Vintage Dressed Up

Hi there!  Ready for another week?  It's back to reality for those who attended the Stampin' Up! Convention.  I watched videos of the opening and closing ceremonies.  It looked like a great time and a lot of prizes for everyone!  A few of the Pieces of Heart members attended.  Can't wait to hear all about it!

Today is a vintage card I made at Sally Nusbaum's April Card Buffet.  Love this!  The Hello, Doily was stamped on the background piece in Soft Suede.  Some faux Mother of Pearl buttons and a pin from Vintage Trinkets embellish the natural cotton ribbon.  The black dress form was cut out with the Dress Up Framelits.  Some pearls and flower trim (now retired) add the finishing touch.

Need to run so that I can tackle my long To-Do list.  Thanks for stopping by today!

Blossom Punch and DSP Scraps

Hi there!  Hope your week is going well.  Mine has been fairly low key except for today.  Must run a couple of errands before meeting some friends for lunch.  From there, I'll pick up our granddaughter for an overnight visit.  Later in the evening I'll take Miss M to our youngest daughter's softball game and to pick up the granddog, Rocky.  Miss M will love that!  At the last game we attended, Miss M made friends with a little girl of one of youngest daughter's teammates.  They had a grand time.  OK, enough chit chat - let's get to the card for today.

This card was mailed to Taya Hyde, Pam D'Urso's new recruit, to welcome her to our Pieces of Heart team!  Congratulations to both ladies!  It is made from DSP (Designer Series Paper) scraps.  What a great way to use up some of your DSP scraps!  The four squares are 1-1/2", with two opposing corners rounded.  Flowers were punched out using the Blossom punch and the Boho punch.  The scallop border was cut with an Edgelit die, then a strip of DSP was added to the inside bottom edge for an extra pop of color.  A few score lines made with my Simply Scored Scoring tool gave this card a little extra pizzazz.  Oh, and I added a Real Red circle punched out with a standard hole punch for the center of the flower.  That was after the picture was taken.  It's amazing how a small detail can really make a difference!  Wish I would have taken another photo before mailing the card.

Well, friends, I must run.  Thank you for coming by for a visit today!



All Stampin' Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted
Stamps: none
Paper: Retired Brights DSP stack- Real Red patterns
Ink: none
Other:  Blossom punch, Boho punch, Edgelits - Finishing Touches, Simply Scored, standard hole punch

A Sweet Gift

Hi there!  Just wanted to show you this adorable business card holder that Pam D'Urso made and sent to me!  It also came with a pretty card but I accidentally deleted the photo from my camera and I don't have time to take another one today.  Isn't it just too cute?  Speaking of Pam, I'm in the midst of getting ready to hit the road to her house for some stamping FUN!  Pam has invited the Pieces of Heart Stampers and adoptees for a girls weekend!  It will be crazy fun!  Thus the reason for this abbreviated post. Sorry!  I'll be back with a post on Monday.  Must run.  Thank you for coming by today and have a great weekend! 

Patterned Occasions Get Well

Hi there and happy Friday!  This week sure went fast.  Ha!  They all seem to go fast these days!  So, I won't waste your time - just get right to the card du jour.  This sample was made at Carla Spradling's Card Buffet back in February.  Unfortunately, some of the products are no longer available since they were Sale-a-bration (SAB) items.  The Band-Aides from the Patterned Occasions set were stamped, then cut out and popped up on Dimensionals.



All Stampin' Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted
Stamps: Patterned Occasions (SAB), Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Summer Starfruit, Sycamore Street DSP (SAB), Sahara Sand, White
Ink: Calypso Coral, Island Indigo, Summer Starfruit
Other: Word Window punch, Sycamore Street button pack (SAB), linen thread, Scallop border punch, corner rounder, snips, Perfect Polka Dot embossing folder


Must run to get started packing for a trip to Pam D'Urso's "Little House on the Prairie Retreat"!  The Pieces of Heart team members (and adoptees) will gather at Pam's for a weekend of stamping FUN!!!!  We are having a shoebox swap - a one layer card.  Yikes, what a challenge!  It's OK, I have mine ready to go.  Pam mentioned that we will also be playing Bingo.  Played that at her sister, Penny's, retreat in Texas a few years ago and it was a lot of fun.  OK, really must run.  Have a great weekend and thank you so much for stopping by today!

Summer Just for You and Color Refresh

Hi there!  Hope your week is going well.  Yesterday was a busy one for me.  The day started with dropping off our signed tax forms (yeah!), stopping by the hospital to load up friends belongings to take to her house, lunch with a friend who is moving out of town, dropping off the belongings and visiting a bit with just-released-from-hospital friend, and lastly, meeting Pieces of Heart team members (and adoptees) for dinner at Houlihan's.  Oh my, their Carrot Cake in a jar is to die for!  Yum, yum!  Anyway, let's get on to the above card.  Thought I'd use Baja Breeze and Certainly Celery - two colors that will be retiring as part of the Color Refresh the end of May.  I haven't used Certainly Celery much since we have other greens but I will miss Baja Breeze.  The flower/leaf  images are from the Summer Silhouettes set.  Love this set!  The sentiment came from the Pop-Up Posies Designer Kit, which is in the Stampin' Up! Spring catalog on page 18.

Just in case you haven't seen which colors are retiring, here's a thumbnail shot:

OK, must run.  Thank you soooo much for stopping in today!

Field Flowers

Hi there!  I'm back....finally!  Hope you've had a good week.  It's been busy here with  friends being hospitalized, visiting friends, preparing for our Card Buffet, and just the day to day stuff. 
So, the above card was sent to a friend having surgery.  It is the same concept as others posted previously here except that it is matted and some bling added (pearls colored with a Black Sharpie) and, of course, different colors. The background color is Pretty in Pink.  The Field Flowers stamp set is a 2-step stamp set.  The flowers were first stamped with Pretty in Pink ink, then Rose Red.  The stems and sentiment are in Black ink.  I'm sure the recipient will appreciate the card because she knows I am thinking of her!

Mary Taylor (my friend/downline) and I held our first Card Buffet this past Saturday.  We had such an overwhelming response that we had two sessions!  We have the BEST customers, who are also our friends!  (You can't help not becoming friends with everyone. That's what I love about being a Demonstrator!)  We have a few adjustments to make to our Card Buffet for next month.  Plus our friend, Marla Schack, (Mary's downline and our newest Pieces of Heart team member! Congratulations again ladies!) will join us - adding even more cards and fun!

And if having a successful Card Buffet wasn't enough, my youngest daughter got engaged Saturday morning at the Mardi Gras celebration (held annually in St Louis), which is where they met!  She was totally surprised.  She called me with the news before our Card Buffet started.  What a way to start the day!  Here's a picture of her ring.  I'm so happy for them - they are a great match!

But wait - there's more!  We had the pleasure of having our granddaughter for an overnight visit Saturday!  We don't have many opportunities of overnight visits since she's in school so we cherish them all.  (Like we didn't before?  lol)   I didn't get home from the Card Buffet until after 9 pm. When I walked in, Miss M was sitting in Grandpa's lap listening to a bedtime story.  After I got her into bed (and asleep) I went to Mr Fiance's house to see THE ring.  You know momma had to see it in person and to celebrate the occasion with them!  A lot of his family members and their friends were already there partying (also a post-Mardi Gras celebration).  I didn't get home until around 2 am!  Guess who woke up bright and early Sunday?  Yep, the granddaughter was wide awake at 7:30!  Grandma was a bit sluggish to say the least.  lol  We played "Spa" with her little makeup kit that she brought.  She gave me a foot massage with the lotion.  Wow, that was awesome!  She's really good! 

What a jam packed weekend of wonderfulness!  It took me a couple of days to recover!  lol

Now I must sign off to take care of some mundane things before our Pieces of Heart team meeting tonight.  More fun!  Thanks for visiting today and hanging in there for this long post!

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!

Woodgrain Flower Garden

Hi there!  Hope you're having a good day.  Tonight the Pieces of Heart Stampers are meeting for the first time this year.  That will be fun!  Seems like it's been forever since we've seen each other.

Today's card is another version from yesterday's card made with the Flower Garden embossing folder but with Elegant Eggplant card stock.  This time the white background panel was embossed with the Woodgrain EF.  The direct to paper technique was used, too.  That's when you take the ink pad and run it directly across your paper - a white craft pad in this case.  I used some Smooch spray to add some sparkle.

Must run to finish up a few things before leaving.  Thank you for visiting today!

Snowman Kisses

Hi there!  Hope your week has been wonderful.  Hard to believe that it's Friday already!  Today's project is this adorable snowman tea light and Kisses, which was a gift for each Pieces of Heart Stampers team member from Pam D'Urso.  (It was HER birthday but she gave US gifts.  That's how she is!)  Isn't he just the cutest?  Pam is the Queen of 3-D in my book.  He just makes me so happy - how could you NOT be?  And how cute is that  to cover the bottom of Kisses with Designer Series Paper!  Thanks again, Pam - you inspire me!

OK, that's all for now.  Must get some things checked off my to-do list before heading out to a party this evening.  Tis the season.  Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by today!

Technique Tuesday - Faux Torn Paper

Inspiration: Pinterest

Hi there!  Today I have a technique for you - faux torn paper.  Secure two strips of torn card stock with Dotto to mask off an area approximately 1-1/2" to 2" wide.  Sponge on a light color ink (Crumb Cake was used here) between the masked off area.  Stamp images from the Open Sea set (with masks still in place) using Soft Suede ink.  Remove the masks.  Your card will look as though there's a strip of torn paper across the top - but it's only ink. Cool, huh?  Now wrap some hemp (retired) around the sponged area.  Add a tag stamped with the anchor.  Stamp the globe image in Crumb Cake in lower right portion of the panel, then add sentiment (from Bring on the Cake) in Soft Suede.  Adhere the finished panel to the card base.  Add a sentiment to the inside to complete the card for a man in your life.  Why are masculine cards so difficult?  Hopefully, this will help!

Tonight is the Pieces of Heart Stampers team dinner meeting.  Can't wait to see my stamping peeps!  Our challenge this month is a project using the 2012-14 In Colors. 

That's all for now.  Thank you for stopping in today!

Gettin' Nautical

Hi there!  Shocked to see a post from me on Saturday?  Don't get used to it!  lol

Today I have another masculine card to share with you.  I've had it in my stash for some time now (made at one of Pam D'Urso's Demo Stamp Camps before she moved) and decided to send it to our nephew-in-law, who is into boating.   I think he'll appreciate it!  The Sail Away stamp set (from the 2011 Summer Mini catalog) is now retired - as well as the Nautical Expedition DSP and game spinner hands.  The compass image is from the Open Sea set.  How clever of Pam to use a game spinner hand on the compass!

I'm off to Pieces of Heart Demo friend, Jayne Singleton's "Christmas Cards for Soldiers" event.  Thank you so much for peeking in today!

A Note For You

Hey there and happy Monday to you!  Hope you had a great weekend.  Mine was a busy and fun one.  First thing Saturday morning I met a couple of friends for breakfast before my Stamp Camp.  We had a full house at Camp!  Thanks ladies for being so supportive and fun!  Right after Camp hubby and I attended our nephew's graduation party.  Then Sunday afternoon Mary Ellen Cope and I met at Jayne Singleton's to discuss our upcoming Christmas Card Workshop prior to our monthly Pieces of Heart Stampers team meeting.  Our up-line and sweet friend, Pam D'Urso, who now lives in Illinois flew into St Louis and was able to attend the meeting - along with her chauffeur (hubby)!  She is so thoughtful - she had goodies for each of us from Momento Mall.  We love Pam.  She is such a wonderful friend and always so generous and spoils us terribly!  She also brought her swaps to share with us.  That's always exciting to look at swaps for new ideas!  We had a good time at the Mexican restaurant.  Those $2 margaritas weren't bad either!  lol  I forgot my camera so no pictures of our challenge - to use paper piercing in some way.  Maybe I can get pics from one of the other team members.  Speaking of cards .....here is one of the projects from my Stamp Camp.

There was a request for a kid card by one of my customers so this is what I CASE'd from Chandra.  Too cute!  Thanks Chandra!  I can't believe the number of comments received on our Demo only web site about this particular card.

Stamps: Teen Tiny Wishes

Paper: White, Real Red, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Garden Green, Pacific Point, Crumb Cake

Ink: Black

Tools:  1/8” Hole punch, 1” Circle punch, corner rounder or 1-1/4” Circle punch to round corners

Other:  Silver brads, Dimensionals

Inspiration: Chandra  http://www.bellevuestampingclub.com  Jun 22, 2010 post

OK that's it for today.  Need to clean up the studio and start deciding what I want to pack for the Girls Getaway weekend retreat beginning next Wednesday.  It will be here before I know it.  Gosh time just flies!

As always, thank you so much for coming by!

Branch Out

Whew, it is so hot again.  Can hardly wait until August when we usually have our really hot and humid weather!  Ugh!
OK I have another masculine birthday card for you today.  This one showcases the Branch Out set, which is now retired.

Hmm, the card from yesterday and today must have been during my green and brown phase!  lol

Sunday is our Pieces of Heart Stampers team dinner meeting!  Looking forward to it.  Our up-line, Pam D'Urso, will be returning from Convention and sharing her experiences and swaps with us.  Love getting together with these gals!
Must run so I can work on my challenge for this month's meeting - a project with paper piercing.  I want to at least have an idea of what I'm going to do before I pick up our granddaughter.
Later!  Thanks for stopping in.  Your visits are always appreciated!

Shoebox Swap - Part 2

Hi there.  Here are the rest of the cards we made at the "Little House on the Prairie" Shoebox Swap that Pam D'Urso held at her home.  We had such an awesome weekend!

Patty's card

Phyllis' card

Sally's card (forgot to stamp off the flower image. Oops!)

Susan's card

My card (look familiar?)

Hope everyone is staying cool.  It is soooo hot - weather to just stay inside and stamp!  Thank you for coming by today!

Pieces of Heart Stampers Shoebox Swap

Hi there.  Thought you might like to see the cards we made at Pam D'Urso's "Little House on the Prairie" Stamping Retreat held at her home June 22-24 for our team and adoptees.  We had such a great time!  So without further adieu here are some of the cards - in no particular order.  Come back tomorrow for the rest.

Deana's card (got my string a little too tight)

Diane's card

Jayne's card (I didn't color the little squares yet)

Inside of Jayne's card

Laurie's card

Mary Ellen's card

Pam's card

That's it for today.  Thank you so much for stopping in!

Thank You

Hi there.  Just wanted to express my gratitude and say thank you to everyone for all the prayers, condolences, cards, and hugs received during my sister's battle with cancer and her untimely death on Saturday, June 23.  I flew to Florida on June 4th and stayed with my daughter.  Together we made the three hour drive a couple of times to visit with my sister, Deb.  I am so thankful for those visits because her condition deteriorated very rapidly. 

Here we are having a little party in her bedroom.  My daughter, my brother, his wife, and I had margaritas to celebrate Deb's life.  Deb is having tea - but in a margarita glass so she doesn't feel left out.  Deb was having a good day that day and joked right along with us.  She really had us going at her some of her one-liners.
So to all you smokers out there...QUIT!   My mom was 58 when she died from lung cancer.  Deb was 57.

My  awesome Pieces of Heart Stampin' Sisters had this beautiful plant sent to me.  I was (and still am) very touched by the outpouring of love and support - and for the beautiful handmade cards I've received from all of my friends.  Thank you so much ladies!

Last weekend I attended the "Little House on the Prairie" Stamping Retreat in Mahomet, IL.  Our hostess, Pam D'Urso, graciously opened her home to eleven of us for some stamping fun and provided meals!  It was awesome - we had such a good time.  Pam is definitely the hostess with the mostess!  We had a shoebox swap on Saturday.  I will share pics of those cards at some point.  Unfortunately for me, this event was overshadowed by the sad news received of Deb's passing early Sunday morning.
I don't know how often I'll post.  I'm just taking one day at a time.  But now you know the reason for my absence.

Thank you for coming by - I do appreciate your visits.

A White Flower Garden

Hi there!  Here is another project the girls made at Stamp Camp this past Saturday.  The label is from the new stamp set in the 2012-2013 Annual Catalog called Layered Labels and coordinates with the Apothecary Accents Framelits.  Love them!

 Stampin' Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted.

Stamps: Layered Labels 2 (W-127070,  C-127072)

Paper: White, Midnight Muse

Ink: Midnight Muse (2012-14 In Color)

Tools:  Flower Garden embossing folder, Apothecary Accents Framelits

Other:  Pearls, Acrylic block, Dimensionals, Post-it notes

Inspiration: Linda Aarhus    www.polkadotsandpaper.net

I think my body is rebelling against me!  Sunday I wasn't feeling "quite right" so decided to lie down for a little nap after our Father's Day festivities.  Well, that's where I stayed til morning - and two days after that!   Can't decide if it was the flu or what.  Whatever it was, it certainly knocked me for a loop!   I am on the mend and my leg is much better, too. (I can almost walk normal.)  I HAVE to get well - can't miss the Little House on the Prairie Stamping Retreat this weekend!  Pam D'Urso, our Pieces of Heart upline, is hosting this retreat in her new home.  We are having a shoebox swap, too.  It's going to be great fun - guaranteed! 

Must run...so much to catch up on.  I even missed hanging with the Wed girls today.  Thank you for stopping in today!

Another Anniversary

Hi there!  Another post - can ya believe it?  lol  Today is the last day to place an order for those products that are retiring!  Please contact me if you don't already have a Demonstrator.  I'd be happy to place an order for you.  My information is on the right side bar and at the top.

My to-do list is ginormous today to finish preparations for Open House tomorrow, so this will be super quick!  The card below was received from my friend and fellow Pieces of Heart team member, Mary Ellen Cope.  She sent this lovely card to commemorate my third Stampin' Up! anniversary earlier this month.  (Cuttin' it close, huh, since it's almost next month!)  Mary Ellen said the stamp set used is Love and Sympathy, which she lightly spritzed with water before stamping onto watercolor paper.  Thanks Mary Ellen.  Love it!

Must run.  Have a great day and thank you for stopping by!

Happy Anniversary!

Hi there!  Today I want to post (belatedly) a card received from my good friend and upline, Pam D'Urso.  This beautiful card acknowledged my third Stampin' Up! anniversary on May 9.  Yeah, me!  I've been having a blast and can't believe it's been three years already!
Pam used strips made from the Triple Layer Doily Punch (retiring the end of this month!) to achieve the lace look.  So pretty!  The Tiny Tags set was used with the coordinating punch for the dangling sentiment.
.

Here is the inside of the card.

How cute is this!  The little cupcakes are from the Create a Cupcake set.  Love how the cupcakes pop up. Thanks, Pam, for the beautiful card and for your thoughtfulness! 
I received other cards from my Stampin' peeps that will have to be posted when there's more time.  Sorry girls.  I loved all of my cards!
OK, must run to finish doing some necessary household chores.  We have our monthly Pieces of Heart team meeting tonight.  Looking forward to seeing everyone!  And Pam will be there!  She doesn't attend all of our meetings now that she lives three hours away.  Next month we have a weekend retreat stamping at her new home!  Fun, fun, fun!  So looking forward to that!   These are just some of the reasons I love SU!

Have a great day and thanks for coming by!

February Demo Challenge

Hi there and happy Monday to you!  When we had our Demo dinner meeting Feb12th, we also had our monthly challenge.  This time it was anything St Patrick's Day.  I don't remember everyone's but here goes:

Jayne's

Diane's

Don's

Deana's

 Kathy's

 

 

Mary Ellen's

Pam's

Patty's

Penny's (Pam's sister and our VIP dinner guest )

Mine