Gone with the Wind.....

St. Louis style.  We made national news because of the tornado (or tornadoes) that swept through the area.  It isn't the best way to make the headlines.  So many lives were dramatically changed in an instant.  We were very lucky, especially considering the amount of destruction that occurred only two blocks from our home!  (Somebody up there was watching over us!)  We lost power Fri night around 8 pm.  It wasn't restored until Mon at 11:15 am.  I was on the porch reading and a couple of neighbors were chatting when the electricity came back on.  We were all doing the happy dance!  Being without power sure was inconvenient, but a small price to pay considering so many families no longer have a home!  It's a miracle that there were no fatalities and only minor injuries!  Another incredible fact is that Lambert Airport, which had extensive damage, was up and running again by Sun.  So many communities and work crews have come together in our time of need.   What a wonderful country we live in!

I mentioned in my last post that I'd show photos of our teams April challenge to alter an empty brad container.  So, here they are.  Everyone did a fantastic job - and each one is different!  We have some very creative team members.  (Plus we have a great time when we get together - and we all enjoy Mexican food and margaritas!)

Patty's

Mary Ellen's

Jayne's (sneak peek of the new paper)

Pam's

Kristine's

Don's (Patty's husband)

Isn't this clever how his bunny is supported on the feet - on a "grassy area" with jellybeans?  Too cute!  Don is so supportive of Patty's business.  He even gives us tips!  We kid him all the time that he should sign up as a Demo.  He's so cute.  We started calling him our mascot.  When we had T-shirts made up for the team, Patty had one made for him.  I'm not sure if he knew she was doing that.  The photo below shows him (and us) sporting our awesome new "Pieces of Heart" shirts.

(L-R) Patty, Jayne, Judy, Mary Ellen, Pam (barely!), Kristine, and our Mascot - Don

(L-R) Patty, Jayne, Judy, Mary Ellen, Pam, Kristine, and Don

Our next get together will be at Patty & Don's house to work on our individual swaps for a local Celebrate Summer Demo event we'll be attending on May 14.  Rumor has it that Don will be manning the blender to whip up some of his famous smoothies.  Hmmmm - stay tuned!
Must run... lots to do to get caught up from our power outage and to get ready for a girls weekend.  Thanks for stopping in today.  Please keep the families who were affected by the storm in your prayers!  (We have forecasts of more severe weather this week.)

The Challenge

Hi there!  Real quick post so I can get to bed.  I promised to show you my Demo challenge project which incorporates the brads/buttons containers Pam gave us last month.  I chose to make a bunny since it's almost Easter.  Most of his parts are made from punches.  I just sliced some super thin strips in the trimmer for his whiskers,  glued on some googly eyes, and added a pom pom for his tail.  A piece of our White Satin ribbon decorates the container (you can still get to the jelly beans inside).

Does my butt look big? LOL

So that is my project.  Hopefully, I'll have photos of the other projects on Thu.  Thanks for looking.  Have a great hump day - the weekend is almost here!

A Shady Past

Hi there.  Did that get your attention? lol  Today I was blurfing (surfing blogs) and came across Heather Klump's cute card posted Mar 11.  When I saw those lamps on her card, Artistic Etchings and Create a Cupcake stamp sets danced through my head like Sugar Plum Fairies.  I immediately got busy to put those images on paper!  The key stamp from Artistic Etchings was inked up with the More Mustard marker to make the "lamp bases".  I stamped the "shades" by using the cupcake bottom stamp from Create a Cupcake  on scrap White in three different colors, then cut them out (yeah, cut - forgot about using the punch. Duh!)  The More Mustard embossed piece was from a previous project that got tossed in the scrap bin.  You just never know when those scraps can be used!  The sentiment is, of course, hand written.  (The next card will have a computer generated sentiment since my lettering tends to slant uphill.)  The inside belated sentiment is from the On Your Birthday set.  So, thanks Heather for the inspiration.  Here is my creation.

Recipe
Stamps: Artistic Etchings, Create a Cupcake, On Your Birthday
Paper: Pacific Point, Cherry Cobbler, More Mustard, Whisper White
Ink: Pacific Point, Cherry Cobbler, More Mustard
Other: Square Lattice embossing folder

It's been a busy day in the stamp room.  Not only did I make the above card, worked on my upcoming Stamp Camp projects, but also worked on a Demo challenge.  I'll post photos of that project after our Demo dinner meeting tomorrow - uh later tonight since it's now past midnight.  (Margaritaville here I come!)  Pam has challenged us to alter the round container that brads, buttons, etc come in.  These monthly challenges all started with our trip to Regional in Branson.   Jayne challenged us to alter a notebook that she gave to each of us.  My photos of the altered notebooks didn't turn out too well. (You know I'm not a photographer!)   I'll see if I can find some photos to post of our first challenge.
But for now, this Stamper needs to get to bed!   Thanks for stopping in today.

A Taxing Day .....

Hi there and happy Friday!  Hope you have your taxes completed by now - or at least by Mon - the extended deadline.  (What's up with that anyway?)  It's always good to get tax season behind ya, huh?  Before you know it, it'll be Christmas again.  Time just flies by at what seems like break neck speed!
OK, enough about taxes and Christmas.  Let's move on to the card for today.  It's a wedding card that was CASE'd from Pam D'Urso (my friend and awesome upline).  Check out her card here (Mar 29th post).  Pam was inspired by Jan Tink.   I didn't have any of the specialty paper they used so I made my own.  Oh, so clever!  The swirl stamp from the "Elements of Style" set was used in a random pattern on Whisper White cardstock using Versamark ink, then heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  The bells are made from the Round Tab and Wide Oval punches. (You can also use a circle punch to round off the tops of the bells.)   The Swirls Scribbles Sizzlet die was used for the curly clappers.  Some Organza and Pearls dress it up very nicely.

Recipe (Stampin' Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Elements of Style, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: White, Basic Gray
Ink: Versamark, Basic Black
Tools: Round Tab punch, Wide Oval punch, Word Window punch,
Modern Label punch, Swirls Scribbles Sizzlet die
Other: Clear embossing powder, White 5/8" Organza ribbon, Basic Pearls, dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today and have a great weekend!

A Masculine Card

Hi there.  Thought I'd share a masculine card I made for my brother's birthday.  The background was made by sponging on color then stamping the image in black.  I wanted the grass to extend along the bottom length of the focal piece.  To do this, I inked up the grass portion of the stamp and "eyeballed" it - using scrap paper to cover the tree and background area as an added precaution against an unwanted image.  The Nature Silhouettes set is a great set for those men and outdoorsy people in your life.  My brother lives in CO and hunts so this card is perfect for him.
After seeing the card here, it looks a little too plain - maybe a sentiment in the upper right corner would help.  Need to fix that before mailing. LOL!

Recipe (All Stampin Up! supplies)
Stamps: Nature Silhouettes
Ink: Bashful Blue, Night of Navy, Perfect Plum, Black
Paper: Bashful Blue, Black

Thanks for stopping in today!

What a Deal - Grab Bags of Discontinued Stampin' Up! Products!!!

 

$5, $10, and $15 Grab Bags!! 

Beginning April 1, and continuing while supplies last, you will be able to purchase special "grab bags" in my Online Store. These grab bags will come in three sizes: the $5, the $10, and the $15 grab bag. Each bag will contain a variety of discontinued products that could include a combination of any of the following: ribbons, Accents & Elements, chipboard, Designer Series Papers, and Simply Sent kit components. Grab bags will not contain stamp sets or tools.  Please click on the Stampin' Up! logo on the top right side bar to go to my SU! web site to order.

Please keep the following in mind:

• Grab bag orders can only be placed in my Online Store: http://www.pamdurso.stampinup.net
• There is no minimum purchase required to participate in the grab bag special offer.
• There is no limit to the number of grab bags you may purchase; however, grab bag items are only available while supplies last.
• All grab bag sales are final. There are no refunds or exchanges.
• Not all grab bags will be unique.
• You should use the following item numbers when ordering grab bags:

Item	Description
125873	$5 Grab Bag (containing at least $20 worth of products!)
125874	$10 Grab Bag (containing at least $40 worth of products!)
125875	$15 Grab Bag (containing at least $60 worth of products!)

Pulling the Wool Over Your Eyes...

April Fools!  It's really the last card from my March Stamp Camp.  This was inspired by www.megastampinstudio.com who was inspired by Lynn Pratt's little sheep box last year.  I just think he's the cutest!  I used the owl punch and a 1/8" hole punch to make his eyes but you could use googlie eyes.

Recipe
Stamps: Something to Celebrate (sentiment)
Paper: White, Black
Ink: Black, Going Gray (retired)
Tools: Oval punches - wide, small, & scallop, Nestability large scallop circle die, Word Window punch, Owl punch, 1/8" hole punch, Finial Press embossing folder, Signo white gel pen

Thanks for stopping in today.  Have a great weekend!