A Note From Penny

Hi there!  Two posts today.  How about that!  Forgot to post this sweet note card that I received from Penny Thomas - my upline's upline.  Pam D'Urso is my upline and Penny is her sister.  The Designer Series Paper peeking through the heart cutout is Modern Medley.  Love the patterns in that whole pack!
OK, just wanted to share this card with you.  Need to take Rocky (the granddog) for a walk.  Thank you for coming by!

Framed!

Hi there and happy Friday!  Hope you've had a good week.  Where does the time go? 

Isn't this frame awesome?  My good friend and upline, Pam D'Urso, made it and sent it to me for securing the #1 spot in sales among our Pieces of Heart team this past quarter (thanks to my wonderful customers!!).  Love it - and my customers/friends!  Unfortunately, I couldn't get the whole frame in the picture but the middle is the best part anyway!  Each little 1-3/8" square is a masterpiece of art in itself.  Penny Thomas (Pam's sister and upline - my second level upline) has been hosting swaps for the TOPICS each holiday.  I participated in the Halloween Squares Swap.  It's such a great way to get different squares rather than coming up with nine or twelve different ideas.  All you have to do is reproduce the same square for however many stampers are participating.

The sun is starting to come out!  The weatherman was predicting yucky weather for this morning - sleet and rain.  Glad that bypassed us!  I could tell a front was moving in, though, by the headache I've had the last couple of days.  Much better now!  Anway, must get on with my day.  Hope you have a great weekend and thank you so much for stopping by today!  Your visits are always welcome and appreciated!

Halloween Squares Swap

 Hi there!  Hope you had a great weekend!  Mine was quiet after a busy week of running.  That's what I needed, though.  Had time to catch up on long overdue phone calls and emails.  And spent some time in the studio working on projects for upcoming events.  (Sorry I can't show you just yet.)   Anyway, the above photo showcases the Halloween Squares Swaps that I received.  Aren't they awesome?  Now to put them in a frame to make a cool Halloween decoration.  Penny Thomas organized this swap and it was so fun.  Thanks, Penny!  When I signed up to participate, it didn't occur to me just how small that 1-3/8" square really was to decorate!  It worked out OK, though.  Gosh,  these gals are so creative!  I love them all!    Hopefully, you can see the detail in the close up photos below.

That's all for today.  It is developing into another busy week.  Thank you so much for stopping in today!

This card was a CASE of the sympathy card Penny Thomas sent to me. (Thank you again, Penny)  I changed very little to use as a Stamp Camp card.  It was already awesome!

Stamps: Summer Silhouettes (W-126445, C-126447), Blooming with Kindness – Thank You sentiment (W-126420, C-126422)

Paper: Very Vanilla

Ink: Soft Suede, Cherry Cobbler, Gumball Green

Tools: Fancy Fan Embossing Folder (127751)

Other: Victoria Crochet Trim (118481), Dimensionals, sponges, glue dots

Today is Wednesday and that means stamping time with my peeps!  Must run - thank you for coming by today!

 

Summer Silhouettes

Hi there!  Today I am sharing a sympathy card that I received from Penny Thomas.  This is such a beautiful card in real life.  Penny has already given me permission to CASE it.  (Just got all my new goodies to make it, too!)   Thank you Penny - not only for the card but for your kindness!

Sorry for the short post today.  Need to finish cutting paper for my Stamp Camp on Saturday.  If you wish to attend, please contact me to reserve your spot.  We have a lot of fun!

Have a great day and thank you for stopping in today!

Stamp Camp Card #4

Hi there!  Still dragging the Camp card posts out this week.  lol  So without further adieu, here is Camp card number four.

When I saw this card on Penny Thomas' blog, I knew I'd be CASEing it!  Love the way the colors just pop!

Stampin' Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted.

Stamps: Mixed Bunch * (W-125535, C-125537)

Paper: Always Artichoke, White

Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso

Tools:  Blossom Punch * (125603), Blossom Petals Builder Punch (121808), 1” circle punch, Adorning Accents Embossing Folder - hearts * (125601)

Other:  Stylus, Mat Pack, sponges, Dimensionals, acrylic blocks

Inspiration: Penny Thomas at http://penguinstamper.blogspot.com    posted April 11, 2012

* Denotes items that appeared in the Occasions Mini catalog that are on the Carryover list.  Yeah!

Today our youngest daughter turns 30!  Gosh, where did the time go????  Happy Birthday, Hon!

 

More Goodies

Hi there!  I have more goodies to share with you.  At our February monthly Demo dinner meeting, Penny Thomas presented a gift bag of stampin' goodies to Kathy Boxdorfer and me.  Each item represents something.  Like the glue is for stick-to-it-ness.  I'll have to find what each item represents for sure and get back to you on that one. There was just so much excitement that Pam D'Urso (our wonderful friend and up-line) and Penny (Pam's sister and up-line who lives in TX) could be there!  Penny doesn't make it to MO too much and Pam recently moved to IL.  So there were a LOT of conversations going on at the same time.

Edited to add the meaning behind the bag of goodies (copy & pasted directly from Penny's email ):

The Stampin' Dimensionals were in there because you added depth and dimension to your business; the 2-Way Glue Pen was in there because you stuck to the job and got it done; the sponge was in there because you soaked up the information and applied it where necessary; and the Dazzling Diamonds was in there because you dazzle and shine above the rest!  The candy and the incentive stamp were in there just for fun!

Apothecary Art and Elegant Bird

Hi there!  What a gray day here.  Good day to stamp!  Before I do, though, I want to share one of the projects from my Stamp Camp this past Saturday.  I have the BEST group of ladies who attend!  We had such a fun time.  Thank you so much for coming and for those who couldn't make it, we missed you! 

Yesterday was a another fun filled day.  I attended a Welcome Back Open House for a friend who moved back to the area.  We were best friends during high school but life got in the way plus she lived out of state for the past forty years (yikes! - where did the time go?).  It was so great to reconnect with her and her family!  Looking forward to spending more time together once she gets settled.

Guess I'd better get on with the card before you lose interest, if you haven't already. lol   The focal piece on the following card was made with the new Label Collection Framelits die and the coordinating stamp set,  Apothecary Art.  So cool!  You can purchase these items from the Occasions Mini catalog.  They'll be available until March 31, 2012.

Stampin' Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted

Stamps: Apothecary Art (w-125525, c-125527)

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, So Saffron, Very Vanilla

Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Pear Pizzazz, So Saffron, Stampin' Write markers = Cherry Cobbler, Pear Pizzazz, So Saffron

Tools: Framelits - Labels Collection Dies (125598), Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder (120175), Boho Blossoms punch (119858), flower from Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack (118309)

Other:  Victoria Crochet trim (118481), Cherry Cobbler seam binding (120992), Pearls (119247), Dimensionals, sponges, mini glue dots, blender pen

Inspiration: Maureen Ward on Stampin’ Connection (Demo site) posted Jan 14, 2012

Tomorrow I'll post another Camp card.  But for now I want to show you a thank you card I made for Penny Thomas, my upline's (Pam D'Urso) upline - and sister.  (Two of the sweetest and most genuine people I know.)  Penny was planning a visit with Pam so our February Pieces of Heart Stampers team dinner meeting last night was scheduled around Penny's visit. Our meeting got a little rowdy (...but that's another story! lol)  We had an awesome server who was very good natured about everything.  Anyway, Penny awards "Million Dollar Prizes" to the Demonstrators in her downline who rank in the top three for sales.  I was one of the fortunate recipients for December sales - thanks to my wonderful customers!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!   Mr. Brown (aka, UPS) delivered my gift, the Elegant Bird die, on Thursday.  Woo Hoo!  Since Penny was going to be at the Team meeting, I delivered my thank you note AND a big ol' hug to her personally!    

The inspiration for this card came from Sharon Burkert as seen here on her Feb 9th blog post.   

First Edition DSP was used for the bird.  The heart is, of course, our Red Glimmer paper.   I added a pearl (colored with a black Sharpie) for the eye.  The sentiment is from Just Believe (I added the ...)  Can't wait to use this die in other projects.  Thanks again, Penny!

We're supposed to get some snow (an accumulation of 3-4").  Rush hour is predicted to be the time for the "nasty" stuff.  The prediction might be "right on" since it's coming down pretty steady now.  Just hope everyone who has to drive in it is careful!

OK, need to get back to stamping.  Hope you've had an awesome day so far and thanks for stopping in!

January Stamp Camp Sneak Peek

Hi there!  Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend.  The weather in St Louis this past week was mild for Jan - like in the 70's!  We even set a record for the temps on Thur.  It was strange to see so many people in shorts.  I almost thought I was in Florida!  lol

Today I have a sneak peek of the projects that will be made at my Stamp Camp on Saturday (14th).  Ready?

Some of the gals try to figure out the card designs.  We'll see how they do with this sneak peek.  lol

Finally upgraded my phone over the weekend.  I've been waaaay overdue but the phone I had gave me no problems.  Then a little piece broke off the hinge area and the challenge began - especially when in use.  I had to hold it in my hand and not with my shoulder and head (so I could multi-task).  Anyway, I replaced it with a Smartphone!  There are so many things you can do with these phones.  Oh my!  Love playing Angry Birds!  I'm addicted to that game - working on my 18th level.  It's a tough one.  It will be a fun thing to do while waiting wherever.

Today I received a package from Stampin' Up!  It was my "Million Dollar Prize" from Penny Thomas (my upline's upline) for being in the top three in sales for the month of November!  Woo Hoo!  She told me that I should be proud of this accomplishment because there are 80 others!  I am proud... but without YOU, my customers, it would not be possible.  So a BIG, heartfelt THANK YOU goes out to each and every one of YOU for helping me earn this prize!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!  And a big thanks to Penny, too, for rewarding us with fabulous prizes.  Oh, the prize is a tin of Watercolor Wonder Crayons - Subtles Collection.  I have been wanting some of these but never got around to ordering them.  Can't wait to play with my new crayons!  Who knows?  There just might be a project made with them at the next Stamp Camp.

That's it for now.  I'm in "cutting card stock" mode for Saturday.  Thanks for dropping by today!

Such an Angel

Hi there - it's me again!  Stopping in for another quick post.  Today while with the Wednesday Girls, I made some angels and popped them on a card.  The inspiration came from Penny Thomas (http://www.penguinstamper.blogspot.com/).  These little darlings are just so cute and easy to make.  Hope you try making some, too.  They're not just for Christmas!

Stamps: Hand-Penned Holidays
Paper: Whisper White, Garden Green, Real Red, Blushing Bride scrap, Soft Suede scrap
Ink: Real Red

Other: Petite Pennants Builder Punch (for her dress); 3/4" Circle Punch (for her face); Cupcake Builder Punch (for her hair); Crop-a-dile (for her eyes); Butterfly Punch (for her wings); Stampin' Dimensionals; SNAIL Adhesive; 2-Way Glue Pen; Big Shot Machine; Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, Scallop Border Punch

Need to get to bed now.  Thanks for stopping by today!

October Stamp Camp Cards

Hi everyone!  It's been a few days since my last post.  Soooo, thought I'd take a quick break from packing what looks like everything I own (stamping wise) for the Girls Getaway Retreat!  We never get to all the projects that we think we're going to do.  Each time I say I'm not gonna bring all the stuff that I do. "Better to have and not need than to need and not have" seems to be my M.O.  Oh well!  Here are a couple of the cards that were made at my Stamp Camp this past Saturday.

Stamps: Trendy Trees (113258), Falling Leaves – sentiment (115368)

Paper: Old Olive, Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade, White

Ink: Early Espresso, Old Olive, Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade

Tools: Stamp-a-ma-jig (SAMJ), mat pack

Other:  Poppy Parade 1/2” poly-stitched ribbon (119263),

Inspiration:  Card received from Penny Thomas  http://www.penguinstamper.blogspot.com/

Stamps: French Foliage (W-120845, C-121166), Word Play W-120308, C-120651),

              Nature Walk (W-121925, C-121997)

Paper: White, Early Espresso, Pear Pizzazz, Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight

Ink: Early Espresso, Pear Pizzazz, Cherry Cobbler, Versamark

Tools: Scallop Trim Border punch, Square Lattice embossing folder, heat gun, Big Shot

Other:  Black embossing powder, sponges, dimensionals, acrylic blocks

Inspiration:  Sandi MacIver  www.sandimaciver.com  posted Sep 15, 2010

Thanks for stopping by today!  Must get back to packing.  I'll schedule some posts while I'm at the retreat so you can view the other Camp cards.  

Manhattan Flower Wedding

Hi there!  Hope you're having a great day.  My day started with a migraine but it's better now thanks to medication.  Turning the a/c back on helped some, too.  Tomorrow our temps will be back down in the 70's for a high.  Crazy St Louis weather!
I want to share with you a technique I saw on the TOPICS (Demo only) blog.  It seems most of the members of the TOPICS reside in TX - with Penny Thomas being the "ring leader".  lol  Penny is Pam D'Urso's sister and up-line.  Pam happens to be my up-line.  They are both wonderful people and I am fortunate to have them as friends!  So.... here is the card showing this cool technique using the Manhattan Flower embossing folder as a wedding dress - or a party dress!  This was Jan Spencer's "Project Share" presentation at the TOPICS July meeting.  What a clever idea.  Thank you for sharing, Jan!

When you look at the embossing folder, it is the bottom flower.  You'll have to trim away the top petal to form the bodice.

Stamps: Word Play
Paper:  White, Black, Night & Day DSP (retired - but available in Clearance Rack)
Ink: Black
Other: Manhattan Flower embossing folder, Wide oval punch, rhinestones, pearls, 1/4" black satin ribbon (non-SU!)