday and this is one of the cards we'll be creating. Want to join me? Click on the classes tab to check out the description - there's still a few spots left. :)

The card is also this week's card for the Stampin' Queens Sketch Challenge. Here's your sneak peek:

It's pretty simple but simple is a GOOD way to start off the New Year! I'm hoping to simplify this year...let's see how that goes!

I do hope you'll come back tomorrow for the full reveal!

Oh...and P.S. Today is the LAST day for Holiday Mini orders! You can order from my online store here. There's still LOTS of fun things to make you stamp happy in the Clearance Rack too.

See you tomorrow!

Only a couple days left!

2012-01-02T05:30:00.001-05:00

The Holiday Mini sales period is almost over! Did you get YOUR stocking punch yet? In an odd twist, Stampin' UP! has decided that the stocking punch will NOT be available for sale once the Holiday Mini ends. You have until January 3rd to get yours.

The good news is that some of the fun things from the Holiday Mini WILL be carrying over!

Seeing the Dazzling Details totally made my day! I'm not much of a glitter person, mostly because it's SO messy! But I love the Dazzling Details because I can add glitter and not have any mess. It's a win-win!

The Occasions Mini starts on January 4th - prepare to be amazed!!!! If you don't have a copy of the Occasions Mini yet, I'll be ordering some soon! Let me know and I'll put one in the mail for you (Canadian addresses only).

Happy Stampin'!

Let's Get This Party Started!!!

2012-01-01T12:55:00.001-05:00

January 2012 Reasons to Stamp

MONTH-LONG OBSERVANCES

Apple and Apricots Month

Artichoke and Asparagus Month

Bath Safety Month

Be Kind to Food Servers Month

Book Blitz Month

California Dried Plum Digestive Month

Carnival Season

Celebration of Life Month

Eye Care Month

Family Fit Lifestyle Month

Financial Wellness Month

International Change your Stars Month

International Creativity Month

International New Year’s Resolution Month for Businesses

International Quality of Life Month

International Wayfinding Month

International Wealth Mentality Month

National Be on Purpose Month

National Bird Feeding Month

National Birth Defects Prevention Month

National Blood Donor Month

National Braille Literacy Month

National Cervical Cancer Screening Month

National Clean Up Your Computer Month

National Get Organized Month

National Glaucoma Awareness Month

National Hobby Month

National Hot Tea Month

National Mail Order Gardening Month

National Mentoring Month

National Oatmeal Month

National Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month

National Polka Month

National Poverty in America Awareness Month

National Radon Action Month

National Skating Month

National Soup Month

National Stalking Awareness Month

National Staying Healthy Month

National Thank You Month

National Thyroid Awareness Month

National Volunteer Blood Donor Month

Rising Star Month

Self-Health Group Awareness Month

Self Love Month

Shape Up US Month

Tubers and Dried Fruit Month

WEEK-LONG OBSERVANCES

First Week

Celebration of Life Week

Diet Resolution Week

National Folic Acid Awareness Week

National Lose Weight/Feel Great Week

New Year’s Resolution Week

Silent Record Week

Someday We’ll Laugh About This Week

Women’s Self-Empowerment Week

Second Week

Cuckoo Dancing Week

Elvis Presley Week

Home Office Safety and Security Week

International Snowmobile Safety and Awareness Week

Kid Film Week

Law Enforcement Training Week

National Soccer Coaches Week

National Thank Your Customers Week

National Vocation Awareness Week

School Crossing Guard Week

Universal Letter Writing Week

Third Week

Bald Eagle Appreciation Days

Christian Unity Week

Healthy Weight Week

Hunt for Happiness Week

International Printing Week

National Book Week

National Fresh Squeezed Juice Week

National No Tillage Week

Slam Dance Week

Special Education Week

Fourth Week

Clean Out Your Inbox Week

Health Awareness Week

Junior Achievement Week

Kid Film Festival

National Activity Professionals Week

National Cowboy Poetry Gathering Week

National Handwriting Analysis Week

National Medical Practice Week

National Nuclear Science Week

National Nurse Anesthetists Week

National Take Back Your Time Week

No Name Calling Week

Women in Blue Jeans Week

World Leprosy Week

Fifth Week

Catholic Schools Week

Intimate Apparel Week

Meat Week

January 1st

Betsy Ross's Birthday (1752)

Bonza Bottler Day (1/1)

Ellis Island Aniversary (opened in 1892)

Emancipation Proclamation Anniversary (1863)

Euro Day

First Foot Day

Global Family Day

J.D. Salinger's Birthday (1919)

J. Edgar Hoover’s Birthday (1895)

Kid Inventors Day

Le Jour de l'An – French New Year

Mummer’s Parade

New Year’s Day

Paul Revere's Birthday (1735)

Polar Bear Plunge

Saint Basil’s Day

Z Day

January 2nd

Boo Boo Bear's Birthday (Yogi's little buddy)

Drinking Straw Patented in 1888

55 MPH Speed Limit Day

Happy Mew Year for Cats Day

National Buffet Day

National Motivation and Inspiration Day

National Personal Trainer Awareness Day

Rose Bowl GO BADGERS!!!!

Run Up The Flagpole, See if Anyone Salutes Day

Science Fiction Day

Thank God It's Monday Day

Tournament of Roses Parade

January 3rd

Drinking Straw Day

Festival Of Sleep Day

Humiliation Day

J.R.R. Tolkien's Birthday (1892)

National Chocolate-Covered Cherry Day

Victor Borge's Birthday (1909)

World Braille Day

January 4th

Dimpled Chad Day

Elizabeth Ann Seton's Birthday (1774)

Humiliation Day

Isaac Newton's Birthday

Jakob Grimm's Birthday (1785)

Louis Braille's Birthday (1809)

Michael Stipe's Birthday (1960)

Phyllis Naylor's Birthday (1933)

Pop Music Chart Day

Spaghetti Day

Sterling Holloway's Birthday (1905)

Tom Thumb Day

Trivia Day

World Hypnosis Day

January 5th

Bean Day

Jill Stuart’s Birthday (1965)

National Bird Day

Robert Duvall’s Birthday (1931)

January 6th

Armenian Christmas

Carl Sandburg's Birthday (1878)

Cuddle Up Day

Epiphany or 12th Night

Joan of Arc's Birthday (1412)

National Tempura Day

Rowan Atkinson's Birthday (1955)

Sherlock Holmes' Birthday (1854)

Three Kings Day

January 7th

Argyle Day

Earth Rotation Day

Harlem Globetrotter's Day

I’m Not Going to Take it Anymore Day

International Programmers Day

Kenny Loggins' Birthday (1948)

Old Rock Day

Orthodox Christmas

January 8th

Bubble Bath Day

Carolina Herrera’s Birthday (1939)

David Bowie's Birthday (1947)

Elvis Presley's Birthday (1935)

Fruitcake Toss Day

Learn to Ski Day

Male Watcher’s Day

Midwife's Day

National English Toffee Day

National Joy Germ Day

Rock N Roll Day

Show and Tell at Work Day

January 9th

Balloon Ascension Day

Dave Matthews’ Birthday (1967)

Kate Middleton’s Birthday (1982)

National Apricot Day

National Clean Off Your Desk Day

National Static Electricity Day

Play God Day

Positively Penguins Day

Stepfather’s Day

Stephen Foster Day

January 10th

First Meeting of United Nations (London-1946)

Jim Croce's Birthday (1943)

National Cut Your Energy Costs Day

Peculiar People Day

United Nations Day

Where’s the Beef Day

January 11th

Alexander Hamilton’s Birthday (1755)

Cigarettes are Hazardous to Your Health Day

Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friends Day

January 12th

Charles Perrault’s Birthday (1628)

Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day

Jack London's Birthday (1876)

John Singer Sargent’s Birthday (1856)

John Winthrop’s Birthday (1588)

National Pharmacist Day

Rush Limbaugh's Birthday (1951)

Secret Pal Day

Work Harder Day

January 13th

Blame Someone Else Day

Friday the 13th

International Skeptics Day

Julia Louis-Dreyfuss' Birthday (1961)

Make Your Dreams Come True Day

Michael Bond's Birthday (1926)

Poetry Break Day

Public Radio Broadcasting Day

Rubber Duckie Day

January 14th

Albert Schweitzer's Birthday (1875)

Caesarean Section Day

Coming-of-Age Day (Japan)

Miss America Pageant

National Dress Up Your Pet Day

Nina Ricci’s Birthday (1883)

Organize Your Home Day

Ratification Day

January 15th

Bald Eagle Appreciation Day

First Super Bowl 1967-won by Green Bay Packers

Get to Know Your Customers Day

Humanitarian Day

Margaret O' Brien's Birthday (1937)

National Hat Day

Religious Freedom Day

Women in Blue Jeans Day

January 16th

Appreciate a Dragon Day

Hot and Spicy Food Day

Martin Luther King Day

National Nothing Day

Sade's Birthday (1959)

World Religion Day

January 17th

Anne Bronte’s Birthday (1820)

Anton Chekov’s Birthday (1860)

Benjamin Franklin's Birthday (1706)

Betty White’s Birthday (1922)

Blessing of the Animals at the Cathedral Day

Cable Car Day

Customer Service Day

Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day

Hot Heads Chili Days

Judgment Day

Rid the World of Fad Diets and Gimmicks Day

Shari Lewis' Birthday (1934)

Vidal Sassoon's Birthday (1928)

January 18th

Cary Grant’s Birthday (1904)

Daniel Webster’s Birthday (1782)

Do Dah Parade Day

Jane Horrocks’ Birthday (1964)

National Sanctity of Human Life Day

Peter Roget's Birthday (1779)

Thesaurus Day

Winnie the Pooh Day – A.A. Milne's Birthday (1882)

January 19th

Edgar Allan Poe’s Birthday (1809)

Get to Know Your Customers Day

National Popcorn Day

Paul Cezanne’s Birthday (1839)

Paula Deen’s Birthday (1947)

Robert Palmer’s Birthday (1949)

Thomas Kinkade’s Birthday (1958)

Tin Can Day

Women in Blue Jeans Day

Women’s Healthy Weight Day

January 20th

Camcorder Day

Cheese Day

Inauguration Day

International Fetish Day

National Buttercrunch Day

National Disc Jockey Day

January 21st

Christian Dior (1905)

Ethan Allen’s Birthday (1738)

National Hugging Day

Squirrel Appreciation Day

Steven Hignite's Birthday (My Son)

January 22nd

Answer Your Cat’s Question Day

Bill Bixby's Birthday (1934)

Celebration of Life Day

Diane Lane’s Birthday (1965)

Graham Kerr’s Birthday (1934)

National Blonde Brownie Day

Sir Francis Bacon's Birthday (1561)

January 23rd

Chinese New Year

Edouard Manet’s Birthday (1832)

John Hancock's Birthday (1737)

Measure Your Feet Day

National Handwriting Day

National Pie Day

Snowplow Mailbox Hockey Day

January 24th

Beer Can Appreciation Day

Belly Laugh Day

Edith Wharton’s Birthday (1862)

Ice Cream Bar/Eskimo Pie Day

Mary Lou Retton’s Birthday (1968)

National Compliment Day

Square Dance Day

Talk Like a Grizzled Prospector Day

TV Game Show Day

Warren Zevon's Birthday (1942)

January 25th

A Room of One’s Own Day

Better Business Communication Day

Dean Jones' Birthday (1931)

Etta James’ Birthday (1938)

Macintosh Computer Day

National Speak Up and Succeed Day

Opposite Day

Robert Burns’ Birthday (1759)

Virginia Woolf’s Birthday (1882)

World Leprosy Day

January 26th

Anita Baker's Birthday (1958)

Australia Day

Bob Uecker's Birthday (1935) Voice of the Brewers

Chinese New Year

Cockroach Race Day

Lotus 1-2-3 Day

Michael Chiarello’s Birthday (1962)

National Peanut Brittle Day

Paul Newman's Birthday (1925)

Spouse’s Day

Toad Hollow Day of Encouragement

January 27th

Auschwitz Liberation Day

Chocolate Cake Day

Donna Reed's Birthday (1921)

Fun at Work Day

Holocaust Memorial Day

Jerome Kern’s Birthday (1885)

Lewis Carroll's Birthday (1832)

Mikhail Barysknikov's Birthday (1948)

National Preschool Fitness Day

Punch the Clock Day

Thomas Crapper Day

Viet Nam Peace Day

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Birthday (1756)

January 28th

Arthur Rubenstein's Birthday (1860)

Bill Peet's Birthday (1915)

Challenger Space Shuttle Explosion Anniversary (1986)

Clash Day

Colette’s Birthday (1873)

Data Privacy Day

Jackson Pollack's Birthday (1912)

National Kazoo Day

National Seed Swap Day

Rattlesnake Roundup Day

Rosemary Wells' Birthday (1943)

Thank a Plug-In Developer Day

January 29th

Carnation Day

Curmudgeon’s Day

Freethinker’s Day

Fun at Work Day

Katharine Ross’ Birthday (1942)

National Cornchip Day

National Puzzle Day

Seeing Eye Dog Day

Thomas Paine’s Birthday (1937)

January 30th

Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day

Child Labor Day

Dick Cheney's Birthday (1941)

Escape Day

Franklin D. Roosevelt's Birthday (1882)

National Inane Answering Machine Message Day

National Write to Congress Day

January 31st

Appreciate Your Social Security Check Day

Backwards Day

Inspire Your Heart With The Arts Day

Jean Simmons’ Birthday (1929)

Minnie Driver’s Birthday (1971)

National Seed Swap Day

Suzanne Pleshette’s Birthday (1937)

Zane Grey's Birthday (1872)

As always, special thanks to Jane Hignite for this AWESOME list!

Bring on the Bling Baby! It's gonna be a GREAT year!

2011-12-23T11:25:00.003-05:00

It's not that this year was a bad year (it was pretty awesome in fact!), but I just LOVE all the hope and promise that a new year brings.

Last January, I attended Leadership for the first time and had a FABULOUS time! The theme for this past calendar year was +ONE. If you're a Stampin' UP! demonstrator, you've seen our +ONE grow over the year - it's GORGEOUS!! This past year, I've +ONE'd my business to 14 team members and I've also +ONE'd my workshops and sales. I can't WAIT to see what 2012 brings!

At Leadership this coming January, Stampin' UP! will announce a new theme: My Way. I'm so excited to see what it entails! I can tell you that I'll continue to run my Stampin' UP! business MY WAY with LOTS of fun and enthusiasm and just a little sparkle and shine to keep things fun.

Like this:

Have you SEEN these before?? I discovered them this week on Pinterest and had one of those, "OH. MY. GOSH. Why didn't *I* think of that?" moments. I mean really. How simple and how fun could this be??

It's a custom "skin" for my iPhone 4. It's made of paper, unlike the skins that you can buy in the kiosks at the mall. that are vinyl and cost a FORTUNE!! I figure the cost of the one above is about 15 cents. Maybe a bit more because of the Silver Glimmer Paper.

I made two yesterday and the cost of BOTH of them together was probably 10 cents. I kid you not.

The beauty of these is that, if you wanted to, you could change it out EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Twice a day even! Have one for daytime and another one for evening. They're THAT easy to make!

There's no stamping on this one. I just used my Timeless Type Junior Alphabet Sizzlits to cut out the numbers and added a strip of Silver Glimmer Paper to the right hand side. That's all there was to it!

If I don't get to visit with you before Christmas, I wish you a VERY Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year filled with LOTS of good things!

Happy Stampin'!

Bring on the Cake from the Stampin' UP! website

2011-12-22T05:50:00.001-05:00

I just LOVE that the many talented designers at Stampin' UP! have created such wonderful samples to showcase our products.

This card will be a gift in and of itself when it is handmade by you. When you combine Textured Impressions Embossing Folders, Designer Series Paper, and the Bring On the Cake Stamp Set, you have a happy birthday for anyone.

Isn't it GORGEOUS?

SUPPLIES:

Big Shot Die-Cut Machine
Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder Die
Bring On The Cake Stamp Set
Jet Black Stazon Pad
2011 In Color Stampin Write Markers
Certainly Celery Stampin' Write Marker
Pink Pirouette Stampin Write Marker
So Saffron Stampin' Write Marker
Pool Party 8-1/2 X 11 Card Stock
Soft Suede 8-1/2 X 11 Card Stock
Whisper White 8-1/2 X 11 Smooth Card Stock
Subtles Designer Series Paper
Designer Buttons
Scallop Edge Border Punch
Stampin' Dimensionals
White Bakers Twine

Here's an idea!!! I'm adding this card to a class! On January 7th, I'll be teaching a class during which we'll be decorating the Perpetual Birthday Calendar and creating FIVE Birthday cards to get you well on your way to sending out birthday cards in a timely manner during 2012. Since I like this card so much, I'll create it and YOU can create it too as part of the class. How does that sound?

I only have a few spots left in the class and the cost is only $20! You can't afford NOT to come!!

Happy Stampin'!

BREAKING NEWS!!!

2011-12-21T16:05:00.000-05:00

I wanted to put this up as a new post so it would GRAB your attention! Since it's SO close to Christmas, the Stampin' Queens have decided to offer up a gift to three of the participants who join us this week!

So, head on over the to the Stampin' Queens site and link up your creation. YOU could win a prize!!!

Happy Stampin'!

Garden Green for the Stampin' Queens!

2011-12-21T02:15:00.025-05:00

So...you know that song, "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas"? Well, I don't want a hippopotamus, I want a new camera!!! I don't even care if it's new to me (in fact, if Santa brings me one, I hope it's NOT new) as I would REALLY like a Canon 30D. It's a discontinued model, but I had the 20D (it was stolen) and this one is a step up. You can get them used for a fairly reasonable price.

WHY do I want a new camera? *sigh*

THIS:

is why I want a new camera. While I LOVE my iPhone (in fact, I just figured out to BLOG from it, which should be a BLAST at Leadership next month!), it SUCKS at taking pictures of my work. *sigh* On this one, I ended up with glare from the Whisper White AND the Basic Rhinestones. I want the rhinestones to sparkle, but this is ridiculous!

Anyway...I started off with a base of Garden Green. I want to call it a scrapling, but I'm not sure if it qualifies as scrapling size. It's 2 1/2 x 5". I have a LOT of pieces that are 2 1/2 x 11" because this past summer I made some 3 x 3" golf cards for a charity event. It was kind of short notice, so I didn't have time to order 12 x 12" cardstock. I had to trim down my 8 1/2 x 11" and ended up with the 2 1/2 x 11" pieces.

When I started making the card, I didn't really like the 5 1/2" size, so I trimmed it down to 5" and that made me happier.

I added a couple of layers...some Whisper White and Wild Wasabi Designer Series Paper. The labels were made using the Matchbox Die and I stamped the sentiment from Bring on the Cake in Wild Wasabi.

The card was based (kind of loosely - LOL!) on this sketch:

What do you think?

STAMPS: Bring on the Cake
INK: Wild Wasabi
PAPERS: Whisper White and Garden Green Cardstock; Wild Wasabi DSP
ACCESSORIES: Sponges (for the edges), Big Shot + Die, Baker's Twine, Basic Rhinestones and Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Stocking Builder Punch

2011-12-20T17:05:00.001-05:00

We have just received word that the Stocking Builder Punch will NOT be carried over to the next catalogue. If you'd like it, it will ONLY be available while supplies last. Click on SHOP NOW in the left sidebar to order yours today.

Happy Stampin'!

--
Hugs~
Christyne xoxox

christyne@handstampedfromtheheart.ca

Check out my blog!
http://www.handstampedfromtheheart.ca

Join my team!

christyne.stampinup.net

A peek at the Stampin' Queens

2011-12-20T05:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Tuesday!! Are you ready for CHRISTMAS??? If you count today, there's only FIVE more shopping days! YIKES!!!

While your heart rate returns to normal after processing that information, here's a peek at the Stampin' Queens card you'll see tomorrow:

Don't forget to come back for the FULL reveal!

Happy Stampin'!

January Team Cards

2011-12-19T08:20:00.000-05:00

How cute is this:

Well...THAT was annoying! I typed out a WHOLE post and all I got was the "How cute is this" caption and even IT was in the wrong place. CLEARLY Blogger mobile needs some TWEAKING!!!

Anyway...these are my January Team Cards for the Canadian Blossoms. It's been a year since I launched my Stampin' UP! business into high gear! In that year, my "team" grew from me to FOURTEEN members! How awesome is THAT? I didn't keep track of how many cards I sent out this year, but I know it was a LOT! My team gets a card EVERY. SINGLE. MONTH.

This particular card was CASE'd from Diana Gibbs with a slight modification on the ribbon treatment. It was such a cute card, I couldn't help myself!

There's STILL time to get YOUR name on my list for January! My team cards go out on the first of the month (MOST of the time - LOL!), so you still have 12 days to join my team and be on the January list.

Don't despair though! If you can't can't join my team this month, I'm more than happy to have you join in January and add you to my list beginning with the February team cards. I haven't designed them yet, but I'm pretty sure they'll be awesome! :)

What do you think?

STAMPS: Aviary, Smarty Pants
INK: Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist, Old Olive, Poppy Parade
PAPERS: Whisper White, Marina Mist, Old Olive
ACCESSORIES: Punches, Ribbon

Happy Stampin'!

This is only a test

2011-12-14T17:54:00.001-05:00

I just enabled mobile blogging and want to see the results.

Sent from my iPhone
With hugs and kisses
Christyne

Caged Birds for the Stampin' Queens!

2011-12-14T02:15:00.003-05:00

A little humour for you today...

Or...at least *I* thought it was funny. Get it? The birds found each other? But they're both caged? No? Oh well...I'll just keep chuckling to myself. It might just be the insanity of the season that's affecting me. Who knows?

And, my apologies for the blurriness...I'm pleading high on sugar from baking the lemon shortbread that I stamped with my Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps. They're lemon, so they're not my cup of tea but I had to taste them to make sure they were good. My hubby, however, loves them. Better on his hips than mine!

Anyway...I used this:

to stamp the cages! In the 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalogue, Stampin' UP! introduced Clear-Mount Perfectly Placed Guides. These cling to the Clear Mount blocks to allow for PERFECT placement of stamps. You can line them up right on the block before you even start stamping. BRILLIANT! There are some in the package that fit right on the blocks and others that you can cut to size. There's even one with circles on it for circular text and one with wavy lines for wavy text - LOVE!

After I stamped the cages, I added the birds in Marina Mist. I probably should have used my Stamp-a-majig because the birds look like they're floating. We'll just say they're excited to see each other, OK?

The sentiment, from A Word for You, was stamped in Marina Mist and hand cut. It was added to a piece of Blushing Bride before being adhered to the front of the card.

Last but not least, here's the sketch on which the card was based:

What do you think?

STAMPS: Aviary, A Word for You
PAPERS: Whisper White, Sahara Sand, Blushing Bride and Pear Pizzazz Cardstock; Nursery Nest DSP
INKS: Pear Pizzazz and Marina Mist
ACCESSORIES: Clear-Mount Perfectly Placed Guides, Stampin' Dimensionals, Embossing Folder. Big Shot

Happy Stampin'!

Doing the Mojo with CCMC in Basic Poppy Limeade

2011-12-12T19:45:00.006-05:00

Confusing enough for you? LOL! Well, it's MONDAY and I actually got to DO the MOJO Monday ON the actual Monday...which I can assure you is NO small feat!

I also decided to use the CCMC colour challenge, which is kind of Christmas-y, but sort of not. I mean...it's red and green, but I can't wrap my brain around how bright the colours are. KWIM?

Anyway, here's the card:

The CCMC colour challenge this week was Basic Grey, Poppy Parade and Lucky Limeade...which are KIND OF Christmas-y, but not really what I would call traditional Christmas colours. Maybe that's just me. You can let me know what you think in the comments section below.

The only Basic Grey I had was 12 x 12" textured cardstock, so I started off with that, trimming it to 8 1/2 x 11" and then in half to 4 1/4 x 11". I then added a piece of Basic Grey Designer Series Paper from the Neutral paper pack. It's cut to 4 x 5 1/4". I added some more Designer Series Paper from both of the In Colour packs.

I stamped the ornament in Poppy Parade and the little string in Lucky Limeade. I punched out the circle using the 1 3/4" circle punch and then sponged the edges using Poppy Parade. I adhered the punched circle to a piece of Lucky Limeade which was punched with the 2 3/8" Scalloped Circle Punch and stuck it all to the front of the card using Stampin' Dimensionals.

The sentiment was stamped on Whisper White in Poppy Parade and trimmed it to a skinny strip before turning it into a banner.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Tree Trimmings, Short and Sweet
INK: Poppy Parade, Lucky Limeade
PAPERS: Whisper White, Basic Grey, Lucky Limeade and Poppy Parade Cardstock; Basic Grey, Lucky Limeade and Poppy Parade DSP.
ACCESSORIES: Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

It's Wednesday! That must mean STAMPIN' QUEENS!

2011-12-07T02:25:00.000-05:00

Good morning friends! I do hope you've had a WONDERFUL week!!!

My INTENTION was to post each day in December - sort of my OWN version of "December Daily". Alas, my crazy life has TAKEN OVER! I just keep telling myself that I only need to get through ONE. MORE. WEEK. My last stamping commitment is on December 11th - PHEW!!!

Have you got all your Christmas shopping done? What's top on the list this year? Me? I want to stop MISPLACING my supplies - LOL! It took me HOURS to find the rhinestones for this card. HOURS! Where were they? Somehow, they managed to end up UNDER one of my cabinets. *sigh* ONE. MORE. WEEK.

At any rate, here's today's card:

I thought that perhaps I should invert the order of the circles to make it more like a snowman...but then, I FINALLY found my rhinestones and EVERYTHING just worked out - PHEW!!

I stamped the images on Whisper White using Night of Navy Ink and punched them out using various sized circles. They were adhered to a hand cut tag of Night of Navy and blinged out!! The Bashful Blue panel was run through the Snow Burst Embossing Folder.

And here's the sketch on which it was based:

What do you think?

STAMPS: Snow Swirled
INK: Night of Navy
PAPERS: Whisper White, Bashful Blue and Night of Navy Cardstock
ACCESSORIES: Punches, Basic Rhinestones and Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Peekin' at the Stampin' Queens!

2011-12-06T05:45:00.000-05:00

Happy Tuesday! It's sneak peek day for the Stampin' Queens!

Be sure to come back tomorrow for the FULL reveal!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2011-12-02T08:20:00.004-05:00

Or at least I WISH it was! No snow here today in MY part of Southern Ontario, though a few of my friends are reporting white stuff a bit further north and west. Lucky them! I can't wait for it to start snowing in earnest. I just love, love, LOVE this time of year!

The Christmas specials are all on TV (next week is A Charlie Brown Christmas!) and last night I watched the CMA Christmas Special - Scotty - swoon!

Anyway...since there's no snow on the ground, you get snow on my card today - in the form of a snowman from Snow Much Fun. I'm pretty sure this my FAVOURITE winter/Christmas set this year. I just keep reaching for it over and over! I CASE'd this card from a fellow demonstrator, but I did a BAD thing and forgot to make note of who it was - OOPS! If it was YOU (or you know who it was), PLEASE let me know so I can give proper credit.

I stamped my snowman in Staz-ON on Whisper White and actually DID use my Watercolour Wonder Crayons and Aqua Painters to colour his hat, boots, scarf and ADORABLE carrot nose! Oh! And those cute little birdies too.

Now, for the most part, I don't use water on Whisper White Cardstock, but since it was such a TINY bit of water, I got away with it. If you try and use too much water, your cardstock will pill and you'll end up with a nasty mess. A light hand is key here.

This is just ONE of the six (times 3 = 18) cards we'll be making at my Christmas Stamp-a-Stack on Saturday December 10th. I still have a few spaces left and you'll have 18 (!) cards completed in under 4 hours. The cost is $40 and if you RSVP with payment on or before December 6th, I'll have a SPECIAL treat for you!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Snow Much Fun, Tags til Christmas
INK: Staz-ON, Cherry Cobbler
PAPERS: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Basic Black and Cherry Cobbler Cardstock
ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Wonder Crayons, Aqua Painters, Baker's Twine, Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals, Glue Dots

Happy Stampin'!

It's December 1st - Let's Get STAMPIN'!!!

2011-12-01T08:36:00.000-05:00

DECEMBER

MONTH-LONG OBSERVANCES

Awareness Month of Awareness Month’s Month

Bingo Month

Colorectal Cancer Education and Awareness Month

Hi Neighbor Month

Identity Theft and Prevention Month

Learn a Foreign Language Month

National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month

National Safe Toys and Gifts Month

National Sign Up for Summer Camp Month

National Stress Free Family Holiday Month

National Tie Month

National Write a Business Plan Month

Operation Santa Paws

Prevent Blindness Month

Quince and Watermelon Month

Read a New Book Month

Rising Star Month

Root Vegetables and Exotic Fruits Month

Spiritual Literacy Month

Take a New Year’s Resolution to Stop Smoking Month

Tomato and Winter Squash Month

Universal Human Rights Month

World AIDS Month

Worldwide Food Service Safety Month

Write to a Friend Month

WEEK-LONG OBSERVANCES

First Week

First Week of Advent

Cookie Cutter Week

National Tolerance Week

Recipe Greetings for the Holidays Week

Second Week

Second Week of Advent

Coats for Kids Week

Human Rights Week

National Hand Washing Awareness Week

Third Week

Third Week of Advent

Halcyon Days

International Language Week

Fourth Week

Christmas Bird Count Week

Fourth Week of Advent

Gluten-Free Baking Week

It’s About Time Week

Fifth Week

Kwanzaa

December 1st

American Civil Air Patrol Founded (1941)

Day Without Art Day

Eat A Red Apple Day

Jan Brett's Birthday (1949)

National Pie Day

Rosa Parks Day

Special Kids Day

World AIDS Day

December 2nd

Ann Patchett's Birthday (1963)

Charles Ringling's Birthday (1863)

Cold Moon

David Macaulay's Birthday (1946)

Georges Seurat's Birthday (1859)

Gianni Versace's Birthday (1946)

National Fritters Day

National Mutt Day

Play Basketball Day

Special Education Day

December 3rd

Andy Williams' Birthday (1930)

Ear Muffs Day

International Day of the Disabled Person

Joseph Conrad's Birthday (1857)

Let’s Hug Day

National Roof-Over-Your-Head Day

Ozzy Osbourne's Birthday (1948)

December 4th

Cracker Jack Day

Gemma Jones’ Birthday (1942)

National Cookie Day

National Dice Day

Santa’s List Day

Wear Brown Shoes Day

December 5th

Bathtub Party Day

George Armstrong Custer’s Birthday (1839)

International Ninja Day

International Volunteer Day

National Communicate With Your Baby Day

National Sacher Torte Day

Play Hooky Day

Repeal Day (Repeal of Prohibition)

Rose Wilder Lane's Birthday (1886)

Walt Disney's Birthday (1901)

December 6th

Coats and Toys for Kids Day

Dave Brubeck’s Birthday (1920)

Ira Gershwin’s Birthday (1896)

Joyce Kilmer’s Birthday (1886)

Miner’s Day

Mitten Tree Day

National Gazpacho Day

National Pawnbroker’s Day

Put on Your Own Shoes Day

St. Nicholas Day

December 7th

Harry Chapin’s Birthday (1942)

International Civil Aviation Day

Letter Writing Day

Marie Tussaud’s Birthday (1761)

National Cotton Candy Day

National Pearl Harbor Day

Ted Knight's Birthday (1923)

December 8th

Bad Hair Day

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

James Galway’s Birthday (1939)

James Thurber's Birthday (1894)

Jim Morrison's Birthday (1943)

Mary Queen of Scots' Birthday (1542)

National Brownie Day

Take it in the Ear Day

USSR Ceased to Exist (1991)

December 9th

Christmas Card Day

Clarence Birdseye’s Birthday (1886)

Donny Osmond's Birthday (1957)

International Anticorruption Day

Jean deBrunhoff's Birthday (1899)

John Milton's Birthday (1608)

Judy Dench's Birthday (1934)

Margaret Hamilton’s Birthday (1902)

National Pastry Day

National Salesperson Day

Nightgown Day

Weary Willy Day

December 10th

Bobby Flay’s Birthday (1964)

Day of the Horse

Emily Dickinson's Birthday (1830)

Festival for the Souls of Dead Whales Day

Human Rights Day

Kenneth Branagh's Birthday (1960)

Melvil Dewey's Birthday (1851) (Dewey Decimal System)

Nobel Prize Day

Rumer Godden's Birthday (1907)

Susan Dey’s Birthday (1950)

Treaty of Paris Signed (1898)

December 11th

International Mountain Day

King Edward VIII Abdicated Throne (1936)

National Noodle Ring Day

Pilgrims Land on Plymouth Rock (1620) see 12/21 too

UNICEF Anniversary (Est. in 1946)

UN International Mountain Day

William Joyce's Birthday (1957)

World Choral Day

Worldwide Candle Lighting Day

December 12th

Bob Barker’s Birthday (1923)

Bonza Bottler Day

Edvard Munch's Birthday (1863)

Gingerbread House Day

Gustave Flaubert's Birthday (1821)

International Children's Day

National Ding-A-Ling Day

Poinsettia Day

December 13th

Christopher Plummer's Birthday (1927)

Dick Van Dyke's Birthday (1925)

Ice Cream Day

Mary Todd Lincoln’s Birthday (1818)

National Cocoa Day

New Calendar Day

New Zealand Discovered (1642)

St. Lucy Day

Steve Buscemi’s Birthday (1957)

Violins Day

December 14th

Buy a Tree Day

Monkey Day

Morey Amsterdam's Birthday (1914)

NASCAR founded (1947)

National Bouillibaisse Day

Nostradamus' Birthday (1503)

December 15th

Alexandre Gustave Eiffel's Birthday

Betty Smith’s Birthday (1906)

Bill of Rights Day

Cat Herders Day

National Lemon Cupcake Day

Tim Conway’s Birthday (1933)

December 16th

Barbie and Barney Backlash Day

Boston Tea Party Anniversary (1773)

JANE AUSTEN'S BIRTHDAY (1775)

Ludwig Von Beethoven's Birthday (1770)

Margaret Mead's Birthday (1901)

National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day

Noel Coward’s Birthday (1899)

Underdog Day

Zionism Day

December 17th

Arthur Fiedler's Birthday (1894)

Bill Pullman's Birthday (1953)

Duff Goldman’s Birthday (1974)

Cookie Cutter Day

John Greenleaf Whittier’s Birthday (1807)

John Kennedy Toole's Birthday (1932)

National Maple Syrup Day

Wright Brothers Day

December 18th

Bake Cookies Day

Jacques Pepin’s Birthday (1935)

International Migrants Day

National Roast Suckling Pig Day

Play Bingo Day

Steven Spielberg’s Birthday (1947)

Wear a Plunger on Your Head Day

December 19th

Chocolate Pizza Day

Eve Bunting's Birthday (1928)

Look for an Evergreen Day

Oatmeal Muffin Day

Poor Richard's Almanac Published (1732)

December 20th

Games Day

Go Caroling Day

Hanukkah Begins at Sunset

International Human Solidarity Day

Irene Dunne’s Birthday (1898)

Mudd Day

Sacagewa Day

December 21st

Ann and Samantha Day

Cold Moon

Crossword Puzzle Day

First Day of Winter

Forefather’s Day

Look at the Bright Side Day

National Flashlight Day

National French Fried Shrimp Day

National Haiku Poetry Day

National Homeless Persons Remembrance Day

Paul Winchell’s Birthday (1922)

Phileas Figg Win a Wager Day

Pilgrims Land on Plymouth Rock (1620) see 12/11

Ray Romano’s Birthday (1957)

Winter Solstice

World Peace Day

December 22nd

Barbara Billingsley’s Birthday (1922)

Giacomo Puccini's Birthday (1858)

Maritime Day

National Date Nut Bread Day

National Regifting Day

National Haiku Poetry Day

Popcorn Popping Day

December 23rd

Family Caregivers Day

Festivus

Roots Day

Vincent Van Gogh cut off his ear (1888)

December 24th

Christmas Eve

Ignatius Loyola's Birthday (1491)

Johnny Gruelle’s Birthday (1880)

Kate Spade's Birthday (1962)

National Chocolate Day

National Egg Nog Day

Noel Streatfield’s Birthday (1920)

December 25th

Annie Lennox's Birthday (1954)

A*Phabet Day or No “L” Day

Christmas

Clara Barton's Birthday (1821)

David Sedaris’ Birthday (1956)

Humphrey Bogart's Birthday (1899)

National Pumpkin Pie Day

Saint John Feast Day

Sir Isaac Newton's Birthday (1642)

Washington Crossed the Delaware (1776)

December 26th

Boxing Day

Carroll Spinney’s Birthday (1933)

David Sedaris’ Birthday (1956)

Henry Miller's Birthday (1891)

Kwanzaa Begins

National Candy Cane Day

National Thank You Note Day

National Whiners Day

December 27th

Fruitcake Forever Day

Louis Pasteur's Birthday (1822)

Make Cut-Out Snowflakes Day

Saint John Feast Day

Visit the Zoo Day

December 28th

Card Playing Day

Childermas/Holy Innocents Day

Hanukkah Ends

National Chocolate Days

No Interruptions Day

Pledge of Allegiance Day

December 29th

Jude Law’s Birthday (1972)

Mary Tyler Moore's Birthday (1936)

National Chocolate Days

Pepper Pot Day

Saint Thomas of Canterbury Feast Day

Tick Tock Day

December 30th

Bacon Day

Davy Jones' Birthday (1945)

Falling Needles Family Fest Day

Festival of Enormous Changes at the Last Moment Day

Mercer Mayer's Birthday (1943)

Michael Nesmith's Birthday (1942)

National Bicarbonate of Soda Day

Oh My! Day

Rudyard Kipling’s Birthday (1865)

Sean Hannity’s Birthday (1961)

Tiger Woods’ Birthday (1975)

Tracey Ullmann’s Birthday (1959)

December 31st

Blue Moon

Diane von Furstenberg's Birthday (1943)

First Nights

Henri Matisse's Birthday (1869)

John Denver's Birthday (1943)

Make Up Your Mind Day

New Year's Eve

No Interruptions Day

Smoke Alarm Day

Universal Hour of Peace Day

Unlucky Day

World Peace Meditation Day

with thanks as always to Jane Hignite

It's Wednesday! That must mean STAMPIN' QUEENS!

2011-11-30T02:30:00.002-05:00

Welcome back to another week of Stampin' Queens! Today marks week 15! Here's this week's sketch:

And here's my take on it:

I opted for a square instead of a circle for this week...mostly because I already had a coloured image - LOL! The image is stamped in Staz-On on watercolour paper and coloured in using both the watercolour crayons/reinkers and AquaPainters. I trimmed the image to 2 1/4" square and then matted it on Riding Hood Red and Soft Suede.

I added three different patterns of Riding Hood Red from the Regals Patterned Paper Stack to the Soft Suede layer before adhering it all to the Crumb Cake base.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Little Friends, Teeny Tiny Wishes (Sentiment)
INK: Staz-On, Soft Suede
PAPERS: Riding Hood Red and Soft Suede Cardstock; Riding Hood Red DSP; Watercolour Paper
ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Wonder Crayons, Aqua Painters, Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals

Frostwood Lodge - It's not just for Christmas Cards

2011-11-23T01:50:00.000-05:00

Welcome to week 14 of the Stampin' Queens Sketch! WOW! Have you been playing along?

Here's this week's sketch:

And here's my take on it:

I was inspired by Carrie Gaskin to use Frostwood Lodge on something that WASN'T a Christmas Card. Carrie happened to use the Cherish Friendship set too!

I stamped the image in Staz-On ink on Watercolour Paper trimmed to 2 x 2". I used my watercolour crayons and aqua painters to colour the image.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Cherish Friendship
INK: Staz-On
PAPERS: Cherry Cobbler and Garden Green Cardstock; Watercolour Paper; Forestwood Lodge DSP
ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Aqua Painters, Watercolour Crayons

Happy Stampin'!

Stampin' Queens Sneak Peek!

2011-11-22T20:25:00.000-05:00

Better late than never, right? If you're my Facebook friend, you know I've had a CRAZY busy day! While I was having a crazy day, I used up my quotient of awesome for the day *sigh* After I picked up my van at the mechanic, I realized AFTER I got ALL. THE. WAY. HOME. that I forgot my house keys in the loaner car I used. Now...if you had SEEN my house key chain thing, you'd be amazed too. It's HUGE - lanyard, key fobs, etc...more STUFF than keys. Yeah...and I forgot it. Again, *sigh*

Anyway, so THAT'S why my sneak peek is SO. DARN. LATE. However, if you come back tomorrow for the full reveal, I'm sure you'll agree it was worth it!

Here's your peek:

My apologies for the blurriness. iPhone. *sigh*

Be sure to come back tomorrow for the full reveal!

Are you ready for THIS??

2011-11-21T08:05:00.001-05:00

Oh WOW!!! Can you just imagine? AWESOME products for an even BETTER price! And TODAY ONLY, you can get the Simply Scored and/or the Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps for 20% off! That SUPER special on TWO BRAND NEW PRODUCTS is available TODAY ONLY! Until midnight (MT), that's 2 a.m. EST if you want to wait till the last possible second. Keep in mind though, that NONE of these sales will be extended. Once the deadline has passed, that's it!

BIG NEWS

Were you thinking of attending my Perpetual Birthday Calendar Class on January 7th? If so, NOW is the time to book!

Stampin' UP! has reduced the price of the Perpetual Birthday Calendar during this online extravaganza so I'm reducing the price of my class!

You MUST book AND pre-pay no later than November 30th to take advantage of the reduced price!

When you book and pre-pay before November 30th, pay only $20 instead of $25. On December 1st, the price goes back up to $25.

You can see all the details of this class here.

Happy Shopping! It's a GREAT time to get your Christmas shopping done!

Happy Stampin'!

It's Wednesday! That must mean STAMPIN' QUEENS!

2011-11-16T02:30:00.002-05:00

Happy Wednesday! Welcome back! I hope you didn't miss me too much last week, but as I mentioned yesterday, I came down with a nasty cold/sinus infection - SO not fun! I have some antibiotics on board now, so I'm feeling MUCH better!

Here's the sketch with which we were working. I just LOVED the layers:

As always, a sketch is a jumping off point, so I did a liberty here and there, though I did pretty much stick with the general idea this week. My brain is not QUITE up to snuff, so I don't want to go TOO crazy - LOL!

Here's my take on the sketch:

I started off with the centre panel. I had an idea to use Lovely as a Tree, but then when I chose my paper, I decided I wanted to go with something a little more whimsical and I chose Season of Joy instead. I stamped the tree in Versamark ink and then sprinkled it with Wild Wasabi Stampin' Emboss Powder and heat it with my heat tool to set the powder. I also used the Versamark ink to add a watermark to the Wild Wasabi cardstock panel.

I attached all the pieces to Holly Berry Bouquet Designer Series Paper panel before attaching the brads and then adhering it to the front of the card.

When it was all together, I SMOOCHED it!!!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Season of Joy
INK: Versamark, Wild Wasabi (used inside)
PAPERS: Whisper White, Real Red, Wild Wasabi and Garden Green Cardstock; Holly Berry Bouquet DSP
ACCESSORIES: Wild Wasabi Stampin' Emboss Powder, Brads, Smooch Spritz, Stampin' Dimensionals

It's good to be back - with a peek at the Stampin' Queens!

2011-11-15T11:45:00.002-05:00

Dear friends, I am SO sorry for my long absence! I came down with a cold early last week that then became a sinus infection. Needless to say, I wasn't up to much of anything let alone blogging.

However, I'm back now and will be sharing the Stampin' Queens card with you tomorrow. Today, you get a little peek!

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for the full reveal!

Happy Stampin'!

MDS Monday - Brigid

2011-11-07T21:15:00.000-05:00

This...is Brigid:

I created this page using pictures (with permission) of my young friend Brigid. Brigid has Mitochondrial disease. She fights a daily battle with a disease that, when treatment ends, will see the Kidd family with one less member. This is their reality.

Unfortunately, Mitochondrial disease has no cure. There's also not much funding for these families. To that end and to help my dear friend, I have created some jewelry pieces to sell, most of which are green as this is the colour that represents this disease.

I know you usually come here to see all my card projects, but just for a moment, I'd appreciate if you thought of the Kidd family and little Brigid. Please purchase a piece of jewelry if you are so led as the profits from the sales go directly to them. Brigid needs a new walker and SO many other things that AREN'T covered by medicare.

Here are a few of my more recent pieces. If you see something you like, please let me know and I'll be happy to send it off to you.

Thank you.

Today's the day!

2011-11-04T00:45:00.008-04:00

It's a BLOG HOP - SUDSOL STYLE!

2011-11-02T23:59:00.000-04:00

The SUDSOL blog hop is one of my favourites and I do my best to participate in as many as I can! SUDSOL is SUCH a great resource that I use ALL THE TIME and the blog hop is my way of giving back. Joining SUDSOL is one of the first things I did after becoming a demonstrator. If YOU are a demonstrator, I can't recommend it enough! If you'd like to see what it's all about, click on this link and take a two week tour - FREE!

For this blog hop, we're featuring Holiday Projects. These cards were inspired by other talented demonstrators and I put my spin on them. They were featured at my most recent Christmas Card Class at which the ladies had a GREAT time and half of them have ALREADY signed up for my next Christmas Card Class - I can't wait!

STAMPS: Merry & Type

INK: Chocolate Chip, Versamark

PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip

ACCESSORIES: Aqua Painters, Seam Binding, Glue Dot, Stampin' Dimensionals

Did you know that there all KINDS of templates, ideas and inspiration on the SUDSOL site? You can check out my gallery here, just to get an idea! I've been a featured stamper twice and have been on the design team - hard work, but VERY rewarding.

STAMPS: Gifts of Christmas

INKS: Island Indigo

PAPERS: Whisper White, Island Indigo, Silver Glimmer Paper

ACCESSORIES: Stampin' Dimensinals

STAMPS: Snow Swirled (greeting)

INK: Garden Green

PAPERS: Whisper White, Crumb Cake and Garden Green Cardstock;

Holly Berry Bouquet DSP

ACCESSORIES: Punches, Filigree Brads, Buttons, Bakers Twine, Glue Dots

I do hope you've enjoyed this stop on the tour and hope you will continue along to visit all the other talented SUDSOL demonstrators blogs.

CONTINUE on the Blog Tour
SUDSOL	Teresa Hafso

Happy Stampin'!

Something happy this way comes!!!

2011-11-02T17:45:00.001-04:00

This post is sticky at the top until the day of the blog hop, so please scroll down to see what I've been creating. You WON'T be disappointed!

It's Wednesday! That must mean STAMPIN' QUEENS!

2011-11-02T02:30:00.004-04:00

Happy Wednesday Friends! It's time for the Stampin' Queens!

Here's the sketch we were given this week:

I took a BOAT LOAD of liberties with this one as you can see from the finished project:

And...it's not a card either! It's a folder in which you can place pictures/notes/wish lists, etc. Want to see the whole thing?? You'll have to come back tomorrow - 3-D Thursday!!!

There's NO stamps on this one. I used the Letters To Santa Designer Series Paper and the Letters to Santa Quick Accents.

Now...here's the deal. Leave a comment here AFTER you've participated in the sketch challenge and link me up in your comment so I can see your AWESOME creation. Then, TOMORROW, come back and leave a comment to let me know what you think of the finished product. Everyone who does those two things will be entered into a random draw and be eligible to WIN the folder.

What do you think?

STAMPS: NONE
INK: NONE
PAPERS: Letters to Santa DSP
ACCESSORIES: Letters to Santa Quick Accents, Ribbon

Happy Stampin'!

A Peek at the Stampin' Queens

2011-11-01T15:20:00.000-04:00

Happy Tuesday! Did everyone have fun trick-or-treating last night?? My youngest had a bit TOO much fun, so he stayed home sickie today. He'll be back to school tomorrow...it was more of a precaution than anything.

Here's today's little peek at the Stampin' Queens Sketch:

You'll want to be SURE to come back tomorrow! Cristena is offering BLOG CANDY on the Stampin' Queens Blog and I'll be offering you the chance to WIN my creation!

It's November 1st - Let's get stamping!

2011-11-01T08:05:00.000-04:00

MONTH-LONG OBSERVANCES

Adopt a Senior Pet Month

Alzheimer’s Awareness Month

Apple Month

Aviation History Month

Banana Pudding Lovers Month

Child Safety and Protection Month

Christmas Seals Month

COPD Awareness Month

Diabetic Eye Disease Month

Epilepsy Awareness Month

Family Stories Month

Gluten-Free Diet Awareness Month

Good Nutrition Month

Great American SmokeOut

Greens and Plantains Month

Historic Bridge Awareness Month

I am So Thankful Month

International Drum Month

Latin American Month

Lung Cancer Awareness Month

MADD’s Tie One On for Safety Holiday Campaign

Military Family Appreciation Month

National Adoption Month

National AIDS Awareness Month

National Alzheimer’s Disease Month

National Diabetes Month

National Epilepsy Month

National Family Caregivers Month

National Georgia Pecan Month

National Healthy Skin Month

National Home and Hospice Month

National Impotency Month

National Inspirational Role Models Month

National Life Writing Month

National Long-Term Care Awareness Month

National Marrow Awareness Month

National Model Railroad Month

National Native American Heritage Month

National Novel Writing Month

National Peanut Butter Lover's Month

National Pet Cancer Awareness Month

National Pomegranate Month

National Roasting Month

National Scholarship Month

National Sleep Comfort Month

National Stomach Cancer Awareness Month

Native American Heritage Month

NoSHAVEmber

Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month

Plum and Pomegranate Month

Prematurity Awareness Month

PTA Healthy Lifestyles Month

Real Jewelry Month

Spinach and Squash Month

Sweet Potato Month

TMJ Awareness Month

Vegan Month

WEEK-LONG OBSERVANCES

First Week

Chemistry Week

Diabetes Education Week

Give Wildlife a Brake! Week

Intimate Apparel Week

National Allied Health Week

National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week

National Fig Week

National Patient Accessibility Week

World Communication Week

Second Week

Dear Santa Letter Week

Drowsy Driving Prevention Week

Health Information and Technology Week

International Fraud Awareness Week

Kid’s Goal-Setting Week

National Children's Book Week

National Drug Facts Week

National Nurse Practitioner Week

National Radiation Tech Week

National Young Readers Week

Operating Room Nurse Week

Pursuit of Happiness Week

World Kindness Week

Third Week

American Education Week

Geography Awareness Week

Lung Cancer Awareness Week

National Farm-City Week

National Global Entrepreneurship Week

National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week

Fourth Week

National Adoption Week

National Better Conversation Week

National Bible Week

National Family Week

National Game and Puzzle Week

National Teens Don’t Text and Drive Week

Fifth Week

Travelers with Disabilities Awareness Week

November 1st

Aishwarya Rai’s Birthday (1973)

All Saint's Day

Book Lover's Day

Give Up Your “Shoulds” Day

Lyle Lovett's Birthday (1957)

National Author's Day

National Family Literacy Day

National Go Cook for Your Pets Day

Nutty Pecan Day

Stephen Crane’s Birthday (1871)

Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day

Zero Tasking Day

November 2nd

All Soul’s Day

Cookie Monster Day

Daniel Boone's Birthday (1734)

Digital Scrapbooking Day

ELECTION DAY

Flight of the Spruce Goose (1947)

Look for Circles Day

Marie Antoinette’s Birthday (1755)

National Deviled Egg Day

Piggy Bank Day

Plan Your Epitaph Day

Traffic Director’s Day

November 3rd

Bean Day

Cliché Day

Dennis Miller’s Birthday (1953)

Housewife's Day

International Tongue Twister Day

Ken Berry's Birthday (1933)

Sandwich Day

November 4th

Laura Bush’s Birthday (1946)

King Tut Day

Mischief Night

National Candy Day

National Chicken Lady Day

National Men Make Dinner Day

Pumpkin Chucking Days

Sterling North's Birthday (1906)

Use Your Common Sense Day

Waiting for Barbarians Day

Will Roger's Birthday (1879)

Yanni’s Birthday (1954)

November 5th

Art Garfunkel’s Birthday (1941)

Gun Powder Day

Guy Fawkes Day

National Donut Day

Pumpkin Chucking Days

Roy Rogers’ Birthday (1911)

Sadie Hawkins Day

Sam Shepard’s Birthday (1943)

Vivian Leigh's Birthday (1913)

November 6th

Basketball Day

Charles Dow’s Birthday (1851)

Guiness World Records Day

John Phillip Sousa's Birthday (1854)

I Love Nachos Day

Marooned without a Compass Day

Ray Conniff’s Birthday (1916)

Pumpkin Chucking Days

Sally Field’s Birthday (1946)

Saxophone Day

Zero Tasking Day

November 7th

Albert Camus' Birthday (1913)

Daylight Savings Time Ends

Fala Day

Hug-a-Bear Day

International Tongue Twister Day

Job Action Day

Joni Mitchell's Birthday (1943)

Magazine Day

Marie Curie's Birthday (1867)

National Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day

Republican Elephant Day

November 8th

Abet and Aid Punsters Day

Bonnie Raitt's Birthday (1949)

Bram Stoker's Birthday (1847)

Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day

Dunce Day

Edmund Halley’s Birthday (1656)

Election Day

Harvey Wallbanger Day

Kazuo Ishiguro’s Birthday (1954)

Margaret Mitchell's Birthday (1900)

National Ample Time Day

National Parents as Teachers Day

Parker Posey's Birthday (1968)

X-Ray Day

November 9th

Carl Sagan's Birthday (1934)

Chaos Never Dies Day

Mary Travers’ Birthday (1936)

National Young Reader’s Day

Neon Sign Day

Parade Day

November 10th

Area Code Day

Claude Rains’ Birthday (1889)

Forget Me Not Day

Gingerbread House Day

Josh Peck’s Birthday (1986)

Martin Luther’s Birthday (1483)

Sesame Street Debuted in 1969

Tim Rice’s Birthday (1944)

Toothpaste Day

U.S. Marine Corps Established in 1775

November 11th

Air Day

Death/Duty Day

Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Birthday (1821)

George Patton’s Birthday (1885)

God Bless America first performed in 1938

Kurt Vonnegut's Birthday (1922)

Origami Day

Remembrance Day

Veteran's Day

November 12th

Anne Hathaway’s Birthday (1982)

Auguste Rodin's Birthday (1840)

Chicken Soup for the Soul Day

Domino Day

Elizabeth Cady Stanton Day

Grace Kelly’s Birthday (1929)

Nadia Comaneci’s Birthday (1961)

National Gaming Day

National Pizza With the Works But No Anchovies Day

November 13th

Chris Noth’s Birthday (1954)

Garry Marshall’s Birthday (1934)

International Tongue Twister Day

Mom's and Dad's Day

National Indian Pudding Day

Robert Louis Stevenson’s Birthday (1850)

World Kindness Day

November 14th

Aaron Copeland’s Birthday (1900)

Claude Monet’s Birthday (1840)

Condoleeza Rice's Birthday (1954)

Brian Keith's Birthday (1921)

Loosen Up, Lighten Up Day

National Girls Day

National Teddy Bear Day

Operating Room Nurse Day

Prince Charles' Birthday (1948)

Spicy Guacamole Day

William Steig's Birthday (1907)

World Diabetes Day

World Orphans Day

November 15th

America Recycles Day

Ed Asner’s Birthday (1929)

Georgia O'Keefe's Birthday (1887)

I Love to Write Day

National Bundt Pan Day

National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day

National Philanthropy Day

Pack Your Mom Lunch Day

Robert Cavalli's Birthday (1940)

November 16th

Button Day

Have a Party with your Bear Day

International Day for Tolerance

National Educational Support Professionals Day

Prematurity Awareness Day

Quit Smoking Day

November 17th

Electronic Greeting Card Day

GIS Day

Great American Smokeout

Guiness World Record Day

Homemade Bread Day

Lee Strasberg's Birthday (1901)

Martin Scorcese’s Birthday (1942)

National Family Volunteer Day

Rock Hudson’s Birthday (1925)

Take A Hike Day

Unfriend Day

Use Less Stuff Day

World Peace Day

November 18th

Christian Siriano's Birthday (1985)

Margaret Atwood's Birthday (1939)

Mickey Mouse Day

Occult Day

Owen Wilson’s Birthday (1968)

Push-Button Phone Day

William Gilbert’s Birthday (1836)

William Tell Day

World COPD Day

November 19th

Calvin Klein's Birthday (1942)

Equal Opportunity Day

Have a Bad Day Day

Gettysburg Address Delivered by President Lincoln in 1863

Indira Gandhi's Birthday (1911)

Meg Ryan's Birthday (1961)

National Adoption Day

National Family Volunteer Day

National Survivors of Suicide Day

Pencil Day

Play Monopoly Day

Pop Tarts created in 1965

Rocco DiSpirito’s Birthday (1956)

Tommy Dorsey’s Birthday (1905)

World Toilet Day

November 20th

Absurdity Day

Beautiful Day

Cat Days

Children’s Day

Edwin Hubble’s Birthday (1889)

Mexican Revolution Day

Name Your PC Day

Peanut Butter Fudge Day

Richard Dawson’s Birthday (1932)

Time Card Clock Invented in 1888

Traffic Light Day

Universal Children’s Day

World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims

November 21st

Beaver Moon

Dave Hignite’s (My Husband) Birthday (1961)

False Confession Day

Harold Ramis’ Birthday (1944)

Marlo Thomas' Birthday (1943)

Pumpkin Pie Day

Voltaire's Birthday (1694)

World Hello Day

World Television Day

November 22nd

Abigail Adams’ Birthday (1744)

Go for a Ride Day

Hoagy Carmichael’s Birthday (1899)

Humane Society Anniversary Day

Jamie Lee Curtis’ Birthday (1958)

Start Your Own Country Day

Stop the Violence Day

Thanksgiving Dinner 101 Day

November 23rd

Boris Karloff's Birthday (1887)

Bruce Hornsby's Birthday (1954)

Dr. Who Day

Eat a Cranberry Day

National Cashew Day

Rick Bayless’ Birthday (1953)

Tie One On Day

You're Welcomegiving Day

November 24th

Arundhati Roy's Birthday (1961)

Celebrate Your Unique Talent Day

Dale Carnegie’s Birthday (1888)

Frances Hodgson Burnett's Birthday (1849)

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's Birthday (1864)

Macy Thanksgiving Day Parade

Scott Joplin’s Birthday (1868)

Shopping Reminder Day

Thanksgiving Day

Turkey-Free Thanksgiving Day

Use Even if the Seal is Broken Day

November 25th

Amy Grant's Birthday (1960)

Black Friday

Blasé Day

Buy Nothing Day

Flossing Day

International Aura Awareness Day

Marc Brown's Birthday (1946)

National American Heritage Day

National Parfait Day

Sinkie Day

You're Welcome Day

November 26th

Charles Schulz's Birthday (1922)

College Fraternity Day

Flossing Day

John Harvard’s Birthday (1607)

Maize Day

MY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Natasha Bedingfield’s Birthday (1981)

National Cake Day

November 27th

Buffalo Bob Smith's Birthday (1917)

First Sunday of Advent

Jimi Hendrix's Birthday (1942)

Manalo Blahnik's Birthday (1942)

National Day of Listening

Pie in the Face Day

Pins and Needles Day

November 28th

Cyber Monday

Ed Harris’ Birthday (1950)

John Bunyan’s Birthday (1628)

John Galliano's Birthday (1960)

Jon Stewart’s Birthday (1962)

Make Your Own Head Day

Polaroid Camera Day

Red Planet Day

William Blake's Birthday (1757)

November 29th

Busby Berkeley’s Birthday (1895)

C S Lewis' Birthday (1898)

Chuck Mangione's Birthday (1940)

Electronic Greetings Day

Garry Shandling's Birthday (1949)

Louisa May Alcott’s Birthday (1832)

Square Dance Day

Turkey Leftover Day

November 30th

Ben Stiller's Birthday (1965)

Computer Security Day

David Mamet’s Birthday (1947)

Dick Clark's Birthday (1929)

Jonathan Swift's Birthday (1667)

Lucy Maud Montgomery's Birthday (1874)

Mark Twain's Birthday (1835)

National Meth Awareness Day

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Day

Sacher Torte Day (also in December)

Sir Winston Churchill's Birthday (1874)

Stay At Home Because You're Well Day

With thanks as always to Jane Hignite

Ann Schach CASE - The reveal!

2011-10-30T05:25:00.000-04:00

Welcome back! If you were here yesterday, it's good to "see" you again - LOL! I know you're here for the card you peeked at yesterday, so here you go:

I stamped the trees in Black Staz-On because I used my blender pen and inks to colour in the trees. The Black Staz-On means the ink won't run!

I used Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede and More Mustard to colour the trees. The sentiment was stamped using the direct to rubber technique (that's where you use markers to colour directly onto the stamp - it allows you to use different colours on the same image).

I used the same mattes as Ann, but I opted for a Lucky Limeade card base instead of the white.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Polar Party, Season of Joy
INK: Black Staz-On, Soft Suede, More Mustard, Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive
PAPERS: Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Lucky Limeade
ACCESSORIES: Blender Pens, Markers, Punch, Basic Pearls

Happy Stampin'!

An Ann Schach CASE - but only a peek!

2011-10-29T05:15:00.001-04:00

Today's card comes courtesy of the lovely and talented Ann Schach. She has a relatively new feature on her blog in which she creates a card in under 45 minutes. She calls it "From me to you in..." and the number of minutes it took to create the card. Earlier this week, she created this card and I knew I would have to CASE it (that's Copy And Share Everything to the uninitiated). I've CASE'd a couple of Ann's cards. Can't help it!

Here's a little peek my version:

It's almost EXACTLY the same except that I forgot to use Stampin' Dimensionals on the image panel (OOPS!) and I didn't have the same sentiment, so I went with the one from Season of Joy instead.

Would you like to see the REST of the card? I WAS going to post it JUST to my Canadian Blossoms blog (my team blog), but I think I'll be nice to you - LOL!

Come back tomorrow for the full reveal! My downline Diana is having HER first downline meeting and this is the swap card everyone will be receiving. I don't want to ruin the surprise!

Happy Stampin'!

TIME'S UP!!!

2011-10-28T06:05:00.037-04:00

Well...maybe not QUITE yet, but it's getting down to the wire!

Today is October 28th. That means that counting today you only have FOUR. MORE. DAYS. to take advantage of the Stampin' UP! AMAZING October promotion.

If you join my team between now and Monday at 6:00 PM EST, not only will you get the AMAZING starter kit which is valued at $425 for the low, low, bargain basement price of $215, you'll ALSO get a BIG SHOT. FOR. FREE. Yes...FREE!!!! If you already HAVE a Big Shot, that's not a problem, because Stampin' UP! will let you choose $125 in FREE product instead!

And...as an added bonus, I'll GIVE you the die that created this little gem:

That means that your $215 (no tax OR shipping) will now get you almost $600 worth of stamping goodness!! And you'll have a die with which you can start creating RIGHT AWAY.

But WAIT! There's more!!! Let's say you LOVE the idea of getting all that stamping goodness, but don't want to do this as a business the way I do. No problem! I'll buy your business supplies back from you for the equivalent of $30 in merchandise that I'll order for you.

Sound too good to be true? It's not! There are NO stamping police. No one will come to your house and repossess your stamping goodies if you don't place another order, no one will call you bad names because you don't want to make a business of this...NONE of that will happen!

What WILL happen is that you'll be joining an amazing team of demonstrators who love and support each other. You'll receive a handstamped card from me EVERY month that you remain active as a demonstrator (that means placing a $400 order every three months to renew your demonstrator benefits). You'll get to attend Canadians, INK! team meetings and see NEW products before any customers. You'll also get to attend convention and other Stampin' UP! events if you choose.

So, really...it's a win/win situation. What are you waiting for? There's less than 96 hours left in this AWESOME deal! I can't WAIT till you join my team!

A Stepped Up ATC

2011-10-27T08:20:00.005-04:00

With Leadership just 82 sleeps away (I KNOW!), I've decided to get to work on some of my swaps. Now, I realize that you think 82 sleeps is quite a long time (I mean, it's almost 3 months!), but if you saw my calendar, you'd understand. It's pretty much packed between now and Christmas. So far, I have three craft fairs, 4 classes and two workshops booked. Yeah...

Of course, this is all GREAT for business...not so great on trying to squeeze in time to prepare for events!

And, just because I'm nuts, I've signed up for the San Antonio Regionals which will be happening right after Leadership. You know what that means? MORE swaps to prepare...and they have to be DIFFERENT than Leadership swaps.

One of the swaps I joined is Barb Welch's ATC swap. Now, you'll need to be a registered demonstrator to see that link within SplitCoast Stampers. All you need to do is put in a request with your demo id #. The directions to join the "demo side" are very easy to follow.

Anyway...here is the ATC I created for the swap:

An ATC is an Artist Trading Card. There are NO rules in creating these except that the finished size can be no bigger than 2 1/2" x 3 1/2".

So, I started off with a base of Basic Grey and then added a layer of Pool Party and Domestic Goddess Designer Series Paper. My next layer is a folded piece of Whisper White on which I wrote my Nanny's shortbread recipe. Want it? You'll have to join Barb's swap!

My very top layer is another piece of Whisper White stamped with the A la Carte Now You're Cookin' stamp. I edged the Whisper White by rubbing it on the Calypso Coral Ink Pad and attached to the front using Stampin' Dimensionals. A little piece of ribbon adds just the right finishing touch.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Now You're Cookin'

INK: Calypso Coral

PAPERS: Basic Grey, Pool Party and Whisper White Cardstock; Domestic Goddess DSP

ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Glue Dots, Marker, Stampin' Dimensionals, Basic Rhinestones

Happy Stampin'!

It's Wednesday! That must mean STAMPIN' QUEENS!

2011-10-26T02:40:00.006-04:00

Happy Wednesday friends! What's on tap for you today? Will you have time for some stamping fun? I sure hope so!

Here's today's Stampin' Queens card:

Do you love it??

I had some leftover 3 x 3 Love Notes from a pack that is a few years old...no, I don't remember how old - OOPS! It had some Rose Red Love Notes in it, so that was my jumping off point. Next, I consulted my Colour Coach (WHAT? You DON'T have one? Contact me today and we'll take of that!) and matched up my Rose Red with Not Quite Navy and River Rock.

I stamped the Eiffel Tower image from Artistic Etchings onto Very Vanilla Cardstock after stamping it off (I wanted a lighter image) and layered all my pieces before tying the Very Vanilla Taffeta bow around them all. I then added the stack to the card base.

I stamped the sentiment in Not Quite Navy onto Very Vanilla and punched it out using the large oval punch. It was then matted onto a piece of Not Quite Navy Cardstock, punched with the scallop oval punch. I adhered it to the front of the card using Stampin' Dimensionals and added Basic Pearls for the finishing touch.

I stamped the Eiffel Tower in Rose Red on the envelope so that it would match the card.

Here's the sketch on which the card was based:

I hope you'll play along with us this week! We'd LOVE to see your work!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Artistic Etchings, Occasions Alphabet
INK: Rose Red, Not Quite Navy
PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Rose Red, River Rock and Not Quite Navy Cardstock
ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Punches, Basic Pearls, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

A peek at the Stampin' Queens

2011-10-25T10:35:00.002-04:00

It's Tuesday and that means sneak peek day for the Stampin' Queens!

I am SO excited about this one since it's my 3 x 3 swap card for San Antonio Leadership!

Come back for another visit tomorrow and see the full card...AND envelope! I just KNOW you're going to love it!

Down to the wire for Freshly Made Sketches

2011-10-24T13:20:00.003-04:00

It would seem that I like cutting things close - LOL!

Today is the last day in which to participate in this week's Freshly Made Sketches. I would have done it earlier, but my Caroline and I were busy at the Creativ Festival all weekend! Did we see YOU there? If so, leave a comment and say hi!

Here's today's card:

It's for a VERY special friend of mine who is once again in hospital. It just breaks my heart, especially since she JUST. GOT. OUT.

She was admitted a few minutes before her 6th birthday on Saturday night (her birthday was Sunday), so this is a little late. I know she'll love it because her mom says these are her favourite colours and she likes sparkle!

I started off with a Pretty in Pink base and added a piece of Pretty in Pink Designer Series Paper. Next was a piece of Whisper White (I'm no longer out - LOL!) and a piece of Wisteria Wonder on which I stamped "It's your day" from the Happiest Birthday Wishes Hostess Set. The sentiment was stamped using Wisteria Wonder on Whisper White and punched out using the wide oval punch. I adhered it using dimensionals and then added some sparkle with Silver Glimmer Paper and Basic Rhinestones.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Happiest Birthday Wishes
INK: Wisteria Wonder
PAPERS: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink and Wisteria Wonder Cardstock; Pretty in Pink DSP; Silver Glimmer Paper
ACCESSORIES: Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Basic Rhinestones

Happy Stampin'!

It's Wednesday! That must mean STAMPIN' QUEENS!

2011-10-19T02:30:00.016-04:00

Good morning friends! This week's card is SPECIAL because it's actually going in the mail - LOL! Cristena's (THE Stampin' Queen) birthday is this week and one of our designers asked if we could make our cards this week as birthday cards for Cristena. No easy task I tell you as I am in FULL ON Christmas mode with still FOUR more Christmas classes to teach and THREE craft fairs in which to participate in the next 9 weeks - YIKES!

But, for Cristena, I took a break from Christmas and created this:

On the left hand side, I was going for the faux vellum technique. I'm not quite sure I mastered it, but I like the look. You can't REALLY see the stamp on the right as I used Pool Party and stamped off before stamping on the card. I used the "En Français" stamp (one of my FAVOURITE background stamps!)

For the focal image, I used the large flower from Array of Sunshine and stamped it three times, cutting out each "layer" and adhering them with Stampin' Dimensionals.

I'm still LOVING the Spice Cake Designer Series Paper so I had to use it - LOL! Just a small piece though...it's only available till January 3rd, so I plan on ordering more and HOARDING IT!!!

The sentiment was stamped using Island Indigo.

I added a ribbon down the left hand side, like in the sketch:

What do you think?

STAMPS: Bring on the Cake, Array of Sunshine (Hostess Set), En Français
INK: Pool Party, Pear Pizzazz, Island Indigo
PAPERS: Very Vanilla Cardstock and Spice Cake DSP
ACCESSORIES: Sponges, Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

A Peek at the Stampin' Queens

2011-10-18T05:45:00.006-04:00

Can you believe it's TUESDAY again already?? Time for a peek at the Stampin' Queens!

I took a break from Christmas cards this week to make a special BIRTHDAY card for someone.

Come back tomorrow to see the whole card and to whom the card will be mailed.

Happy Stampin'!

Time to make the cookies!

2011-10-17T15:55:00.000-04:00

Christmas Cards - FREE Cutting Service

2011-10-14T11:25:00.001-04:00

Here's the deal: From now until November 15th when you order ALL of the supplies from ME needed to create a Christmas Card you've seen on my blog, I'll save you the task of cutting the cardstock and Designer Series Paper.

When I deliver your order, all of your cardstock and paper from your chosen card design will be ready to assemble, cut to size.

Here's just one choice:

I saw this card on Pinterest and I'm pretty sure the original designer was Janine Tinkleberg. I loved it so MUCH, I had to CASE it. Now...I didn't have ALL of the colours Janine used (because I'd already used them up for OTHER cards that we'll be making this weekend), so I had to modify the design just a bit.

This card uses a Cherry Cobbler base with a Marina Mist layer. The Designer Series Paper comes from the Frostwood Lodge pack found in the Holiday Mini.

After weaving and attaching the paper, I stamped the stocking from Stitched Stockings and punched it out. I also stamped the toe, heel and top of the stocking, punched them out and adhered them to the stocking base using glue dots. The stocking builder punch makes it SO easy!

The next step was the jingle bell - no small feat! If you're coming to class on Saturday (that's TOMORROW!), I'll have them already strung for you - PHEW! After stringing the jingle bell, I punched a small hole in the stocking and put the string through that before tying the knot.

I tied a bow using the Cherry Cobbler Quilted Ribbon and attached it using a glue dot. The stocking was adhered using Stampin' Dimensionals.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Stitched Stockings, Sincere Salutations
INK: Cherry Cobbler, Marina Mist
PAPERS: Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler and Marina Mist Cardstock; Frostwood Lodge DSP
ACCESSORIES: Quilted Ribbon, Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Baker's Twine

Happy Stampin'!

FREE BIG SHOT!!!

2011-10-13T19:40:00.002-04:00

Yes, you read that right! Stampin' UP! is giving YOU a FREE BIG SHOT when you join my team this month! This truly IS the BEST month to join Stampin' UP!

What can the big shot do? Well...it slices, it dices, it purees...

Ummm...nevermind. It does, however cut and...

Emboss! See those snowflakes running along the bottom and up the right hand side? I ran the Very Vanilla cardstock layer through the Big Shot using the Northern Flurry Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. PHEW! That's a lot of words for something that in the end = CUTE!

The card above is one I found on the internet, but I can't remember where. If it's yours, PLEASE let me know so I can give you proper credit!

After embossing the Very Vanilla Cardstock, I used Crumb Cake Ink to stamp two of the snowflakes in the top left corner.

The tree was stamped in Always Artichoke on Very Vanilla and matted on a piece of Crumb Cake before being attached to the front of the card using Stampin' Dimensionals.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Snow Swirled
INK: Always Artichoke, Crumb Cake
PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake and Always Artichoke Cardstock
ACCESSORIES: Embossing Folder, Seam Binding, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

It's Wednesday! That must mean STAMPIN' QUEENS!

2011-10-12T02:25:00.001-04:00

Did you like my sneak peek from yesterday? If you did, you're going to LOVE the full card. Even my hubby liked it! LOL!

But first, the sketch:

I was a bit baffled at first, because it didn't seem like there was meant to be a focal image of sorts. But, since I still had my Christmas Lodge set out from Monday's card, I decided to go with that.

And here's what I came up with:

My jumping off point (oddly enough) was a piece of Always Artichoke cardstock. I know...weird. But, I had a small stack of pre-cut 5 1/2 x 8 1/2" Always Artichoke card bases sitting around and I can't for the life of me remember why I had them. So, I decided to use them for the layer under the Very Vanilla and on top of my Cherry Cobbler card base. These two colours together make for such a classic Christmas combination, don't you think?

I stamped the main image on Very Vanilla and then spirtzed it with my Spritzer Tool (thanks Ann!) using my Always Artichoke marker.

I then added a layer of Always Artichoke and Cherry Cobbler which I first punched using the Scallop Border Punch. I added a piece of Always Artichoke Seam Binding and adhered the layers to the card base.

To finish things off, I stamped the the sentiment in Cherry Cobbler on Very Vanilla and hand cut it out before adhering it to the front of the card using Stampin' Dimensionals (of course!)

What do you think? If you LOVE this card, we'll be making it on Saturday at my 10 card Christmas class. There's still space! For just $30, you'll create 10 unique Christmas cards.

STAMPS: Christmas Lodge
INK: Cherry Cobbler, River Rock
PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler
ACCESSORIES: Punches, Seam Binding Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Colour Spritzer

Happy Stampin'!

A Peek at the Stampin' Queens

2011-10-11T17:25:00.000-04:00

It's Tuesday again! WHERE does the time go? Before you know it, Christmas will be here!

Today's sneak peek features the same stamp set I used yesterday in CASEing the talented Ann Schach.

Here you go:

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for the FULL reveal and to participate in the sketch challenge. I can't WAIT to see what YOU create!

Happy Stampin'!

A Christmas Lodge CASE

2011-10-10T12:55:00.001-04:00

When I saw this card by the lovely and talented Ann Schach, I just KNEW that I would have to CASE it. I mean, it's GORGEOUS! How could you NOT? Ann's blog is one I stalk regularly...probably just as often as I stalk Patty Bennett - LOL! I just had to wait for my Christmas Lodge set to arrive so I could get to work!

Here's my version of Ann's card:

I started off with the same base and even used all the same layers! I don't have the Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder (YET!), so I just went with my Cherry Cobbler Classic Ink. I even took out my Colour Spritzer, in a classic Ann way, and went to town. Now I know why Ann likes her Colour Spritzer tool SO much - what a fabulous effect!!

I chose a different sentiment (mine is from Teeny Tiny Wishes) and added a pearl before adding it to the front of the card.

Check out those LAYERS!!! Layers add SO much to a card and they're SO easy to do! For the layers under the main image, I used Early Espresso, Brushed Gold and Cherry Cobbler.

LOVE this card? I'm all out of Early Espresso cardstock at the moment and won't be able to order any in time for this Saturday's class, so look for this card in my November 10 Card Christmas Class + Card Keeper on November 26th beginning at 3 p.m. This is one class you WON'T want to miss!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Christmas Lodge. Teeny Tiny Wishes
INK: Cherry Cobbler, River Rock, Soft Suede
PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso and Brushed Gold Cardstock.
ACCESSORIES: Soft Suede Marker, Colour Spritzer, Square Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Basic Pearls

Happy Stampin'!

Simply Sent is the Simple Way to Start Stamping!

2011-10-07T05:35:00.000-04:00

And for the month of October whenever you purchase any TWO Simply Sent Kits, you'll be able to choose a FREE stamp set from the ones listed below.

Page	Item	Description	Price
192	122375	Simply Sent Great Day	$15.95
193	122377	Simply Sent Everyday Elegance	$14.95
193	122376	Simply Sent Sweet Moments	$16.95

And get a FREE coordinating stamp set:

Page	Item	Description	Price
192	123682	It's Your Day	$10.95
192	124685	Es tu día (Spanish It's Your day)	$10.95
192	124800	C'est ta fête (French It's Your Day)	$10.95
193	123686	Everyday Wishes	$11.95
193	123684	You're Cherished	$10.95
193	124865	Chérissons les anges (French You're Cherished)	$10.95

It's time to get stamping! What are YOU waiting for?

Merry MOJO Monday on a Thursday!

2011-10-06T06:20:00.001-04:00

Say THAT ten times fast - LOL!

As you may have noticed, this week I've been playing with Pennant Parade, Pear Pizzazz and Riding Hood Red. Today is no exception.

Today is also:

Bald and Free Day
Come and Take It Day
Ecological Debt Day
Mad Hatter Day
National German-American Day
Physicians Assistant Day

And you thought you had nothing to celebrate!

Here's my Merry MOJO card:

Though the photo may indicate otherwise, I can assure the you that the "red" DSP is indeed Riding Hood Red and that the "green" DSP is indeed Pear Pizzazz. It's that darn iPhone camera again!

I started off with a Riding Hood Red base and added a piece of polka-dot Riding Hood Red DSP over a layer of Whisper White. Next came the layer of Pear Pizzazz DSP with the scalloped border of Pear Pizzazz cardstock. ANOTHER layer of Riding Hood Red DSP atop a piece of Whisper White is the centre panel.

My image is done just like yesterday's! I stamped the tree base in Soft Suede on Whisper White and punched it out using my 1 3/4" circle punch then stamped, punched out and adhered the tree image using Stampin' Dimensionals.

The sentiment also copies yesterday's. I figure, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" and it's working for me!

Tomorrow is another day and I still have all that stamping goodness out on my table. I'm debating using it AGAIN. Or should I change things up?

What do you think?

STAMPS: Pennant Parade
INKS: Soft Suede, Riding Hood Red, Pear Pizzazz
PAPERS: Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz and Riding Hood Red Cardstock; Pear Pizzazz and Riding Hood Red DSP
ACCESSORIES: Punches, Ribbon, Bakers Twine, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

It's time for another Stampin' Queen's Sketch!

2011-10-05T02:30:00.017-04:00

Happy Wednesday! Are you ready for this week's Stampin' Queens Sketch? We'd all LOVE for you to play along with us!

Here's our sketch for the week:

And here's my take on it:

I had my Pennant Parade as well as Riding Hood Red and Pear Pizzazz out on the table from the card I did on Monday, so I decided to just keep playing with that.

I started off with a Riding Hood Red base and added a layer of Whisper White on which I sponged some Riding Hood Red Ink because the white was just too stark for my liking. I added a piece of Riding Hood Red Designer Series Paper to that and then moved on to the Pear Pizzazz.

I used a piece of Pear Pizzazz Cardstock which I punched using the Scallop Border Punch and added a piece of Pear Pizzazz DSP on top. I adhered the Pear Pizzazz goodness to the Riding Hood Red and then tied the ribbons around before adding it all to the card base with a WHOLE BUNCH of Stampin' Dimensionals.

For the focal image, I stamped the tree base on Whisper White and then punched it out using the 1 3/4" circle punch. I also used a sponge with Riding Hood Red Ink on this piece.

I stamped the tree in Pear Pizzazz and punched it out, then adhered it to the circle using Stampin' Dimensionals.

I added the circle to a piece of Riding Hood Red Cardstock punched with the large (2 3/8") scalloped circle punch and then adhered it all to the card front using MORE Stampin' Dimensionals.

I stamped the sentiment in Soft Suede and punched it out using the Jewelry Tag Punch. After adding a piece of Baker's Twine, I attached it to the front of the card using a glue dot.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Pennant Parade
INKS: Soft Suede, Pear Pizzazz
PAPERS: Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz and Riding Hood Red Cardstock; Pear Pizzazz and Riding Hood Red DSP
ACCESSORIES: Punches, Baker's Twine, Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

A peek at the Stampin' Queens

2011-10-04T05:25:00.002-04:00

Happy Tuesday Friends! It's time for the Stampin' Queens Sneak Peak:

You're just going to LOVE this week's sketch!

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for the full reveal!

Procrastination is an art form...

2011-10-03T11:40:00.003-04:00

If that's true, I must be an artistic genius - LOL! I guess it's not so much procrastination as not enough hours in the day. Of course, if I'm REALLY honest it's TOO many hours spent surfing stamping sites and not enough time creating. That's THE real culprit - LOL!

Anyway, today is the last day for Freshly Made Sketches - Week 4:

When I first saw the sketch, I had a BASIC idea of what I wanted to do. That all got tossed out the window when I went to help my downline Diana with her VERY well attended Stamp-a-Stack. She had 17 (!) people there and they all made 12 cards. Her organization was AMAZING. I think she just missed me...she didn't REALLY need the help!

It's all good though...we just ate and chatted - LOL!

Diana's Stamp-a-Stack featured Christmas cards and while the card below isn't one the ladies made, I decided to go with a Christmas theme. You'll probably see a LOT of that coming up as I have no less than FOUR Christmas card/project classes and THREE craft fairs in which I'll be participating between now and the second week of December. Can you say BUSY?

Here's my take on the sketch:

I started off with the tag since that was the focal image of the sketch (at least it was to me!) and took out my Pennant Parade Stamp Set. I just love how versatile this set is - so many options! The tree base is stamped in Soft Suede and the top is stamped in Pear Pizzazz on Whisper White and punched out using the Petite Pennants Builder Punch. It was adhered to the tag using Stampin' Dimensionals.

To the tag I added a double layer of Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding tied with a length of White Bakers Twine.

I then chose a green button from the Holly Berry Bouquet button collection which can be found in the Holiday Mini and attached a jewelry tag stamped with Merry to it using White Bakers Twine. It was adhered to the card using a glue dot.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Pennant Parade
INKS: Pear Pizzazz, Garden Green, Soft Suede
PAPERS: Whisper White and Riding Hood Red Cardstock; Riding Hood Red and Pear Pizzazz DSP
ACCESSORIES: Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding, White Bakers Twine, Holly Berry Bouquet Designer Buttons, Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals, Glue Dots

Happy Stampin'!

Handstamped from the Heart

There's a blog tour coming!!!

While I was away...

Delightfully Digital

Have you Sale-a-Brated yet?

Everything Eleanor for the Stampin' Queens!

Sneak Peek at the Stampin' Queens!

Sale-a-Brate by joining the Canadian Blossoms!

A quick peek at Leadership!

Edgelits!

OOPS! What's the opposite...

Bordering on Romance for the Stampin' Queens!

Thoughts of You - Twitterpated

Delightfully Digital!

Packed for Mom - Freshly Made

I did it myyyyyyyyyyyy wayyyyyyyyy!

Thanks so much!

Bring on the Cake - CASE

Leadership Colours!

Can you just IMAGINE?

Delightfully Digital!

Time's UP!!!

Flower Fancy for the Stampin' Queens

A peek at the Stampin' Queens

Only a couple days left!

Let's Get This Party Started!!!

Bring on the Bling Baby! It's gonna be a GREAT year!

Bring on the Cake from the Stampin' UP! website

BREAKING NEWS!!!

Garden Green for the Stampin' Queens!

Stocking Builder Punch

A peek at the Stampin' Queens

January Team Cards

This is only a test

Caged Birds for the Stampin' Queens!

Doing the Mojo with CCMC in Basic Poppy Limeade

It's Wednesday! That must mean STAMPIN' QUEENS!

Peekin' at the Stampin' Queens!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

It's December 1st - Let's Get STAMPIN'!!!

It's Wednesday! That must mean STAMPIN' QUEENS!

Frostwood Lodge - It's not just for Christmas Cards

Stampin' Queens Sneak Peek!

Are you ready for THIS??

It's Wednesday! That must mean STAMPIN' QUEENS!

It's good to be back - with a peek at the Stampin' Queens!

MDS Monday - Brigid

Today's the day!

It's a BLOG HOP - SUDSOL STYLE!

CONTINUE on the Blog Tour

SUDSOL

Teresa Hafso

Something happy this way comes!!!

It's Wednesday! That must mean STAMPIN' QUEENS!

A Peek at the Stampin' Queens

It's November 1st - Let's get stamping!

Ann Schach CASE - The reveal!

An Ann Schach CASE - but only a peek!

TIME'S UP!!!

A Stepped Up ATC

It's Wednesday! That must mean STAMPIN' QUEENS!

A peek at the Stampin' Queens

Down to the wire for Freshly Made Sketches

It's Wednesday! That must mean STAMPIN' QUEENS!

A Peek at the Stampin' Queens

Time to make the cookies!

Christmas Cards - FREE Cutting Service

FREE BIG SHOT!!!

It's Wednesday! That must mean STAMPIN' QUEENS!

A Peek at the Stampin' Queens

A Christmas Lodge CASE

Simply Sent is the Simple Way to Start Stamping!

Merry MOJO Monday on a Thursday!

It's time for another Stampin' Queen's Sketch!

A peek at the Stampin' Queens

Procrastination is an art form...