Happy New Year - Soon!

Hi there!  Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Did you gobble til you wobbled?  I know I did!  So now it's the mad rush for the Christmas season.  Speaking of Christmas, that brings us to the last Camp card. If you don't get those Christmas cards made this year, how about a Happy New Year card?  This card showcases the Pennant Parade set, which was used to make the party hat. You can use the same image to make trees - Christmas or just plain trees.  It is such a versitle set.

The hat was stamped in black ink.  Use a glue pen in the white spaces, then sprinkle with Dazzling Diamonds.  The square punch is used to nip out the end of the flag - make sure it's even on both sides and that the point will be in the middle.  I envisioned the circles image from the Circle Circus set to be "tiny bubbles".  Makes me wanna sing (for those of you who remember Don Ho's song).  lol  Anyway, stamp Versamark where you want the gold "bubbles", sprinkle with embossing powder, and heat set.  Repeat this process for the silver circles.

All Stampin' Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted.

Stamps: Circle Circus, Pennant Parade, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper: Black, White

Ink: Black, Versamark

Tools: Heat tool, 3/4” Square punch, Embossing Buddy, paint brush

Other: Gold and Silver embossing powders, Dazzling Diamonds, glue pen, Rhinestones

This is a scheduled post because I'm meeting my stamping friends for breakfast and then we'll head to a crop so we can be there when the doors at 7 a.m. to stamp ALL day!  Crazy, huh?  Yeah, but it's cheaper than therapy - maybe! lol  Some people shop, we stamp.

Have a great weekend and thank you for stopping by! 

Snow Much Fun!

Hi there!  Are you ready for some turkey and dressing?  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday!  We are going to my SIL's.  It's great not to have to do all the cleaning and cooking but sure do miss having the leftovers!  My contribution to the meal is Sweet Potato Casserole, which has become a tradition on that side of the family.  It is so yummy - and low cal.  Yeah, right!  lol
I have another Camp card to share with you.  It can be used for Christmas or as a Winter birthday card.  The Night of Navy background was achieved by using the Northern Flurry embossing folder, then swiping the White craft pad (direct to paper method) over the raised areas.  The snowman is colored with Stampin' Pastels. (I should use these more often!)

Stampin' Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted.

Stamps: Snow Much Fun

Paper: Night of Navy, Whisper White

Ink: Whisper White Craft, Night of Navy (inside), Versamark

Tools: Big Shot, Northern Flurry embossing folder, heat tool,

Other:  Black embossing powder, Embossing Buddy, Stampin’ Pastels,

Q-tips, Dimensionals

I'm stamping with the Wednesday girls!  Be safe in your travels this holiday.  Thank you for stopping by and have a blessed Thanksgiving!

French Foliage Stamp Camp Card

Hi there!  Hope your day is going well.  I have another card from Saturday's Stamp Camp to share with you, which features the French Foliage stamp set.  CASE'd (Copy And Share Everything) this card (scroll down to Oct 30 post) from Julie Gearinger.  Love her style AND this stamp set!   



Stamps: French Foliage (w-120845, c-121166), French Script (retired – use En Francais 109521)

Paper: Island Indigo, Baja Breeze, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White

Ink: Island Indigo, Baja Breeze, Rich Razzleberry

Tools: Big Shot, Brayer, Square Lattice embossing folder, small hole punch
Other:  Rich Razzleberry 1/4” grosgrain ribbon, rhinestone brads (non-SU)

Inspiration: Julie Gearinger  www.stampingwithjuliegearinger.blogspot.com  posted Oct 30, 2011



Don't forget about the Online Extravaganza that is going on until Nov 30th.  There are some great deals!

Must sign off for now.  I have to get dinner before the finale of Dancing With the Stars!  Yep, I'm hooked.  After tonight, life will resume as normal on Mon and Tue nights - whatever normal is.  lol

Thanks for stopping in today!

Holiday Online Extravaganza Begins Today and a Stamp Camp Card

Happy Monday!  Today is the kick-off of the Holiday Online Extravaganza and there are some awesome deals!  The special 24-hour deal includes 20% off the Simply Scored tool and the Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps.  If you want to order either of those (or both) you must have your online order in before 11:59 pm TONIGHT!  The prices for the other items are valid through Nov 30, 2011.  Click here to view all sale items available.  If you don't want to go online to place an order, I'd be happy to do it for you.  I'll be placing an order this evening so please contact me at 314-779-9499 or jsumner731@sbcglobal.net.  Check back for tomorrow's 24-hour special.

How about another Stamp Camp card?  The ladies liked this card but it was a bit challenging to get the fold just right.  No hill for a stepper!  They did great.  Thanks to Valita for her video showing this interesting technique on her blog!

Stampin' Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted.

Stamps: Creative Elements, Elements of Style

Paper: Very Vanilla, Peach Parfait, Old Olive

Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Soft Suede, Old Olive

Tools: Blossom Petal punch, Scallop Trim Corner punch, bone folder, scoring tool, ruler

Other: Post-it Notes, pencil, eraser, sponges, dauber, dimensionsals, acrylic blocks

Inspiration: Valita    www.valitasfreshfolds.blogspot.com  posted 10-20-2009

Thank you for stopping in today.  Have a wonderful evening!

On-Line Extravagana and Stamp Camp Cards

Hi there!  Good News!  Stampin' Up! launches their On-line Extravagana on Monday, Nov 21.  Do your holiday shopping right here - plus get free stuff and great discounts.  Hurry, each special is extremely time-sensitive ... only for a 24 hour period! 

Today I had some wonderful ladies at my Stamp Camp!  It started out as a real challenge but worked out in the end - and that's what counts.  I sooo appreciate their help and being so understanding of the circumstances beyond my control.  Thank you ladies!!!   You are AWESOME!

Here is one of the cards that was made today.  Love the Well Worn DSP.  It's great to use on masculine or vintage cards. 

All Stampin' Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted:

Stamps: Thoughts and Prayers

Paper: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Not Quite Navy, Well Worn DSP

Ink: Early Espresso, Not Quite Navy, Soft Suede (to ink edges)

Tools: Wide Oval (2” x 3/8”) punch, Large Oval (1-3/4”x7/8”) punch, Sizzix Button Sizzlit, poker tool

Other:  Linen Thread, Dimensionals, glue dots

That's it for now - heading to bed.  Thank you for not giving up on me and stopping in today!

Pam's Surprise Farewell Party

Hi there and happy Monday!   Gosh, can you believe next week is Thanksgiving and then all the hustle and bustle begins to get ready for Christmas.  Yikes!  I'm already sick of the Christmas music some of the stations are playing.  Why do they do that???  Let's have Thanksgiving first!

You know how my blog has been neglected lately?  Well I can now share one of the reasons for that.  We were putting together a surprise farewell party for our "inkcredible" leader, Pam D'Urso.  Once we learned of her move date, it was a scramble to organize a party in a short amount of time.  The stars and moon must have been aligned just right because it all fell into place!  We had a good turn out for such short notice.  Our group (Demos, customers, and neighbors) met at Las Fuentas Restaurant.  Megan, Pam's daughter, brought Pam about a half hour later.  Pam was so surprised.  It was great!  Her expression was priceless.  I took pictures but they did not turn out.  (I keep telling you all I'm camera challenged!  Hopefully, I can get pics from someone else to post at a later date.)  Pam will be moving about three hours away on Friday.  : (   We will miss her soooo much - but ya know what that means .... road trip!

Our thinking caps burned up with all that cerebral activity going on to come up with a unique gift for Pam. We decided to pool our resources to present her with a gift card that she'll be able to use to buy whatever her heart desires.  Not so unique, but it won't take up much space!  lol  Well now, that finally brings me to the card for today.  It is a criss-cross pocket card.  I ran the Neighborhood jumbo wheel (retired) on Whisper White card stock, colored some of the houses using markers & a blender pen, and then cut them out.  The image on the little tab is from the Loads of Love Accessories.

The inside has slots to hold the gift card in place and enough room for everyone to sign.  I had to make an envelope since the card wouldn't fit in an A2 size envelope.  I just took some copy paper and ran the wheel over it several times.  Easy enough - and everything coordinated!

Whew, this ended up being quite the novel!  lol  Thanks for hanging in there with me!  Must step away from the computer to finish organizing everything for my Stamp Camp this coming Saturday and work on plans for our Christmas Workshop and Customer Appreciation Open House that Jayne Singleton and I are co-hosting.  Busy, busy,busy!  Really need to squeeze grocery shopping in there today, too.  Must start stockpiling supplies for "Cookie Baking Day" that the youngest daughter and I do every year.

OK, I'm out of here.  Thank you so much for stopping in today.  Hope your day is fantabulous!

November Stamp Camp Sneak Peek

Hi there!  Hope you all had a great weekend.   I want to post a sneak peek of the cards being made at Stamp Camp on Satureday (Nov 19).  Is your spouse/significant other going deer hunting this weekend?  You can have fun, too!  Come join us for an afternoon of stamping and laughter.  Please contact me at the number on the right side bar to reserve your spot.  Seating is limited. 

There you have it!  Now I'm off to slumberland.  I need me some slumber! lol  I've been up way too long. As always, thanks for stopping by today!

Creative Elements

Hi there!  I'm back...  Sorry for my absence.  It's been crazy and not looking like things will let up until after the holidays.  Today I hung out with my stampin' peeps so I'll share a card with you.  Hopefully, that will make up for my neglected blog!  lol  This will be short and sweet so I can get to bed.

I used the flourish from the Creative Elements set and stamped the Very Vanilla Top Note piece in Early Espresso.  Added some color with Stampin' Write markers (Old Olive, Cajun Craze, and Calypso Coral).  Sponged in some Soft Suede and Calypso Coral. The flowers have some Cajun Craze daubed in the ceters and penwork, too.  The flowers were cut out and popped up with dimensionals. The leaves are from the Bird punch.  The focal piece is adhered to a distressed Calypso Coral panel and  the card base is Old Olive.  OK, I'm off to bed.  Thank you so much or stopping in today.  Have a great weekend.!

Hostess Bonus!

Hi there!  It's been a dreary day and now it's raining.  That's OK since I've spent the day in the stamp room getting ready for my Camp on the 19th and organizing - well mostly putting stuff away since I hadn't had time to do so with going out of town two weeks in a row.  I'll have a Sneak Peek later this week.  The suspense!

Stampin' Up! is having an awesome Hostess promotion where you can earn an additional $35 in products when you have a $350 workshop!  Hostesses normally would earn $50 in Hostess Dollars for a $350 workshop.  With the promotion, you earn an additional $35 making that $85 in free merchandise!  Woo Hoo!  Hurry this offer is only good until December 15th.  So what are you waiting for?  Contact me to book your workshop today!  Just invite a few friends and/or family members and you're on your way to earning FREE merchandise - plus it's FUN.  Order products for Christmas gifts or have a catalog party if you're not up for inviting people over.  Let's talk - I have some suggestions.  I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have.

I include a little 3x3 thank you card  in my customers orders. This is the card that was tucked into last months orders. The ladies tell me they look forward to seeing what the little card will be each month.  The pressure to come up with something different each month!  LOL  But there are so many ideas out there and our Demo-only site is a great resource. Thank goodness!

The turkey and platter were made the same way as my Demo challenge card posted last week.

I need to go to bed now.  This time change has me all discombobulated!  Kept checking the time all day and it was always a lot earlier than what it felt it should be.  It's finally caught up with me! 

Thank you for stopping by today!

Pouch Purse

Hi there and happy Thursday!  Today our son turned 31. Happy Birthday, Son!  We love you!!!  Holy Cow, that means that in six months our youngest will turn 30!  Yikes, where have the years gone???  I always said it was like having twins since their age difference is only 18 months.  Then a mother of twins told me she felt it was easier raising twins because they were used to sharing from day one.  Good point!

Last Thursday after we arrived in Louisville and connected with the rest of our group, Pam D'Urso, our incredible up-line gave all of us an adorable pouch purse!  It was perfect to carry our "essentials" to the
all-day Regional.  Pam is such a sweet, gracious person and always so thoughtful - not to mention generous!

Isn't this just too cute?  You should have heard us squeal with delight when she handed them out!  Pam dressed up the plain purse that she purchased from one of those big box stores.  See what you can do with plain ol' stuff?  The flower was made from the Flower Folds Die using our Spice Cake Fabric and Fabric Adhesive Roll.  The front is adorned with a Soft Suede Designer Button from the Spice Cake collection in the Holiday Mini catalog and a Clear Crystal Bauble dangles from the zipper.  Thanks again, Pam, for always making us feel special!

Remember the awesome FREE BIG SHOT promotion!!!  Plus, you'll receive a FREE stamp set from the 2012 Occasions Mini!  Please contact me at the info on right side bar to get started.  You won't regret it!

Thanks for stopping in today!  Hope you have a great day.

Pieces of Heart October Challenge

Hi there!  Hope you all survived Halloween!  I have so much to share with you today!  Beware, it's a long post.
I didn't have time before Regional to share the Demo challenge from our October meeting.  Unfortunately, my photos didn't turn out because it was so dark in the restaurant.  I only have a photo of my challenge because the picture was taken at home.  I'll see if anyone was able to get decent pictures that I can post.  We were to make a Thanksgiving card.

I envisioned looking through a window and seeing Thanksgiving preparations underway with the turkey on the table.  Inspiration for the turkey came from Lynn Pratt and Lorri Heiling.  These ladies are so very talented.  Thank you Lynn and Lorri!
The "tablecloth" is from the Spice Cake fabric and the "platter" was made by punching a Modern Label, then cutting it in half.  I did a little pen work with the Pool Party Stamp n Write marker - going for a Corning Ware look.  The window frame is a piece of Soft Suede card stock stamped with the Woodgrain background stamp and punched out with the 1-1/4" square punch.  Hand-Penned Holidays was used for the sentiment.  Love that font - so elegant!

Our trip to Louisville, KY for the Stampin' Up! Regional was an absolute BLAST!  And on top of that the Cardinals won the World Series!  We had a great time Friday night watching the game in the hotel lobby - kinda took over the place!  You probably heard our cheering all the way from Louisville.  lol
We met a SU! Demo Thu evening staying at the same hotel as us.  Gee, how could she possibly tell we were Demos?  Could it have been because we were working on swaps in the lobby?
We had an awesome day at Regional on Friday seeing the demonstrations, doing the make n take projects, swapping, and making new friends or reconnecting with old ones. I even had the privilege of meeting Bonnie Thurber, a Stampin' Up! home office employee who is a such a hoot.  Got a hug, too!  I also met Mary Brown (aka Stamper Camper).  Mary did a wonderful demonstration on her bow tying technique.  What a thrill it was for me to meet these women!  They're like celebrities to me!

Sunday my family and I attended a Fall party hosted by my sister-in-law.  So, Sunday morning I made some Snickerdoodle Cookies to take along, using the recipe posted on Dawn Olchefske's blog.  The Jack-o-lantern imprint was made with our Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamp!  How cute are they?  The image was "stamped" as soon as the cookies came out of the oven, which worked great.  Easy Peasy!  There are two other images included with the set - a snowflake and a heart. 

My sister-in-law's birthday is Halloween.  This year I chose to lean more toward that theme for her birthday card.  I used the boots from the Wicked Cool set and added skirts made from trimmed scallop circles using Frightful Sight DSP.  I think the card looks rather classy - appropriate for a classy lady.

Whew!  That should do it for now.  Thanks for hanging in there.  Tomorrow is the Wednesday Girls stamp club and Thu is our granddaughter's overnighter.  Today I made some headway getting caught up from being gone two weekends in a row.  There is still a lot to do, though.  Hope you have a great week and thanks for stopping in today!